Frank Gehrys signature dynamic style lands on Sunset Boulevard

8150 Sunset Boulevard is Los Angeles' latest mixed used development, designed by Frank Gehry.

(Image credit: Visualhouse)

published 26 August 2015

A stone's throw from the iconic Chateau Marmont, 8150 Sunset Boulevard (opens in new tab) is Frank Gehry's (opens in new tab) latest Los Angeles project. Earlier in the year, Gehry was selected by US developers Townscape Partners (opens in new tab) to work on the large site on the city's landmark strip. The designs, featuring the architect's signature dynamic style, have just been unveiled.

Gehry and his team revealed a mixed-use complex of 'five interrelated and complementary structures'. The scheme includes two residential buildings - comprising some 249 units - retail, entertaining, as well as public and green spaces.

The site is located at the eastern end of the Sunset strip and faces Hollywood Hills to the north. The composition was conceived so as to create a dialogue with the surrounding buildings' scale and to relate to the area's eclectic urban fabric. A mix of heights ensures a lower profile towards the street and secures great views for the apartment units behind it. Carefully thought glazing and transparency will help the volumes appear lighter.

The team will be involved in the design in all scales, from buildings and interiors, to landscaping - in fact pedestrian spaces were central to the proposal. Sustainability is another of the project's key aspects, as the buildings are expected to achieve a LEED environmental rating of Silver or higher. Townscape Partners are aiming to break ground by early 2017.

Sunset North Aerial Model — The complex includes residential, retail and entertainment buildings, as well as plenty of public and green spaces.

The composition was created to relate to the surrounding urban fabric. The site sits on the eastern end of the Sunset strip, facing Hollywood Hills to the north.

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).