new glass offers a chance to critique lapd headquarters building
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As glass is being installed along the notched Spring Street facade of the new LAPD headquarters building, casual observers and architecture buffs alike have their first in-person chance to critique the design that has only recently come into view.
DMJM set out to create a modern structure for the more-than-deserving Los Angeles Police Department, which for years has dealt with cramped, decaying facilities in Parker Center.
Keeping in mind such requirements as security, ease of access and lines of sight, the architecture firm came up with drawings that pleased the more security-minded in the City Council, but to the detriment of the surrounding neighborhood that is forced to look at it on a daily basis.
One of the more architecturally neglected portions of the complex is the Spring Street face, cluttered with dozens of glass strips between concrete in lieu of full-sized windows. Instead of providing a visual stimulus for passersby, the “uniform variation” of the face becomes a barricade reminiscent of the Metropolitan Detention Center several blocks away.
Even more disconcerting is the structure’s horizontal apex at 1st and Main: a solid wall of concrete paneling as one last snub to those who would attempt to engage the building.
As a government “security fortress” running $140 million over original cost estimates, making abundant use of cheap-looking materials, and with a dictatorial presence in the district, the new LAPD headquarters succeeds in all respects.
3 comments
I partially agree with Rich, but another part of me still likes the paneling effect.
I see the glass and concrete strips as unique and visually interesting and I think this view will lighten and change as all the glass is added and it starts reflecting light. I also like the “all glass wall” that mimics the same pattern as the “glass and concrete wall” by using different shades of glass. When you catch a corner view, seeing the two sides together will be striking.
While I am definitely not a fan of solid concrete walls, here the concrete wall is only visible while viewing one or both of the other patterns, so it adds variation. I’m disappointed that the concrete is beige. From the rendering it looks silver, which would have been more of a match with blue windows.
No mention that the glass on the 2nd Street side will fry the occupants in the Higgins Building.