LA Live Tower & Residences
Owner : Anschutz Entertainment Group
Architect : Gensler
Engineer : Nabih Youssef Associates Facade
Consultant : J.A. Weir Associates
GC : Webcor Builders, Completion : 2010, Contract Value : 56m, Program : 54-stories, 660 ft; 2,000,000 sqft LEED Rating : LEED certified
Building Type : Mixed Use / Hotel / Residential / Conference Center / Retail
Technology Type : AESS Fabrication, Design-Assist, Design-Build, Point-fixed Clamped, Skylights, Sunshading, Supply Chain Management, Truss Systems
Facade : Comprehensive design/assist-design/build program including 540,000 sqft custom glass unitized curtainwall, 3 wall types, units 7 ft wide with heights ranging from 4.5 ft to 32 ft, avg. 20 ft; special acoustically enhanced units developed for this project; 25,000 sqft of canopy glass; over 20,000 sqft of point-fixed structural glass facade with cast stainless steel glass fittings and cable support system; louvers; aluminum swing doors, skylights, and canopies canopy structures custom fabricated prefinished AESS tube and plate trusses
Glass : 34 different glass types with a diversity of colors used to create a uniquely patterned facade; insulated glass units used throughout tower curtainwall; special acoustical glass used in resident areas facing freeway; point-fixed glass is 3/4 inch laminated, tempered low-iron glass with custom frit and SGP interlayer; glass by Viracon
Description : This unique mixed use tower complex rises from the midst of the low and midrise buildings that center around LA’s Staples Center and the Nokia Theater, often referred to as the Times Square of the West
The L.A. Live Tower & Residences represent the first skyscraper to be built in downtown Los Angeles in nearly two decades, located in tight quarters between two major freeways, the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center arena.
Working closely with Gensler early in the design phase of the project, the Enclos design team provided design/assist services for the structural glass facades and custom curtainwall systems. The facade program was large and complex, including 540,000 square feet of unitized curtainwall and 20,000 square feet of structural glass facade. Enclos ultimately provided comprehensive design/build services for these elements and others, including AESS truss and canopy fabrication, louver systems, doors and skylights.
There are 34 different types of glass employed in the various facades ranging from opaque to transparent, with a range of colors used as a unique design element. The custom curtainwall units incorporate unique elements such as integrated 8 inch sunshades, and special units have integrated vertical lighting pockets to house a system intended to illuminate areas of the facade. Air vents are designed into horizontal framing members, providing fresh air into the fan coil units as required to heat or cool the interior. The curtainwall system includes 3 wall types, one of which is 4-side captured and the other two with the vertical sides structurally glazed (Los Angeles building codes require mechanical capture of glass). An upper level pool deck features a 14-foot tall glass windscreen, and a high-transparency point-fixed structural glass facade encloses the podium retail level of the complex.
A 3-story mockup was tested at the nearby Smith-Emery testing lab. The mockup incorporated the three wall types designed for the project. Water penetration and air infiltration tests were conducted over the course of several days, with results confirming the expected performance of the curtainwall. In addition to this quite common form of curtainwall testing, Enclos also conducted unprecedented acoustical testing. While the glass that comprises the majority of the facade area is of known performance, the framing system itself had not been subjected to the same level of testing. The testing resulted in acoustical enhancements that were used in the residential units facing the nearby freeway.
Enclos was able to provide value to the developer and build team through the use of its global supply chain. The firm has invested heavily through the years in developing and qualifying a network of vendor-partners that work to a demanding set of quality systems and performance criteria put in place by Enclos. The result has been a significant increase in capacity and the consistent delivery of top quality product at optimum economy. In this project, extruded aluminum framing components were fabricated in Thailand and shipped to an Enclos assembly plant in Southern California. The components were then assembled into frames and the various cladding elements were installed.
Densely urban job sites are no strangers to the Enclos operations teams; such have been their playing fields for numerous successful building project matchups. The difficult logistics presented by such a context are second nature to them, and they possess a wide range of tools and techniques to deal with the challenges. Units at L.A. Live were installed during the nightshift to ease site congestion, using two tower cranes located at opposite ends of the job site. The custom unitized design effectively enclosed two full floors per row, significantly reducing installation time.
