Aptly nicknamed the “green blade,” Jean Nouvel’s newest addition to the asphalt laden City of Angels slices through the concrete jungle at 10,000 Santa Monica, adding much needed greenery to the surrounding office towers. Standing 45 stories tall and little more than 50 feet deep, this statuesque green structure is bound to make an sustainable impact that we hope others will follow.
With $400 million going into a mere 177 residential unit, you can be sure that nothing will be spared in the new residence. Each unit will run the width of the building with views from the balconies on the north and the south façade. The narrow units help with energy efficiency but still have plenty of square footage on multiple stories ranging from 3,400 to 9,400 sq feet each. Plans currently show the south side landscaped in natural California foliage, while the north will take on more tropically lush feeling (image above), providing plenty of green those viewing from afar while offering each residence to step out into a re-defined urban jungle. Not just for looks, the greenery will help minimize the heat island effect in LA.
If that’s not enough green for you, the residences to Nouvel’s tower will get the luxury of enjoying a 40,000-square foot garden at the lobby level. In the larger urban fabric, the plan for the lush “green blade” is to help create more pedestrian friendly traffic in an area known primarily for its office towers, adding a live-work-friendly environment to the occupying CEOs. While the building is only set to reach LEED silver credentials, and the cost to occupy is well out of most of our reach, its good to see that even the most luxurious of residences can’t be raised without noting its green colors.
+ Jean Nouvel
+ 10,000 Santa Monica
+ Jean Nouvel Wins the 2008 Pritzker Prize @ Inhabitat
+ Frasers Broadway by Jean Nouvel @ Inhabitat
Via AIArchitect
It looks pretty “green”, except for the “green” technology in the building, I would like to know how the green area on the exterior patio (for each level?) could get maintained. And besides for the cactus, what else botany could be concerned?
Any development that claims to be green and has housing units *starting* at 3,400 sf and going up to a monstrous 9,400 sf is all about marketing and not about sustainability. I am a big Jean Nouvel fan, but this is a boondoggle I wish he hadn’t done. The “green” marketing ploy just makes me sick! Unless you have 10 families living in that 9,400 s.f. mansion, Jean, you’re just another part of the problem, not the solution!
Great article. Few thoughts:
Building is going to have a huge water and energy footprint.
– Lush tropical landscape on north side is going to consume a lot of water in a naturally arid environment
– Narrow buildings are usually less energy efficient than a more \”cube like\” building due to the heat loss from the large amount of surface area. The fact that most of the building facade is glass doesn\’t help with the heat loss either, since glass is generally a poor insulator.
– Solar gain on the building is going to be massive. Plants should offset it, and hopefully it will be incorporated into some form of natural ventilation.
Overall a welcomed change to LA\’s concrete jungle
-Todd, http://bluevolu.blogspot.com/