When downtown Los Angeles' office buildings first started sprouting up, the city had a very different attitude about civic plazas. Most of those spaces were empty, windswept concrete yards, not places of dynamic urban activity or real civic engagement. AC Martin’s recent renovation of a modernist plaza outside this major downtown high-rise is a good example of how this attitude has changed. Solutions implemented on this project include:

• A once-barren space was filled with an intricate network of elements that would make it as walkable, sittable, and people-friendly.
• A diagonal pattern of stone pavers, which lead visitors to and from the main entry embraces the urban grid.
• Artful use of illuminated colored glass boxes lining the entryways provide clear wayfinding.
• Alternating light and dark pavers and Palo Verde trees that create dappled light help to offset the heat island effect.
• The new landscape design, comprised mostly of droughttolerant succulent gardens in dark brown oxidized Cor-ten steel planter boxes. Water features, seating areas, and orange umbrellas were added to provide a lush protective backdrop against the bustling city traffic.
• The buildingís terraced storefronts were re-imagined to include new steel blade signage that not only unifies the facades but also gives the shops a new sophistication.

444 South Flower - Landmark