Century Plaza Hotel
Pedestrian-friendly Landscape
The Century Plaza Hotel renovation rethinks the landscape surrounding the original 1966 Minoru Yamasaki hotel and two new residential towers. The concept to create a pedestrian-friendly city within a city is promoted by raising the entry plaza to street elevation.
Users are drawn to two pavilions that frame a gathering plaza with a Jaume Plensa sculpture. To honor Yamasaki’s original plan for islands of serendipitous amenities amid a water feature, the site is sprinkled with fountains, pools, and water gardens.
The twin residential towers, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, have access to private gardens and parking for the residences. The private gardens — one Mediterranean, one California coastline-inspired — include outdoor rooms for barbecuing, lounging, yoga, and more. The gardens are adaptable and can be modified for a multitude of other uses. The only fixed spaces are the dog parks serving each tower.
Behind the landmark hotel, a formerly private amenity space becomes a public courtyard for hotel guests, condo residents, and pedestrians shopping along the two new estate drives. A new patio extends from the back of the hotel lobby, creating an indoor-outdoor space overlooking the event lawn.
As landscape architect, RIOS handled overall site design, in addition to soft and hardscaping, planting, and landscape fixtures and finishes. To honor Yamasaki’s original plan for islands of serendipitous amenities amid a single water feature, the site is sprinkled with a variety of fountains, pools, cisterns, and water gardens, each creating its own mood. Our design carries through updates to the three hotel and residential pool decks and amenities.
