Located in the burgeoning South Grand neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, 8th/Hope/Grand is a 450,000 sf mixed use project incorporating luxury residences, a boutique hotel, and retail. The study is part of the first “flexible entitlement” permit application in Los Angeles and likewise the first to take advantage of recent zoning changes allowing development up to 13 FAR. The 39 story, 450 foot (137 m) structure contains parking for 450 cars, 50,000 sf (4,650 sqm) of retail, a 175 guest room hotel, and 155 luxury “Skyhouses”.

The major design constraint was the narrow nature of the lot which, due to parking design constraints, dictated the location of the tower cores. In order to take maximum advantage of the site, the Skyhouses are two story through units with both northern views of downtown and the San Gabriel Mountains and southern views of the city gird and Pacific Ocean. The residential units are elevated on 120 feet (36.5 m) tall concrete columns, creating a floating slab hovering above the hotel below.