Two California Plaza

Two Californica Plaza
  1. About the Two California Plaza in Los Angeles
    1. Prizes & Awards
  2. Architect and team
  3. Architectural style
  4. Spaces and uses
  5. Structure and materials

The Two California Plaza is a Modern Style skyscraper designed by Artur Erickson Architects, in association with AC Martin Partners, and built between 1990 and 1992 in Los Angeles, CA.

Two California Plaza is not the only name you might know this building by though. The building is, or has also been known as 2Cal.

Its precise street address is 350 Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA. You can also find it on the map here.

In 1997 the Two California Plaza was awarded with the BOMA Building of the Year.

On the ground floor, in the open-air plaza, the tower has a courtyard with dancing fountains, a lawn and performance stages.

At the top of the building there's a helipad .

Building's timeline

Construction begins
1990
34
Construction completed
1992
32
years ago
2024

Architect and team

Artur Erickson Architects was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with AC Martin Partners.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Two California Plaza a reality:

  • Martin & Huang International Inc. in charge of Structural Engineering
  • Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company as the Main Contractor
  • Metropolitan Structures West as the Main Developer
  • WET Design as the collaborating Artist

Architectural Style

The Two California Plaza can be categorized as a Modern Style building.

The modern style, also referred to as Modernism in the U.S. (distinct from the European Modernist movement), is characterized by minimal ornamentation, clean lines, and the use of materials such as glass, steel, and concrete. This style prioritizes functionality and the honest expression of materials and structure.

Modern architecture in the U.S. follows many principles of the International Style but with slightly less rigid rules than those of the purist European International Stylists like Le Corbusier, or even those who imported the style to the U.S. like Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius.

Modern skyscrapers often feature expansive glass curtain walls, open floor plans, and focus on volume over mass. This blend of innovation and simplicity defined the modern skyscraper, creating the sleek, functional urban landscapes prominent in mid-20th-century U.S. architecture.

Spaces & Uses

The Two California Plaza reaches an architectural height of 751ft (229m). It has a total of 58 floors, 52 above ground and 6 basements, served by 26 elevators.

In regards to parking space, the building has a total of 493 spots available, which roughly equals 9 spots per floor (above ground).

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1992, the Two California Plaza has mainly been used as Commercial space.

751ft (229m)
6 basements

Materials & Structure

The Two California Plaza uses a frame structure made of steel columns and concrete slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

Non-structural Curtain Wall Facade
Non-structural Curtain Wall Facade

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a blue glass and aluminum curtain wall covering the majority of the building. Other than a 3-4 floors stone-clad podium, the rest of the building is completely wrapped in glass.

The tower has a rectangular floorplan, with rounded corners on the North and South and 3-stepped corners on the East and West. The building is topped by a matching 3 step setback

Approximately a quarter of the way up, a series of darker voids covered by metallic grids mark the presence of a mechanical floor.

Other materials found at the Two California Plaza include, Brazilian granite, found in lobby floors, walls and columns, and Borington green slate, used in the water stage.

Sources

  • citynational2cal.com
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • carrara.com
  • web.archive.org
  • www.pohl-facades.com
  • skyscraperpage.com
  • structurae.net
  • en.parkopedia.com
  • www.skyscrapercity.com