AKA West Hollywood at 8500 Sunset, built in2017, is located along West Hollywood's iconic Sunset Strip at, arguably, one of the most prominent sites on Los Angeles’ west side. AKA West Hollywood at 8500 Sunset is the outcome of collaborative navigation through a dynamic mix of stakeholders including a high profile developer, internationally recognized design partner, SOM, and invested local constituents.

A large structure comprising a hybrid program of hotel, residential, and retail spaces, this project’s completion will be a testament to the efforts of collected minds to achieve inventive solutions within complex urban circumstances.

A corridor slices through Sunset Millennium’s tall buildings, returning ground space to the public and gesturing to the larger city by creating a framed vista. The transparency of the glass-enclosed ground level blurs the distinction between lower interior spaces and the exterior street; above, green roofs engage the outdoors, providing community park space and city views. A building envelope patterned with folds activates the project’s exterior by introducing a dappling of light and shadow. Large billboards interrupt this faceted surface, drawing on the culture of voyeurism historically embraced by the Sunset Strip.