The Skyscraper as Artist’s Canvas

The highly acclaimed work of Los Angeles architect Scott Johnson and his colleagues ranges from mansions in Malibu to bank branches in Beijing.

But the 50-year-old Johnson is best known in the skyscraper business, and his most recent creation is about to start construction: the 35-story MGM Tower. When completed in 2003, it will be Johnson’s third Century City skyscraper and the first major new high-rise to be completed in the city of Los Angeles in more than a decade.

His work in Century City has earned Johnson--head of design at Los Angeles-based Johnson Fain Partners--a reputation in real estate circles for creating buildings that rake in profits and prestige. The 35-story Fox Plaza, for example, was purchased last year by Orange County real estate mogul Donald Bren for a record $350 million. Down the street, another Johnson creation, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, commands some of the highest rents in the city and includes such high-powered tenants as billionaire Eli Broad.

“He just knows high-rise office buildings very well,” said Mike Levin, project manager at Urban Retail Properties, which is developing the skyscraper for JMB Realty. “He understands the development business, budgets, and he creates a very good product.”

Despite his reputation as a skyscraper architect, Johnson resists being solely defined by his most well-known and largest works. Besides, it would be hard for Johnson and his firm’s 90 employees to make a living by focusing only on the relatively few skyscraper commissions that come up each year.

“In reality, the majority of our work in the past 10 years has been research labs, university buildings, libraries and a bunch of houses,” Johnson said in an interview at his downtown Los Angeles office.

But whether skyscraper or winery, Johnson’s design work has earned him praise from building owners and architectural critics. After working on several high-profile projects for postmodern architect Philip Johnson (no relation) in New York, Scott Johnson’s reputation for artful design attracted the notice of legendary Los Angeles architect William Pereira, who was trying to revive his ailing firm.

Johnson moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, and, with partner William H. Fain Jr., propelled the firm (now Johnson Fain) into the forefront of high-rise design with such creations as Fox Plaza, which was featured in the 1988 movie “Die Hard,” starring Bruce Willis.

“Scott is without a doubt one of the most talented current designers of skyscrapers,” said Aaron Betsky, curator of architecture, design and digital projects at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. “He has the ability to mold what is an unforgiving medium to create very expressive and iconic images . . . that really stand out on the skyline.”

In his plans for the $150-million MGM Tower, which was feted at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, Johnson tailored his design to the culture and climate of Southern California. The tower features curved forms and a skin of light-colored granite, metal and crystalline glass that takes advantage of the region’s numerous days of hazy sunshine. The materials and forms will take on different looks in response to changes in sunlight, with shadows playing on its surfaces and accentuating its depth.

On the ground, there is a seamless connection between the building and an adjacent parking garage, a reflection of the fact that most Angelenos enter buildings not by the front door but through the back. Employees and guests will make their way from the garage to their offices via a garden ringed with shops and restaurants.

While a new skyscraper in New York or Chicago might simply blend into an existing sea of towers, in Los Angeles--and even in Century City--a new high-rise can still noticeably change the skyline.

“In New York, you can’t get back far enough to see it because you’re behind another tall building,” Johnson said. “Here, from all over, you can see the whole building, for better or worse.”

Johnson’s design and the Century City location have made it possible for building owner JMB Realty to draw first-class tenants at top prices. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. has leased about 60% of the 700,000-square-foot building for 15 years in a deal valued at $500 million--a Los Angeles record.

On Monday, International Lease Finance Corp., the world’s leading aircraft-leasing company, said it had leased the building’s top six floors. As a result, about 75% of the building is now spoken for.

“Having Scott Johnson as an architect lends credibility to landlords as they seek higher rents,” said real estate broker Nick Christensen at CB Richard Ellis. Other landlords “can’t claim that Scott Johnson cachet.”

While popular among image-conscious tenants, skyscrapers are not universally loved. MGM Tower drew heavy opposition from nearby residents and Los Angeles City Council member Michael Feuer over concerns about increased traffic congestion. Johnson is aware that his most visible buildings run counter to a city defined by horizontal sprawl.

“I think there is a public perception by some people that tall is bad,” said Johnson, who lives in Hancock Park. “A lot of people . . . moved out here for space and sky and openness.”

The huge cost and limited number of appropriate building sites will continue to keep a lid on the number of skyscrapers built in Los Angeles and many other major cities.

Despite his skill at skyscraper design, Johnson and partner Fain rarely work on tall buildings any more. The firm was forced to diversify after the real estate bust and recession of the early 1990s demolished demand for giant buildings. Even today, after a record economic boom, relatively few skyscrapers have been built compared to the go-go years of the 1980s and 1960s.

“It was a scary thing when the market changed so suddenly,” Johnson said. But “we looked around and began to search out and develop other areas of expertise.”

Major Johnson Fain projects underway include the renovation of the historic Terminal Annex in downtown Los Angeles; a Native American museum and cultural center in Oklahoma City; a Florida resort; a master plan for a Chinese university; and a series of research and development projects for biotechnology leaders Amgen and Genentech.

But with plans for the MGM Tower complete, there are no skyscrapers on the firm’s drawing boards at this time.

“I’m proud of [MGM Tower],” Johnson said. “But, in a period where there is really not many skyscrapers and tall buildings being done, I’m more interested in being seen as a creative architect who approaches the profession in an artistic way.”

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A Multifaceted Career

Architect Scott Johnson of Johnson Fain Partners is best known for skyscrapers, but his work covers a wide variety of building types.

Johnson Fain Projects

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Size, in Year Name square feet Location completed 1999 Avenue of the Stars 780,000 Century City 1990 Experian U.S. headquarters 550,000 Costa Mesa 2002* Fox Plaza 710,000 Century City 1987 MGM Tower 700,000 Century City 2003* Nestle USA headquarters 502,000 Glendale 1990

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*Estimated

Sources: Johnson Fain Partners, CoStar Group Inc.