Hacking the Highrise - Wells Fargo Center
When we thought about where to launch our new initiative, Hacking the Highrise, Wells Fargo Center was an obvious place to start. As part of the portfolio of Brookfield Properties, the largest owner in Downtown LA, it is a perfect example of what we mean when we talk about reimagining office towers “inside, outside, and all around.”
To anyone driving by Wells Fargo Center today, the most obvious improvement in the works is on the outside, where Brookfield Properties is investing $60 million to upgrade its ground-floor retail plaza. Dubbed “Halo”, the new atrium will feature multiple restaurants, indoor/outdoor eating areas, a rooftop deck, and a host of new tenant amenities. These improvements are a vital component of Brookfield’s goal of creating a true campus environment on Bunker Hill.
On the inside, the improvements may not be as easy to spot, but they are no less meaningful. Beginning with their DesignHive by Brookfield spec suite competition, and continuing through to their recent addition of Convene, a hotel-style meeting and hospitality service located on-site, Brookfield Properties has demonstrated that they understand what 21st century businesses are looking for and what they need to thrive.
Finally, no program exemplifies the concept of “all around” as well as Arts Brookfield. Through an ongoing program of free, world-class cultural experiences at its properties across the world, Arts Brookfield seeks to bring public spaces to life through art. Installations such as Park People, which placed brightly colored block people on benches around the plaza at Wells Fargo Center, create a greater sense of connection between tenants and the property, and between each other.
Today’s office tenants want a creative environment and workspaces that inspire collaboration and spark innovation. In the past that meant converted industrial buildings and renovated historic properties. Now the cutting-edge is vertical campuses in dynamic urban centers, and owners like Brookfield are leading the way with properties like Wells Fargo Center.