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Late last year, Grand Park was awarded a My LA2050 Grant from the Goldhirsch Foundation for the purpose of building a permanent shade structure at Olive Court, the gathering space between the park’s iconic fountain and its main performance lawn. After receiving more than 50 submissions, officials have determined a list of three finalists for the inaugural design, which will be featured in the space for two years. The winning artist will receive a $15,000 commission.

Century West Partners, a Los Angeles-based real estate developer, has started construction on Next On Lex, a $280-million mixed-use complex in Downtown Glendale. The project, located at the corner of Central Avenue and Lexington Drive, will feature 494 rental apartments and 8,140 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Citibank has signed on as an anchor retail tenant. Plans call for a wide range of residential amenities, including an underground parking garage for cars and bicycles, a business center, a gym, a yoga studio, a competition-sized pool, a sky lounge and a landscaped rooftop deck.

Following a full year of delays, the highly-anticipated renovation of Los Angeles State Historic Park has finally kicked back into gear. The 34-acre expanse on the northern edge of Chinatown - alternatively known as the Cornfield - shut down for its $20-million overhaul in April 2014, and was originally scheduled to re-open one year later. However, the Downtown News reports that construction crews discovered contaminants buried underneath the park during utility installation, including an uncharted building foundation and layers of ash from the railyard which once occupied the site.

An affordable housing complex catering to families and chronically homeless veterans is now rising in the Montecito Heights neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles. The $20-million project, known as the Marmion Way Apartments, is being developed by Palm Communities, an Irvine-based firm which specializes in affordable housing. The four-story building is replacing a .7-acre lot which adjoins the Gold Line’s Heritage Square Station. According to a staff report from the California State Treasurer’s Office, the project will offer 48 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments reserved for families and individuals making between 30% and 60% of the Los Angles Median Household Income.

Fairfield Residential and Legendary Development have revealed new renderings for 950 E. Third Street, a $215-million mixed-use development which broke ground earlier this week in Downtown’s booming Arts District. The project, now rising from a six-acre site adjacent to the Southern California Institute of Architecture, will feature a series of five- and six-story buildigns containing 472 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments and 22,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Plans also call for numerous amenities throughout the development, including a two-story social and sweat lounges, a dog wash and play area, a rooftop deck, a courtyard and a rooftop deck.

Construction has commenced for a $16-million mixed-use complex in Palms. The Roy @ Overland, slated for a half-acre site at 3644-3658 Overland Avenue, will consist of a six-story building featuring 92 apartments, approximately 1,500 square feet of retail space, and underground parking accommodations for 105 vehicles and 109 bicycles. City records indicate that the project would include a mixture of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, including eight units reserved for very-low income households.

Residents of Downtown Los Angeles woke to helicopter noise last Saturday morning, as a glass slide was airlifted to the 69th-floor observation deck at the U.S. Bank Tower known as Skyspace LA. The Skyslide will be suspended from the side of the 1,018-foot tall building, allowing individuals to slide from the 70th floor to the 69th floor, supported only by a layer of clear 1 ¼-inch thick glass. Visitors will disembark onto a open-air observation deck that is being billed as the tallest in the State of California.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council approved plans for the Palladium Residences, a proposed $320-million development which would flank the Hollywood Palladium. Plans from Miami-based developer Crescent Heights call for the construction of two 28-story buildings on large parking lot which abuts the historic performance venue. The towers, each standing approximately 350 feet tall, would create a total of 731 residential units, 24,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space and residential amenities.

Overhead footage from architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart offers a unique perspective on At Mateo, a retail and creative office complex now under construction in the Arts District. The $80-million project, which is being developed by a joint venture between ASB Real Estate Investments and Blatteis & Schnur Incorporated, will include a series of low-rise structures featuring approximately 130,000 square feet of stores and restaurant and 50,000 square feet of offices. Plans also call for a four-story, 540-car carage to be built with the development.

Aerial images captured by architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart showcase construction progress on 400 Spectrum Center Drive, an upcoming office tower in Irvine. The project, which is being developed by the Irvine Company, is rising from an approximately eight-acre site across the street from the Irvine Spectrum shopping and entertainment complex. Plans call for a 20-story, 323-foot tall building containing 426,000 square feet of office space, to be accompanied by a dedicated parking garage.