Native Americans, European settlers, cattle, dairy and aeronautical industries, and Hollywood studios. All of the above had a single consecutive scenario in Westside, the western area of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States: today’s Playa Vista neighborhood, a mixed-use urban project, strongly focused on sustainability, which is emerging as a thriving area and a pole of attraction for major technology companies. Prior to its materialization, the land belonged to Howard Hughes, the American businessman who created his aeronautical empire on it and built the “Hercules” airplane -also known as the “Spruce Goose”-, one of his most famous projects. In the mid-1990s, the now vacant hangars were transformed into sound studios for Hollywood movies. Playa Vista is about 2.4 kilometers from the coast and minutes from Los Angeles International Airport and, according to the US Green Building Council, responsible for LEED® certification, has been a pioneer in green building, a characteristic feature that began with its “Sustainable Residential Design Guidelines”, developed in 1998 when LEED® 1.0 Certification was being tested. Among the measures adopted to protect the environment, for example, is the implementation of a recycled water system that since 2009 has been used to irrigate parks and gardens, in addition to other non-potable water needs; this is obtained from the treatment of waste liquids from bathrooms, showers, washing machines and businesses. Thanks to this procedure, Playa Vista was able to maintain its greenery during the severe drought that affected California last year, according to Fox 11. It should be noted that 70% of the original design of this community, located on about 202 hectares, includes parks and open spaces. It also includes works for the restoration and preservation of the surrounding wetlands, residential units (6,050), stores, a public school, restaurants, a farmers’ market, recreational spaces and other infrastructure expected to be used by the 9,000 people who will work in the area and the 11,000 who will live there. According to the Los Angeles Times, the plan will be completed in a few years. In addition to standing out for the design and sustainability of its neighborhoods and buildings, over the years this urban area has become a technological hub due to the growing establishment of important companies in the field, as well as in advertising and communications. Among those already operating and those in the process of doing so are Fox Sports Media Group, YouTube Space LA, IMAX HQ, 72andSunny, Google and Yahoo. The increase has been of such magnitude that even the nickname “Silicon Beach” is being used to refer to this boom whose core is “The Campus,” a creative workspace whose structure includes historic buildings that were once home to the Hughes empire. And right at the heart of the urban project is Runway, a large-scale mixed-use center that – in phases – is accommodating housing, offices and retail, such as the Cinemark movie chain.
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