Starchitect Cesar Pelli Will Redesign SaMo's Fairmont Miramar

Santa Monica adds a third starchitect to its already blossoming collection today: Cesar Pelli, known locally for his massive Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, has been picked for the long-in-the-works redesign of the 86-year-old Fairmont Miramar Hotel. Pelli, whose most famous works include the two Malaysian towers that were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004, is perhaps a provocative choice in a city where some residents are very loudly opposed to tall buildings blocking their views of the ocean. The latest designs for the $255-million makeover do call for replacing "two of the hotel's old buildings with three new buildings, including one that could rise higher than 300 feet," according to the Lookout News, but a rep tells us new plans will be released early in the new year. (Meanwhile, it'll be interesting to see what bombs rival Huntley Hotel lobs at the Fairmont in response to this news.) SaMo already has two other starchitecture projects in the works—a mixed-use behemoth from Rem Koolhaas's firm OMA and Ocean Avenue's towering art museum/hotel/condo complex by Frank Gehry.
· Santa Monica's Fairmont Miramar Taps Petronas Towers Architect for Redesign Project [Santa Monica Lookout]
· Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows Archives [Curbed LA]