In 2021, MAD Architects unveiled its vision for an egg-shaped edifice on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, replete with a funicular. MAD’s founder Ma Yansong said the 22-story tower, dubbed the Star, sought to create a “new iconic landmark in Hollywood and continue to nurture the public’s inspiration and creativity.”

Flash forward three years: The plans have changed. The Los Angeles development firm headed by Maggie Miracle is backing the now $1-billion-project by Foster + Partners. The revised design plans for the Star were recently submitted to the planning department.

Foster + Partners described the Star 2.0 as a “vertical creative office” campus situated on a 2-acre lot at 6061 West Sunset Boulevard. The building’s new form seeks to capture the interest of Hollywood’s top content creators, the architects elaborated.

Renderings show an abundance of tree types stretching up and down the facade, varying in color from New England autumnal orange, lilac purple, to rosy cherry blossom pink. A distinctive, fan-like brise-soleil caps the white tower. At the street level, the building’s ground level facade is punctuated by an expansive LED video screen, an arched paseo of restaurants, community gathering spaces, a theater, and a gallery.

Upon completion, the Foster + Partners-designed Star will provide unobstructed 360-degree views of downtown Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign, and the Pacific Ocean.

For Norman Foster, the project afforded him an opportunity to experiment with a longterm interest of his: The workplace of the future and thinking about “the vertical city.” “This is a true reflection of the workplace of the future, nurturing community, wellbeing and collaboration with green social terraces spiraling through the building that will encourage and enliven the city’s incredible creative industries,” Foster said in a statement.

The building’s circular plan encourages natural light and ventilation deep into its crevices. Verdant, cascading gardens wrap around the tower in a biophilic helix, vertically integrating the floors with one another. Those unique spaces are specifically meant for outdoor working, added Patrick Campbell, a senior partner at Foster + Partners. “Cascading gardens for outdoor working, natural light and ventilation create a healthy and highly productive working environment on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard,” Campbell said.

A construction date for the new Star hasn’t been issued.