Zaha Hadid and Gensler among finalists for Sunset Strip billboard design competition

After reviewing a pool of nine applicants, the City of West Hollywood named four finalists in a competition to design a new advertising display for the Sunset Strip.

The mile-and-a-half stretch of boulevard cuts through West Hollywood, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles. Along with theaters, restaurants, shops, and clubs, the Strip is known for its array of billboards, as cluttered as they are striking. 

The finalists of the The Sunset Strip Spectacular Pilot Creative Off-Site Advertising Sign Competition are teams made of JCDecaux and Zaha Hadid Project Management Limited; Orange Barrel Media, Tom Wiscombe Architects, and MoCA; Outfront Media, Gensler, and MAK; and TAIT Towers. The entries can be viewed online. 

An ideal spectacular design, according to the city, is one that is digital, multidimensional, and interactive (curved multi-planar forms, specialized lighting, moving parts, and 3D props are encouraged). It uses kinetic signage and creative programming, and can be understood both up close and at a distance. It encourages viewer participation through social media, and it incorporates a multi-use public square at its base. It can be no higher than 90 feet tall and have no more than 1,000 sf of digital display elements.

A jury will decide a winner later this month. The winner will receive a five-year contract with West Hollywood to construct and install its piece.

(Renderings courtesy their respective designers, via ArchDaily. Click images to enlarge)