Genton Property Group (GPG) on October 28 broke ground on the ultra-luxurious Four Seasons Residences Los Angeles. Designed by the Los Angeles office of CallisonRTKL, the condo project will boast a $50-million penthouse - the most expensive suite in Los Angeles, say project officials.

"This will be an iconic building that resonates back to Los Angeles and the LA School of Architecture, translated to a vertical platform," said GPG chief executive officer Jonathan Genton at the ground breaking ceremony.

Featuring 58 custom-designed luxury condominiums and townhouses and the 12,000-sq-ft penthouse, the 12-story property is located in the upscale North Robertson district, home to some of L.A.’s most stylish boutiques, galleries and restaurants. It sits in a residential neighborhood, across the street from the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.

The project will offer interior designs by Martyn Lawrence Bullard and each private residence will include an open-concept indoor-outdoor living space to maximize natural lighting and yield dramatic views of Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills. Averaging more than 2,400 sq-ft, the homes will feature a clean and modern “Mid-Century” design aesthetic that is a signature of Los Angeles’s architectural heritage. 

Lead architect Kelly Farrell, a vice president at CallisonRTKL, told me that part of the design challenge was getting the building to fit architecturally within the area. "There are so many different heights to the buildings and so many different languages of architecture that we wanted to create a building that would not only stand on its own but would relate to the neighborhood," said Farrell.

She said the new Four Seasons Residences is not the tallest or the smallest building in town, so "from an urban design point of view, we had a key role to play in connecting the pieces."

And then there is the signature penthouse, which was recently featured in Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair. Occupying the entire top floor, the rooftop oasis will feature a private, 9,000-sq-ft rooftop garden oasis and pool enveloped by a 360-degree panoramic view of the city. Also included will be direct elevator access and a private six-car garage. The penthouse will sit above 58 luxury condominiums and townhouses across three wings – The Tower, Wetherly Wing and Almont Wing.

Genton says the project is already near 50 percent sold and is scheduled to complete in late 2017.