Jon Jerde
Encyclopedia
Jon Jerde is an American architect
based in Venice, California, Founder & Chairman of The Jerde Partnership, a design architecture and urban planning firm that pioneered the concept of placemaking and "experience architecture;" and has created multiple award-winning commercial developments around the globe. Jerde has grown into a multi-disciplinary firm with offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Amsterdam, and Dubai. The firm is sought after for its ability to create destinations and memorable experiences for people that attract millions of visitors through its innovative design and planning approach. To date, nearly 1 billion people visit Jerde-designed places each year. Jon is also a graduate of the School of Architecture
at the University of Southern California
.
After early years working at Charles Kober Associates on multiple retail projects, including Plaza Pasadena
, Jerde was commissioned by developer Ernie Hahn for the design of Horton Plaza, across from Horton Plaza Park in downtown San Diego
. The project is credited by some with single-handedly rejuvenating the city's downtown core by replacing several blocks of older structures with a new retail village concept. The design was a radical departure from traditional suburban mall design of the time. It is a five story outdoor retail complex, with the main passage being diagonally oriented to the street grid and at the time anchored by Nordstrom
, Macy's
, and a Sam Goody
music store; and connected to a Westin Hotel
and the Balboa Theatre
, resulting in an urban mixed-use center. Its spatial rhythms include long one-way ramps and sudden drop-offs, dramatic parapets, shadowy colonnades and cul-de-sacs, and the design shattered many traditional mall-design rules such as lowering ambient arousal levels and protecting the maximal lines-of-sight to merchandise. Its fragmented spaces look and feel more like a postmodern art project than a traditional mall, and its festive colors were a contrast to the ubiquitous beige store architecture of the period. The project was completed in 1985.
Despite the unique and non-traditional retail design approach, Horton Plaza's radical design brought 25 million visitors in the first year, and as of 2004 continued to generate San Diego's highest sales per unit area
. The project also sparked nearly $2.4 billion in redevelopment to the surrounding area and downtown core. Westfield currently owns Horton Plaza and is in the process of developing a series of expansions.
The Jerde Partnership also developed its placemaking and experiential philosophy with the design and planning of the Los Angeles
1984 Olympics
, which became the only profitable Olympics to date. Based on the success of both Horton (from a retailing perspective), and the Olympics (from a placemaking concept), the firm continued to evolve is creative expertise in creating retail and entertainment destinations, designing the redevelopment of Fashion Island
in Newport Beach, CA in 1989; the hugely successful $680M Mall of America
in Bloomington
, Minnesota
in 1992, the original Urban Entertainment Center Universal CityWalk
in Los Angeles
; the pirate show and facade of the Treasure Island
Casino in Vegas in 1993; the Las Vegas Fremont Street Experience
in 1995; and Bellagio
in Las Vegas in 1998.
The firm developed into a major international company with key urban regeneration projects overseas, including Beursplein in Rotterdam
, Netherlands
, and Canal City Hakata
in Fukuoka
, Japan
, both in 1996, as well as significant other projects in Japan
, China
, and Europe
. Jerde has continued to evolve its design expertise and more recently has completed a string of critically acclaimed urban mixed-use, sustainable developments, including: Namba Parks
in Osaka
, Japan
, recently awarded the Urban Land Institute
Awards of Excellence: Asia Pacific, 2009; Roppongi Hills
in Tokyo
, Japan
; Kanyon in Istanbul
, Turkey
; and Zlote Tarasy
in Warsaw
, Poland
; along with multiple high profile projects currently in the design and planning stages.
Jerde's projects are consistently marked by three things: a respect for user experience unique among American architecture firms, a lasting sense of clarity and entertainment in the final environment, and a very high rate of return - both economically and socially. In the first 20 days of operation, the Las Vegas hotel/casino Bellagio
that Jerde designed for Steve Wynn
achieved an impressive annualized sales of $1800 per square foot ($19,000/m²), an astonishing feat for even Vegas standards, particularly at a time when gaming revenues far exceeded non-gaming functions. In the architectural and development community, Jerde has received numerous awards for its projects and accomplishments over the past three decades.
The Jerde Partnership continues to design around the world as a multi-national design studio, currently working on projects in China, Korea, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, the UAE, and Los Angeles. Jon Jerde, FAIA serves as Chairman of the firm and Rick Poulos, AIA, is Executive Vice President and Partner-in-charge. The design is overseen by Jon Jerde and led by the firms three Design Directors: John Simones (Partner), David Rogers, AIA (Partner), and Tammy McKerrow (Partner).
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
based in Venice, California, Founder & Chairman of The Jerde Partnership, a design architecture and urban planning firm that pioneered the concept of placemaking and "experience architecture;" and has created multiple award-winning commercial developments around the globe. Jerde has grown into a multi-disciplinary firm with offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Amsterdam, and Dubai. The firm is sought after for its ability to create destinations and memorable experiences for people that attract millions of visitors through its innovative design and planning approach. To date, nearly 1 billion people visit Jerde-designed places each year. Jon is also a graduate of the School of Architecture
USC School of Architecture
The USC School of Architecture is the architecture school at the University of Southern California. It is one of USC's 17 professional schools, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of architecture, civil engineering, landscape architecture and historic preservation...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
After early years working at Charles Kober Associates on multiple retail projects, including Plaza Pasadena
Plaza Pasadena
Plaza Pasadena was an enclosed, indoor shopping mall in Pasadena, California built in 1980 and re-developed in 1999.-History:In the late 1970s, the Pasadena Redevelopment Agency demolished three historic blocks on Colorado Boulevard to make way for the Plaza Pasadena Project, whose construction was...
, Jerde was commissioned by developer Ernie Hahn for the design of Horton Plaza, across from Horton Plaza Park in downtown San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. The project is credited by some with single-handedly rejuvenating the city's downtown core by replacing several blocks of older structures with a new retail village concept. The design was a radical departure from traditional suburban mall design of the time. It is a five story outdoor retail complex, with the main passage being diagonally oriented to the street grid and at the time anchored by Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, and a Sam Goody
Sam Goody
Sam Goody was a music and entertainment retailer in the United States and United Kingdom, and was owned and operated by Trans World Entertainment which also runs FYE, Saturday Matinee, and Suncoast Motion Picture Company. It specialized in music, video, and video game sales...
music store; and connected to a Westin Hotel
Westin Hotels
Westin Hotels & Resorts are an upscale hotel chain owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. As of 2011, Westin operated over 160 hotels in 37 countries.-History:...
and the Balboa Theatre
Balboa Theatre
Balboa Theater is a theater located in downtown San Diego, California, that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Built in 1924, the Balboa Theater was a grand 1920s movie palace with a seating capacity of 1,600. The theater was converted to housing for the U.S. Navy...
, resulting in an urban mixed-use center. Its spatial rhythms include long one-way ramps and sudden drop-offs, dramatic parapets, shadowy colonnades and cul-de-sacs, and the design shattered many traditional mall-design rules such as lowering ambient arousal levels and protecting the maximal lines-of-sight to merchandise. Its fragmented spaces look and feel more like a postmodern art project than a traditional mall, and its festive colors were a contrast to the ubiquitous beige store architecture of the period. The project was completed in 1985.
Despite the unique and non-traditional retail design approach, Horton Plaza's radical design brought 25 million visitors in the first year, and as of 2004 continued to generate San Diego's highest sales per unit area
Sales per unit area
In retail, sales per unit area is a standard and usually the primary measurement of store success. The unit of area is usually square metres in the metric system or square feet in U.S. customary units...
. The project also sparked nearly $2.4 billion in redevelopment to the surrounding area and downtown core. Westfield currently owns Horton Plaza and is in the process of developing a series of expansions.
The Jerde Partnership also developed its placemaking and experiential philosophy with the design and planning of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
1984 Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, which became the only profitable Olympics to date. Based on the success of both Horton (from a retailing perspective), and the Olympics (from a placemaking concept), the firm continued to evolve is creative expertise in creating retail and entertainment destinations, designing the redevelopment of Fashion Island
Fashion Island
Fashion Island is an upscale open-air lifestyle center in Newport Beach, California . Fashion Island is owned by The Irvine Company.-History:...
in Newport Beach, CA in 1989; the hugely successful $680M Mall of America
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
in Bloomington
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1992, the original Urban Entertainment Center Universal CityWalk
Universal CityWalk
Universal CityWalk is the name given to the entertainment and retail districts located adjacent to the theme parks of Universal Parks & Resorts. Originating as an expansion of Universal's first park, Universal Studios Hollywood, CityWalk serves as an entrance plaza from the parking lots to the...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; the pirate show and facade of the Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
Casino in Vegas in 1993; the Las Vegas Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. The FSE occupies the westernmost 5 blocks of Fremont Street, including the area known for years as "Glitter Gulch," and portions of some other adjacent streets.The attraction is a barrel vault canopy,...
in 1995; and Bellagio
Bellagio
Bellagio is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located on Lake Como. It has long been famous for its setting at the intersection of the three branches of the Y-shaped lake, which is also known as Lario....
in Las Vegas in 1998.
The firm developed into a major international company with key urban regeneration projects overseas, including Beursplein in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Canal City Hakata
Canal City Hakata
Canal City Hakata is a large shopping and entertainment complex in Fukuoka, Japan. Called the "city within the city," it boasts numerous attractions including shops; cafes; restaurants; a theater; game center; cinemas; two hotels; and a canal, which runs through the complex.Located adjacent to...
in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, both in 1996, as well as significant other projects in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Jerde has continued to evolve its design expertise and more recently has completed a string of critically acclaimed urban mixed-use, sustainable developments, including: Namba Parks
Namba Parks
Namba Parks is an office and shopping complex located in Namba-naka Nichome, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan, the south of Namba Station on Nankai Railway. It consists of a high office building called Parks Tower and a 120-tenant shopping mall with rooftop garden...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, recently awarded the Urban Land Institute
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London...
Awards of Excellence: Asia Pacific, 2009; Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Hills
is a New Urban Centre and one of Japan's largest integrated property developments, located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo.Constructed by building tycoon Minoru Mori, the mega-complex incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, movie theaters, a museum, a hotel, a...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; Kanyon in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
; and Zlote Tarasy
Zlote Tarasy
The Złote Tarasy is a commercial, office, and entertainmentcomplex in the center of Warsaw, Poland, located next to the Central Railway Station betweenJana Pawła II and Emilii Plater streets...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
; along with multiple high profile projects currently in the design and planning stages.
Jerde's projects are consistently marked by three things: a respect for user experience unique among American architecture firms, a lasting sense of clarity and entertainment in the final environment, and a very high rate of return - both economically and socially. In the first 20 days of operation, the Las Vegas hotel/casino Bellagio
Bellagio (hotel and casino)
Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
that Jerde designed for Steve Wynn
Steve Wynn (developer)
Stephen Alan "Steve" Wynn is an American business magnate who played a pivotal role in the 1990s resurgence and expansion of the Las Vegas Strip...
achieved an impressive annualized sales of $1800 per square foot ($19,000/m²), an astonishing feat for even Vegas standards, particularly at a time when gaming revenues far exceeded non-gaming functions. In the architectural and development community, Jerde has received numerous awards for its projects and accomplishments over the past three decades.
The Jerde Partnership continues to design around the world as a multi-national design studio, currently working on projects in China, Korea, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, the UAE, and Los Angeles. Jon Jerde, FAIA serves as Chairman of the firm and Rick Poulos, AIA, is Executive Vice President and Partner-in-charge. The design is overseen by Jon Jerde and led by the firms three Design Directors: John Simones (Partner), David Rogers, AIA (Partner), and Tammy McKerrow (Partner).