Located in Century City on the edge of Beverly Hills, 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard —a project dubbed by the media as “The Green Blade”— was a luxury condominium tower designed by Pritzker Prize laureate Jean Nouvel. With its distinctive slender form, this 45-story, 625,000-sq.-ft. tower contained vast expanses of glass that gave it a luminous, transparent appearance punctuated by extensive verdant foliage. The tower also featured innovative vertical landscaping, wraparound balconies, and a private 40,000-sq.-ft. garden at the lobby level.  This uniquely “green” project incorporated a multitude of sustainable elements to qualify for LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The project was suspended in late 2008 as the Great Recession took hold. At that time, HRA had already submitted plan checks to the city for review, and the project received the 2008 Residential High-Rise Design Concept Award and 2008 Architectural Award of Excellence from the Los Angeles Business Council.