10 big-name semifinalist teams to compete for L.A. Pershing Square redesign

It's happening. The city of Los Angeles is evolving. From the soon-to-be-demolished Sixth Street Viaduct, exploring the future of L.A. housing typologies, to Frank Gehry possibly revamping the L.A. River, and more throughout the city. Up next is ol' Pershing Square, L.A.'s oldest park in the heart of downtown.

Last month, the Pershing Square Renew initiative invited design firms from around the globe last month to partake in a three-phase competition to re-envision Pershing Square into DTLA's new town square. Recently, 10 semifinalist teams of big-name firms were selected to advance to the next stage. The teams will duke it out to become PSR's design partner to revamp Pershing Square.

Check out the list below.

Pershing Square Renew semifinalists:

• Agence Ter from Paris, France with SALT Landscape Architects from Los Angeles
• Snøhetta, New York, San Francisco, and Oslo, Norway
• James Corner Field Operations, New York with Frederick Fisher and Partners from Los Angeles
• W Architecture, New York
• PWP Landscape Architecture (Peter Walker) from San Francisco with Allied Works Architecture from Portland
• Mia Lehrer Associates from Los Angeles with !Melk from New York
• Petersen Studio + BNIM, Los Angeles
• Rios Clementi Hale, Los Angeles with OMA from New York
• SWA from Downtown Los Angeles with Morphosis
• wHY Architecture from Culver City, CA

In the coming weeks, the semifinalists will work on their initial proposals. The winner is currently scheduled to be announced in April 2016.