Last week, the team behind the $1-billion Oceanwide Plaza development in Downtown Los Angeles offered us behind-the-scenes peak at the project, as its glass curtain wall begins to take shape.

The project - now rising on a 4.6-acre property bounded by Figueroa, Flower, 11th and 12th Streets - consists of three ranging up to 677 feet in height.  The largest of the buildings, a 49-story edifice at 11th and Figueroa, will contain a 184-key Park Hyatt hotel with 164 branded condominiums.  The two southern towers - twin 40-story structures - will have a combined total of 340 condominiums.

All three buildings will sit atop a large podium, featuring a 166,000-square-foot retail galleria below and a two-acre amenity deck above.  It will greet Figueroa Street with an eye-catching LED ribbon, spanning a full block between 11th and 12th Streets.

Representatives from Oceanwide Holdings, LendLease Construction and CallisonRTKL walked us through the construction process, which began more than two years ago.  As of last week, the towers have risen to heights of 25, 26 and 21 stories, while the podium is on its fifth floor.

Oceanwide Plaza will employ a curtain wall system, rather than the more typical window wall system seen on most Downtown towers.  Work on this component of the project began just over one month ago.

We were given a chance to preview the installation as it occured on the 9th floor of Tower 1, which will house the Park Hyatt hotel and branded condominiums.