Gehry's Santa Monica-based firm has worked on commercial properties before. But the architect himself is best known for designing high-profile public buildings that include the Disney Concert Hall, which is now under construction in Downtown LA.

In a related announcement, Maguire says he'll pay $90 million to Playa Vista owner Playa Capital Corp. to acquire the 60 acres that architect Gehry will plan. At least four Gehry-designed buildings will rise on the site, which entertainment giant DreamWorks SKG once eyed before canceling its studio-building plans in 1999.

Construction of the first Gehry-designed building at Playa Vista will begin around October 2002, Maguire says. The first will rise on a parcel at Jefferson Boulevard and Centinela Avenue, adjacent to Culver City.