11628 Santa Monica Boulevard

This 100,700 sq. ft. mixed-use development in LA utilizes the temperate climate to investigate and transform the traditional neighborhood into one that rises vertically through the building.  

The idea of a porous building that promotes human interaction on all levels is central to our concept of a flowing vertical community, where residents can casually stop and chat along the flaring catwalks surrounding the central courtyard, or meet on one of the many neighborhood ‘parks’. Conceptually, each of the residential levels is viewed as a neighborhood, which is then connected vertically, creating a thriving community. To promote this concept, our design strategically removes selected residential units on each level to provide open space to each neighborhood, rather than the standard rooftop amenity. This provides a convenient open space adjacent to all residential units, with unique ‘parks’ for each neighborhood.  

As a by-product of sculpting out open spaces in the building façade, additional light, air and visual connection to the central courtyard is created. To further enhance this effect, the second big move of our design ‘un-folded’ the typical double–loaded corridor. By rotating a wing of residential units to face the street, internal units that face each other are removed and replaced with single loaded corridors, allowing the majority of the residences to open onto the neighborhood street, promoting cross ventilation, additional natural light and connection to the surrounding neighbors. 

Lastly, to further develop a sense of identity within our community, installations of murals and custom perforated metal panels will not only provide wayfinding elements to the residents, but will serve as identifiers to the surrounding community at large.