Hub City Heights: Architecture for Inclusion and Urban Renewal

In East Compton, California, Kadre Architects has completed Hub City Heights, an adaptive reuse project that has transformed a former motel into a permanent supportive housing complex. The design creates a distinctive, identifiable environment intended to support stability and social reintegration through architectural intervention:

"Creating an honest sense of place is paramount in our work, as we hope that the resulting recuperative feeling will serve residents on their journey to recovery and stability" (Nerin Kadribegovic, Founder and Principal of Kadre Architects).

Hub City Heights: Social Architecture

East Rancho Dominguez – historically known as East Compton – is a neighborhood with a strong community identity but significant socioeconomic challenges, including a lack of essential services and communal outdoor spaces. Against this backdrop, the project goes beyond a simple renovation to act as a vital driver for social regeneration.

Funded by the Project Homekey state program, the complex was designed by Kadre Architects, a firm specializing in emergency housing and architecture for vulnerable populations. With a track record of award-winning projects in the sector, the firm brought an innovative yet practical approach to the commission.

Previously dominated by vehicles and waste bins, the property’s vast, inefficient parking lot was a constant source of noise and a significant eyesore for residents. The design team entirely reimagined the area as a shared private garden, establishing the organizing principle for the entire project. With East Compton suffering from a severe lack of public green space, providing a safe open space was therefore essential for supporting resident well-being.

Curvilinear paths inspired by Alex MacLean’s aerial photographs of amusement parks flow through the garden, connecting the residential units. Trees, planters, and colorful surfaces create a dynamic landscape. The new structure, directly integrated with the new garden, contains 40 housing units distributed across three levels.

Social Interaction and Inclusion

The design balances the need for resident privacy with the provision of a shared open space. The central garden features integrated seating, play areas, a dog run, and sustainable drainage systems, as well as a large shade canopy.

Perforated metal panels punctuate the exterior walkways along the facades. These interstitial spaces function as filters between the interior and exterior, allowing residents to engage with community life at their own pace within a protected environment. The panels also provide shading, improving environmental performance and animating the walkways with an interplay of light and shadow.

Each unit includes a kitchenette, refrigerator, and custom built-in closets, while the former lobby now houses support and social services. Translucent polycarbonate panels allow natural light to filter into these spaces while maintaining resident privacy.

The complex is fully electric, utilizing heat pumps and induction cooktops alongside passive cooling strategies. A rooftop solar array meets the building’s total energy requirements.

This cohesive approach establishes a scalable model for addressing the housing crisis, demonstrating how design, community, and sustainability can converge into a single vision for inclusion.

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