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The idea of a tree-house like multifamilyapartment building came from the ancient sycamore that dominates the front portion ofthe site. We aimed to construct the lowrise structure in such a way that took advantage both of the giant tree's proximity and of the year-round temperate climate of Los Angeles. We did this by creating semi-enclosed loggia spaces at each residential floor, ech with a discinct mood, and accessible to all tenants. We furthered the idea of indoor-outdoor public spaces for alltenants by capping the building withc ommunal gardens at the roof, along with private patios for the penthouse units.
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The structure, with LEED Gold status, heightens our awareness of the interplay of nature with the manmade, and our role as stewards of the unique Los angeles landscpae. It emphasizes the nexus between industry and nature through the playful interfacing of various materials: Salvaged redwood at the loggia walls and ceiling, Corten steel shading fins, that oxidize to bright orange against the board form concrete of the front facade, and large expanses of insulated, high performance Solarban glazing, that expose the four front-facing apartments the dramatic foliage of the neighborhood. The front half of the roof was structural designed to uphold teh weight of large planters holdinga grove of small palms, furthering the tribute to the ubiquitous Los Angeles palm tree.
Using mainly stucco, high performance Solarban windows, bamboo interior and exterior shades, as well as veneer concrete board form, in lieu of full concrete walls, we aimed to lower our carbon footprint. The effort to incorporate outdoor space through the use of loggias, and in so doing, removing the southwest-facing glass from various bays, helped lower the HVAC load and provide cross ventilation down the public corridors. Landscaping and balconies with low-water palms at the front and side yards not only engages the public pedestrians, but imparts more shade to further helps mitigate heat gains.
Inspired by the palm tree , the building's weathering steel forms are shaped to loosley mimic the palm's fronds and swaying trunks. This whimsical feature helps to deepen a sense of place and playfulness. The arching steel members, that slowly turn more orange like fruit, seem to mingle with actual tree branches. Each fin was stiffened with the curving steel ribs that follow its contours. A generous swathe of succulents and palms are carefully integrated into board form planters to create a semi-public garden that is reflected in the visible rooftop garden. The entire design helps animate the streetscape.
Four stories high, 1946 Overland Avenue is submerged over three feet below grade to optimize the height of each unit; this also keeps the lobbies cooler in the summer months.
The client's objective was to maximize square footage in an elegant way. The building efficiently utilizes the rectangular space with a double-loaded corridor and gives a sense of expansion through its use of discrete use of steel and wide expanses of glass. Three large bays at the upper floors are opened to the outdoors to create public loggias. Tenants can walk down the hall from their own unit to these open loggias, and use them as an extension of their home office. Concrete surfaces are pulled into the interior lobbies to further blur distinctions from indoors and outdoors.
The rental apartment building has met our goals of efficient use of space, meeting the construction budget during a difficult time at the end of the pandemic, andproving a sense of wellness and California living enough that keeps tenants wanting to stay.
We are female-owned boutique firm of three women, located in NYC and Los Angeles. We emphasize vernacular but reinvent it in playful ways, always deepening a sense of place that trends against the generic. We marry sustainable, logical practices with rich materiality, that is at once modern and classic; we tap into in ancient precedents, like Medieval forts of limestone, but add whimsical inversions and reflections on the past for a thoughtful architecture that transcends the immediate. The firms' sustainable pavilions helped launch a section of the New York times in 2020, with Outside-in pavilion as the cover photo. And we have appeared in over 15 countries various architecture platforms for our unusual Butterfly Studio, in Westport Connecticut. Focused on residential homes, multifamily and ADUs, our latest house design in the Hamptons, New York, has already received a nomination by the German Design Awards, for which we were a previous winner.
