Location: Los Angeles, California (USA)
Client: Skid Row Housing Trust
Size: 5,700 m2
Type: 97-unit social housing, community services, outdoor terraces
Scope: Concept design through construction documentation
Status: Built 2009

Nearly a mile from the heart of Skid Row, the epicenter to Los Angeles’ chronic homeless population, the project’s 97 units provide permanent housing for formerly homeless elderly and disabled residents- a place for solace, support, and individual growth. By incorporating communal spaces around a courtyard building– kitchens, dining areas, gathering spaces and gardens as well as medical and social support facilities into the plinth beneath- the project encourages its residents to reconnect with each other and the city beyond. The project redefines the idea of transitional housing, to build a socially sustainable and supportive community environment that assists residents to toward independent living and reintegration to society.

In association with Michael Maltzan
Photography by Iwan Baan