Architecture

The design of Metropolis, a community of 457 apartment homes, reflects a cohesive Contemporary Urban vocabulary. Each material and its location was chosen specifically to reinforce the design intent, scale and massing of the project. A clearly defined brick base comprised of one and two story elements helps ground the buildings, reducing the overall massing and creating a pedestrian urban edge. Building corners were designed as bookends to the façades, with ample glass and unique materials, they help reinforce key intersections and building terminations. On the fifth level, mezzanine units break up the vertical massing and provide added character to the façades.

Prado is located at Lake Avenue and Green Street, one of the most prominent intersections in Pasadena. This mixed-use project includes ground-floor retail, office space, and recreational amenities, with high-end loft units above. The units feature exposed concrete structural elements contrasted with hardwood and slate floors, granite countertops, and oversized commercial windows. Prado earned the Grand Award as “Residential Project of the Year” and “Best Mid-Rise Apartment Project, 4-6 Stories” from the Pacific Coast Builders Conference.

The Garey Building is a 320 unit and 15,000 SF commercial mixed-use project in the Artist District of Los Angeles. For this project, Garey Street was vacated to create an exciting pedestrian promenade connecting 1st and 2nd Street. Along this promenade are retail stores, restaurants, water fountains, outdoor seating and art displays. The brownstone walk-up units at ground level draw inspiration from East Village in New York. In addition, elements of the adjacent warehouse and industrial architecture were incorporated into the building’s design. Six separate courtyards, with different types of activities for residents, have been provided on the podium along with two recreation centers along the promenade.

Located in Phoenix, Victory Place III is an affordable supportive housing project for veterans. It is the third phase of a master planned campus providing much-needed housing, rehabilitation and support services. The facility fosters a sense of community by enabling social interaction through a rich variety of common spaces. The architecture is a contemporary reflection of traditional desert architecture and features deep-set windows and shading devices to moderate the local climate.

Located on a unique L-shaped site in Downtown Glendale, the Hampton Inn and Suites includes 94 guest rooms with one basement parking level and five stories above grade.  The hotel lobby provides an inviting entrance for guests and visitors along Colorado Street by engaging the sidewalk and encouraging the use of a café seating area which links guests to a neighboring hotel.  This project continues the redevelopment transformation of city’s downtown area and supports the adjacent Americana mixed-use project as a regional destination.  The use of brick, stucco, metal, and glass reinforces the urban and commercial uses in the area, while the articulation of the exterior envelope and roof lines break up the building’s massing, blending with the surrounding context of smaller buildings.

As downtown Los Angeles experiences its biggest building boom in decades, this contemporary 362-unit mixed-use project is playing a major role in the exciting transformation of South Park’s urban skyline. WREN's design incorporates a community-serving public park while retail space is strategically located at the site’s prominent corner of Pico Boulevard and Olive Street. A porte-cochere provides convenient drop off for two residential lobbies. Built in a Type III modified construction type with two-levels of underground parking, a density of 195 residential units per acre is achieved. Unit designs feature double height lofts with private patios and unique interlocking floor plans with balconies. A full array of resident amenities is provided including two pet-friendly dog runs and a dog wash center.

Located in City West, a rapidly redeveloping neighborhood just north of downtown Los Angeles, Be DTLA’s (formerly known as Sofia) articulated contemporary design has ties to the existing architectural context. Negotiating the sloping 4 acre site required complex shoring to accommodate two levels of subterranean parking with seven stories of double podium residential and commercial above. 606 “ground up” apartments range from studios to 3-bedroom units. In addition, 42 historic rehab units are located on site in a 1920’s medical office building, which is the original design of AC Martin. Emphasis was placed on pedestrian connectivity with significant landscaped courtyards and paseos. 26,000 SF of retail space including a grocery store and a public plaza facing 6th Street add to the list of amenities including a two-level fitness center, clubhouse, rooftop pool/spa terrace and even a “speak-easy”.

Plans called for the redevelopment of a challenging underutilized parcel in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles. Pinched between a large-scale parking structure and the historic Saint Vibiana Cathedral, the City’s first Catholic cathedral (recently transformed into an events venue), STOA achieves a density of 255 DU/AC with 237 apartment units and 3,800 SF of resident-serving retail. The impressive site yield was made possible by proposing a cost-effective Type III Modified Construction where the elevated concrete podium is divided into two levels with an additional five levels of wood framing above. Three levels of subterranean parking were required to fully park the site. The contemporary urban design is well-integrated with the diversely styled adjacent buildings by playing off the material palettes of each structure. An expansive 15,000 sf roof terrace provides a true “Oasis within the City”, complete with landscaped gardens, passive lounge areas, barbeques and a sun terrace with swimming pool. At ground level, residents have full access to a fitness center and clubhouse which opens up to a courtyard and pedestrian paseo shared with the cathedral.

Echo Park’s iconic Taix French Restaurant site will be transformed into a new mixed-use development. While embracing the neighborhood’s rich architectural history and progressive building design changes, our redesign introduces our fresh take on this unique development by incorporating architecture that is rooted in geographical and cultural context. The new design thoughtfully plans to engage and support the surrounding community in terms of building scale and vernacular.

This six-story buildings will feature 170 market-rate apartment units, including 24 affordable units, in addition to a 13,000 SF of street-fronting commercial space and basement parking for 220 vehicles. The commercial space takes advantage of the busy foot traffic of the Sunset Boulevard and Resevoir Street while the paseo creates a welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike.

Featuring 695 units with 24,900 SF of retail space, this development’s impressive scale is initiating the gentrification of the surrounding area. Located less than one mile south of Hollywood and Highland, the project is geared toward younger creative class tenants. AVA Hollywood features a wide variety of social gathering places throughout the property set amid bold supergraphics. An exceptionally wide pedestrian-friendly sidewalk fronting busy Santa Monica Boulevard provides safe and comfortable access to an exciting array of shopping and dining opportunities. Residents and their guests are sure to spend quality time at numerous indoor and outdoor amenity areas including the roof terrace overlooking the outdoor lounge and spacious pool deck below. AC Martin is the architect of record and Koning Eizenberg is the design architect.