This project involves the conversion of an existing 342,400 square foot, circa 1920 reinforced concrete six-story, heavy-industrial building into a joint live-work residential building. The project adds sixteen new 1, 2 and 3 story garden villas and green open-space amenities to the rooftop. The new units sit on top of 122 residential and creative workspace loft units within the existing structure, as well as two café/restaurants, retail and art gallery spaces at grade.

The new programmatic elements are linked by a series of double height sky courts, breezeways and a massive full height void that connects the sky to the ground. The development is reinforced by an adjacent, new and fully automated parking structure surmounted by several pools and gardens.  The property features an existing rooftop water tower structure repurposed as a sky-bar while the rooftop residential units are envisioned as spectacular crystalline environments with 360-degree views of the downtown skyline, mountains and city.

The traditionally reinforced concrete structural will be seismically upgraded with carbon fiber reinforcing and the new villas will utilize electrochromic ECD “smart glass” to meet stringent Title 24 energy requirements while providing spectacular floor to ceiling views and instantaneous curtain free privacy.

The new architectural interventions proposed for the building’s rooftop are intended to challenge the tyranny of LA’s horizontal grid, moving the local concept of the villa in the garden (Schindler, Neutra, Ain, Elwood) from the ground to the sky, suggesting a new means of occupying LA’s existing fabric. 

ZELLNER NAECKER ARCHITECTS

Firm Principals:  Peter Zellner, Paul Naecker

Project Team:
Franco Chen
Yining Deng
Alex Gomez
Yessenia Juarez
Jack Oliva-Rendler
Yuzaburo Tanaka