PROJECT REQUIREMENTS: 

Design a 110 unit, low density, residential complex for active seniors to be located on the North portion of the lot bounded by Rockwell Ave, Gibson Road and Valley Blvd. in the City of El Monte, California. Provide on grade parking for 55 automobiles. 

PROJECT SOLUTION: 

The general layout for the housing project tries to respond to the existing context: the noisy, heavily commercial, six-lane Valley Blvd., the small, industrial Rockwell Ave., and the primarily residential Gibson Rd. Within this context we have chosen to group all common areas along Valley Boulevard into a single "commercial" block, thereby protecting the residential core from noise and automobile pollution, with the side facing the residential wings characterized by transparency and openness.  The wing that faces Rockwell Ave. opens toward the interior of the project. Along Gibson Rd., the residential wing is only two stories high, with recesses and porches that help to integrate it to the existing residential context. 

Year completed: 2004