AVA  Arts District was conceived as a base camp for a wide range of creators and artists. The seven-story development provides multiple indoor and outdoor spaces dedicated to arts, production, and personal wellness on site. Inspired by the materiality and fenestration techniques found throughout the Arts District, the project’s conceptual approach follows the idea of “Buildings on a Building.” The concept draws from a long-standing tradition of commandeering rooftops of industrial buildings for new development atop the expansive warehouse and factory floor plates found throughout the neighborhood.

AVA Arts District demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating a welcoming and accessible space for a wide range of artists and creators. The development's design prioritizes open spaces, natural light, and opportunities for community engagement, fostering an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and creativity among its diverse occupants. Furthermore, the project's adaptable design, exemplified by the parking structure's potential for future conversion, ensures that the building can evolve to meet the changing needs of the community it serves, promoting long-term equity and inclusivity.

The landscape for the site incorporates the "Los Angeles Rio Guidelines" which integrates selecting indigenous native waterwise plantings per the Los Angeles River Master Plan Landscape Guidelines and planting palette into the overall design strategy. The site offers ecological a landscape corridor through the Spur Paseo which is a public amenity, offering planted areas that create habitats and attract native pollinator species. This connection to the regional ecosystem can be experienced both by residents and visitors in the public realm. Over 125 large trees were added to the project at a location that was previously unvegetated.

Local muralists designed and decorated the walls of the lobby, paying homage to the creative history of the Arts District and brighten the space while delivering an element of playfulness. In addition to the art sprawling along the walls, industrial materials such as locally sourced lumber, metal accents, and concrete textures parallel the warehouses and commercial buildings that remain a signature of the surrounding area. Influenced both by the local artist community and creative residences while honoring the Arts Districts’ industrial roots, the AVA Arts District is a a vibrant testament to the district's history and unwavering creative spirit.

The project provides 475 live/work units with ground floor retail. 20% of the live/work units are made within Type I construction, allowing for light industrial uses, and all of the units include a minimum of 150 square feet of uninhibited working space. The residential spaces are designed to be minimalist in nature, creating an open live/work framework that features a diverse views looking out onto the city. Board formed concrete and fiber cement paneling reinforce the brick base of the project as a solid platform for lighter white and black metal panel clad upper buildings to reside. The result is a project that is read as an assemblage versus a single, monolithic building.