California has a long history of innovative sustainable design, especially in civic and public sector buildings. But when Ankrom Moisan was hired to design two large multi-family projects in downtown Los Angeles, there had never been a LEED Gold (or higher) housing project in the state. For the first new housing built in L.A. in over 20 years, Ankrom Moisan collaborated with the client to create an innovative design that became the first and second LEED Gold condominiums in California. The two mixed-use buildings use many strategies that are common today, but at the time were groundbreaking innovations. High-performance glazing and high-efficiency heat pumps achieve significant energy savings. Water usage is minimized through dual flush toilets and stormwater is captured and filtered on-site. Extensive use of regional materials and recycled content help reduce embodied energy. Parking is considerably below city requirements, and 95% of construction waste on the project was recycled.
The design team paid careful attention to the pedestrian realm, which includes over 10,000 sq. ft. of retail that activates the street edge. Ten ground-floor, live-work residences add additional vitality to the area. A third floor terrace between the buildings, with a swimming pool, gardens, and an outdoor kitchen, provides a common amenity space and creates an opportunity for residents to interact and build community. The award winning projects combine for a total of 869,000 sq. ft. Luma is the taller of the two high rises, standing at 19 stories, while Elleven is 13 stories.
