This new LEED Gold four-story 35-unit Rose mixed-use 100% affordable apartment structure for transitional aged youths. When kids “term out” as they say when they turn 18 years old and are forced to leave a youth facility, most wind up living on the street because there is no place for them to go. Rose Apartments provides a home to this young adult who would otherwise be living on the street. The building is located where no car is needed. It is situated directly across the street from Whole Foods, 7 Eleven, a laundromat, Lincoln Hardware and a host of other amenities and is just seven blocks from the beach, adjacent to the toney shops and restaurants on the eclectic Rose Avenue in Venice. Taking cues from the nearby Horatio Court, built in 1919 by Irving Gil, the building is designed around an elevated courtyard above ground level commercial space. The courtyard typology has existed in Los Angeles for more than a hundred years. It promotes pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods as an alternative to sprawl, creating usable space in the center of the project, instead of unused, leftover space outside of the building volume. According to Ken Bernstein, director of preservation for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a lot of the courtyard apartments build prior to the 1950s, especially in Hollywood and West Hollywood, were part of a search for indigenous architecture,” he says, as much as an attempt to create neighborliness. More than any other multi-dwelling housing, courtyard apartments, “make you feel like you belong to a place.” For people living around the courtyard, the space provides a sense of safety and privacy; the courtyard is a quasi-public space that mediates between the home and the street.
Offering shelter and comfort, Rose Apartments eschews the typical neighborhood defensive apartment buildings with solid walls and fences in favor of a carved-out and raised central court, a beacon in the neighborhood that celebrates social space by de-emphasizing private space. Strategically placed windows, purposeful exterior circulation and units that wrap the outer-most edges, orient the 35 low-income apartments to social spaces that are spatially apart, yet visually connected to each other and the street below.
The courtyard is only one aspect of a successful design. Rose Apartments builds on this southern California housing typology, but unlike those earlier traditional buildings, it is more idiosyncratic - creating increased security, privacy and openness, while connecting to the greater community outside the building walls. By including affordable housing for transitional aged youths, it allowed the non-developer to take advantage of California State Assembly Bill AB763 for increased height and density, increasing the project density from an area average of 12.30/DU/A to more than 110 units/acre. This much needed affordable housing provides poor and disadvantaged populations housing in an affluent area of town where low-wage workers are critical but unable to afford to live. It also contributes to much needed affordable housing stock in short supply in Los Angeles.
Like many of the traditional courtyard structures before, the main exterior material at Rose Apartments is commonly used exterior cement plaster. However, at Rose walls are scalloped to give depth, relief and texture, an issue that affordable housing projects typically suffer. These walls also include surface applied sparkle grain that makes the facades shimmer as people pass by. Sunlight and bright lighting conditions make the façade go soft and silver in just a few seconds. It’s a quick-moving phenomenon that bends light and casts shadows depending on the time of day.
Overview
Located on the edge of the very popular and trendy Rose Ave in Venice Beach, the project affords access to important community amenities to an extremely popular and pedestrian friendly neighborhood. Because it is housing for transitional aged youths, the project affords equal access for a very low-income tenant population who would otherwise not be able to afford to live in this community.
Offering shelter and comfort, Rose Apartments eschews the typical neighborhood defensive apartment buildings with solid walls and fences in favor of a carved-out cube, a beacon in the neighborhood that celebrates social space by de-emphasizing private space.
The central feature of Rose Apartments design is an immersive courtyard that mediates between the urban environment and intimacy of the residences. Open to Rose Avenue from the second level but retreated through a series of cascading planters, the courtyard offers residents multiple outdoor gathering spaces and increased privacy, while still reciprocating with the neighborhood around it. Capped by the planted terraces on the upper levels, the courtyard establishes a “picture-frame” that provides views, ample natural light and breezes, and the creation of a sense of place.
Courtyard apartments have a rich history throughout southern California ranging from Irving Gill's 1918 Horatio Court to the classic post-World War ll Spanish Colonial Revival Ambrose Gardens. According to Ken Bernstein, director of preservation issues at the Los Angeles Conservancy, a lot of the courtyard apartments build during this time, especially in Hollywood and West Hollywood, was part of a search for indigenous architecture,” he says, as much as an attempt to create neighborliness. More than any other multi-dwelling housing, courtyard apartments, “make you feel like you belong to a place.” For people living around the courtyard, the space provides a sense of safety and privacy; the courtyard is a quasi-public space that mediates between the home and the street. For the city at large,
The courtyard is only one aspect of a successful design. Rose Apartments builds on this local housing typology, but unlike those earlier traditional buildings, it is more idiosyncratic - creating increased security, privacy and openness while connecting to the greater community outside the building walls. Being located within a 5-minute walk from hundreds of amenities and jobs, this mixed-use structure also includes 2000 square feet of office space for the non-profit service provider. By including affordable housing, the developer to take advantage of California State Assembly Bill AB763 for increased height and density, increasing the project density from an average area of 20.64/DU/A to more than 90 units/acre. This much needed affordable housing provides poor youths and disadvantaged populations housing in an affluent area of town where low wage workers are critical but unable to afford to live. It also contributes to the much-needed housing stock in short supply in Los Angeles.
History
The parcel of land was previously occupied by the non-profit developer and service provider. While looking for land to build affordable housing in the area and finding it impossible to obtain land at affordable pricing, the architect suggested developing the land they already own which they could provide housing but also replace their existing social services. The design team saw the site as a development opportunity to establish a mixed-use building that better related with the context of the urbanizing neighborhood than the previously existing one story 1970s structure .
This project included four public community meetings, two meetings with the Venice Neighborhood council, two Los Angeles Planning Commission meetings and a host of small group meetings with various community groups and stakeholders. It was a rigorous process that included many modifications to the design to get the necessary approvals to construct the project.
Not long-ago Venice Beach was overrun with crime and gang wars between V13 and The Shoreline Crips. Affordable housing projects were built with little concern of the residents. That has change 180 degrees in the last decade. Tour busses now visit the toney Venice Beach neighborhood and a new wave of affluent people have arrived driving real estate prices thru the roof, where these people fight every affordable housing proposal. As such, the design team attended meetings with various stakeholders and community groups during the development process to receive their input, Incorporating suggestions throughout the design process. The project was approved by the Planning Commission but was unanimously rejected by the neighborhood council, who have rejected every affordable housing project for the last seven years. Rose Apartments demonstrates that housing based on the principals of Housing First, Harm Reduction, and Design Equity can be applied in neighborhoods throughout the region to prevent and end homelessness.
Design for Integration
Design of Rose Apartments emerged from close consideration of passive design strategies including orientation, shaping and orienting the building for natural ventilation and designing windows to maximize day lighting. Solar hot water panels are utilized to heat domestic hot water. Based on the Title 24 Energy Analysis for Rose Apartments, the building was 55% more efficient than California's Energy Code, which is substantially better than the national average.
The building's public courtyard is lifted above the street by one level, which provides a pedestrian-oriented street edge and visual connection, yet physical separation for the tenants. The community was engaged in the process through design meetings and the design of the courtyard was adapted to respond to concerns that arose during these meetings held with the client's building committee, asset management team and neighborhood. Rose Apartments promotes social equity by providing this much-needed housing along with other amenities such as community space, conference rooms, retail .
De-emphasizing a reclusive, isolating layout in favor of a community-oriented, interactive space, a large courtyard orients tenants to social and public spaces and provides a secure circulation space from the street to their apartment. At a density of over 100 units/acre, the courtyard provides a quiet refuge for tenants, incorporating landscaping with trees, seating and panoramic views of the neighborhood.Utilized the State of California Affordable Housing Density Bonus incentives (35% density increase over the baseline zoning)
Design for Equitable Communities
Rose Apartments is located within 1/4 mile of 22 basic community resources, on a previous single story office building and parking lot as urban infill. The majority of the tenants do not own cars and daily errands do not require one. A large bike room on the ground floor provides permanent long-term bike parking. Short-term bike parking is provided in the front yard for guests. Vehicular parking has been reduced (19 are provided, a 63% reduction) and include one electric vehicle stall. The rear alley is narrow (substandard width) and the reduction in vehicle trips through the alley alleviates vehicular congestion for the community at-large. The innovative design balances privacy with opportunities to connect with the community.
Because Rose Apartments includes 100% affordable units set aside for very low-income tenants they have the same access to the pedestrian and resource rich community amenities that would otherwise not be available to them because of the high cost of housing in the area.
Design for Ecosystem
The project's location is urban and the previous site was one large 100% impermeable surface lot with a small single story office building. 'Flow-through' planters which act like swales. It incorporates more planting than most urban buildings. Drought tolerant plants and gravel provide storm water retention and habitats for animals. All impermeable surfaces are directed to the 'flow-through' infiltration planters and all exterior lights are shielded.
Los Angeles County lies along the Pacific Flyway, a major north-south route for migratory birds in America. In spring and fall, the region plays host to millions of birds coming through Southern California on their way back to breeding grounds in the north or wintering grounds in the south. The planting is important because birds play a key role in L.A.’s ecosystem. This region has a huge abundance of biodiversity of birds and this building is close to Penmar Park and the pacific ocean, which is an urban park providing a key link in this ecosystem.
Design for Water
A Stormwater Management Plan was implemented to promote infiltration, capture and treat stormwater runoff from 90% of the average annual rainfall, using best management practices. Rose Apartments has been designed such that over 30% of the site consists of vegetative landscaping or permeable surfaces. Impermeable surfaces (such as the roof and second floor deck) are directed to on-site infiltration planters, which retain and clean storm water. This results in a site in which over 100% of the surfaces capture storm water in some way. Water savings of approx. 38% above average due to low flow fixtures equates to substantial cost savings for both utility domestic and sewer water rates and payback time is less than 1 year due to the low cost of these fixtures. passive design, low water fixtures and storm water capture all combine to reduce the need for mechanical and electrical loads. This translates into lower utility costs, a burden that can be placed on tenants of affordable housing.
Design for Economy
We prioritized both first and long-term costs for our non-profit client due to the tight budgets of housing and the need to have no or low maintenance costs for the future of the building. Units are small studios, which allow for a very high density and the building envelope utilizes low-cost passive strategies to reduce energy use including increased insulation in the walls/roof, natural cross ventilation and a white roof. The mild, sunny California climate and low solar panel costs results in a short pay-back for the hot water rooftop solar panel array.
Framing efficiencies were utilized: prefab detailed cut list and lumber order, open-web floor/roof trusses spaced more than 16" and panelized construction. Floor plates, building volumes and shear walls stack vertically, reducing cost and construction waste. The ground floor parking garage is naturally ventilated, saving energy and substantial cost. All of the exterior materials were chosen for their low maintenance qualities. Hot water panel solar system cost has a payback time of less than 5 years.
Design for Energy
Building design must incorporate passive principals first….which require daylight and natural ventilation. Views are equally as important. Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations with direct views of the outdoors: 95%. Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations within 30’ of operable windows: 95%.
Passively designed around a large open courtyard, most of the units have cross ventilation and abundant natural light. Upgraded wall and roof insulation, a light-colored roof and roof-top planting mitigate heat gain and reduce energy load. The ground floor garage was specifically designed to be naturally ventilated, reducing energy load. This is a 100% all electric building.
This residential building type uses more hot water than other building types, therefore an efficient common boiler was utilized, commissioned and connected to roof-top solar hot water panels, which further reduce fossil fuel use. All of the unit heating and cooling is via a very efficient combination 'multi-unit' variable refrigerant flow system. All of the appliances are energy star rated and all of the light fixtures are high-efficacy.
Design for Well-being
This neighborhood is a 'walker's paradise' with a 88 Walk Score and is near excellent transit and bike lanes. Most of the affordable and other tenants that live here do not own cars and can accomplish their daily activities easily without one. A large bike room on the ground floor provides permanent long-term bike parking. Short-term bike parking is provided in the front yard for guests. Vehicular parking has been reduced (19 are provided, a 63% reduction) and Rose Apartments has been designed to encourage walking and socializing. Both exterior stairs have been designed to be special, not standard, and the elevator was tucked out of the way in favor of a more open pathway, which provides tenants with more options for socializing. The design incorporates recommendations from an Acoustical Report that determined street noise was substantially reduced by orienting the units towards the courtyard.
Design for Resources
During construction, 97% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill. Materials were selected for their modest first cost and also their no or low-maintenance qualities.
Strategies were developed to address durability issues, indoor air quality issues and moisture control. Hard flooring is used throughout the unit interiors (no carpet). Where concrete was used it was left exposed and unpainted, with the exception of the recreation room, where the flooring is cork for acoustical reasons.
Framing efficiencies were utilized, such as precut framing packages, joist spacing greater than 16" o.c., composite wood structural members and open-web wood trusses.
Materials were procured with a recycled content (such as low carbon concrete and gypsum board with recycled content) and all of the aggregate for the concrete foundations was procured locally. Materials were chosen with integral colors to eliminate the need for any future painting or refinishing, such as the window frames and the integral-colored stucco throughout project.
Major materials have HPD certifications, all materials meet the City of Los Angeles Green Building Code, the California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District's criteria.
Design for Change
Rose Apartments incorporates passive survive-ability. It minimizes vehicular space in favor of living space and provides multiple transportation options: vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle and electric vehicle. Bicycle space is lockable and incorporates a work space, to make it easy for tenants to use alternative modes of transportation. The building location near existing bus lines allows tenants to use mass transportation in lieu of private vehicles. The building location near a park and other amenities allow tenants to walk to services.
The on-grade garage, with a flat floor, can easily be adapted for another use in the future when vehicles become scarce. Vehicular spaces were reduced by over 60% (from current code) by utilizing incentives from the state for affordable housing.
The roof is designed to be 'solar-ready' and can accommodate a future photovoltaic solar panel array. The mechanical and plumbing systems are 'common' (shared by multiple units) which mitigates the frequency of mechanical failure and boosts efficiency. The solar hot water panels will keep water warm without utility power.
It is designed to last a minimum of 60 years, which runs with the affordability covenants that are required.
Design for Discovery
We keep a detailed spreadsheet of the cost of our projects and the cost of the energy-efficiency measures and have found, in the past 20 years, a substantial decrease in the cost of the energy-efficiency measures and improvement in our ability to meet more stringent requirements due to improved codes, more efficient equipment and lenders that are requiring at least 30% better efficiencies than our state code.
We give tours of our completed buildings to professional organizations (such as the AIA), students, lenders and other interested people and we take pride in the fact that a large majority of our clients are repeat clients. We believe in educating others as to our own 'lessons learned' and have also reached out to the Los Angeles Dept of Building & Safety with recommendations to improve the permitting process. A team of Planners from the City of LA has visited the site to discuss the 'unintended' consequences of their restrictive interpretation on rear setbacks, first brought up by us during plan check on the project.
Team:
Architects: Brooks + Scarpa
Project Team: Brooks + Scarpa, Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA , Lead Designers, Angela Brooks, FAIA, Principal-in-Charge, Flavia Christi, George Faber, AIA, David Garcia, Carlos Garcia, AIA -Project Architect, Tod Funkhauser, Jeffrey Huber, FAIA, Dionicio Ichillumpa, Iliya Muzychuk, Micaela Danko, Eric Mosher, Eleftheria Stavridi, Fui Srivkorn, Yimin Wu, Juan Villareal, Project Design Team
Landscape: Brooks + Scarpa with Tina Chee
Engineering: Labib Funk – Structural and Civil Engineering
Breen Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing
LEED Consultant: Homage Design (Shellie Collier)
Geotechnical Engineering: Southern California Geotechnical
Wayfinding: Brooks + Scarpa
Contractor: Walton Construction
Photography: Jeff Durkin and Brooks + Scarpa
Materials used:
Masonry: Angeles Block Company
Metal: Custom Perforated Screens Metal Sales, Inc.
Concrete: Type ll Portland Cement with 25% flyash, LM Scofield Lithochrome stain
Wood: Composite floor truss joists by Weyerhaeuser, Micro-lam and parallam composite beams by Truss Joist Corporation, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified oak flooring, cabinets, and structural wood.
Exterior: Recycled Portland Cement Exterior Cement Plaster with integral finish.
Windows: Arcadia, Alpine, US Aluminum Corporation
Glazing: Solarban 80 by PPG
Skylights: Bristolite, Solatube International, Inc.
Doors: TM Cobb, Timely, Steelcraft Manufacturing Co., McKeon Door Company, Nationwide Industries, Anemostat Door Products, Total Door Systems.
Hardware: Schlage, Trimco, LCN, Ives, Rixon, Monarch, Pemko, Johnson, Elmes
Roofing: 4-ply Modified bitumen membrane cool roof by CertainTeed Corporation Flashing: Celotex, GAF corporation, Grefco, APOC
Interior finishes
Cabinets: Recycled Formaldehyde free MDF and FSC certified oak
Paints: Non-toxic zero VOC Paints by AFM Safecoat
Paneling: Recycled Formaldehyde free MDF, Recycled-Content Gypsum Board with 31% recycled content (26% post consumer waste), Dens-Glass Gold by Georgia-Pacific
Tile: Ecotile by Walker Zanger
Flooring: Ecotile by Walker Zanger, concrete and FSC certified oak
Lighting: Shaper, Bega Prudential, Stonco, Belfer, Del Rey Lighting
Controls: Lutron
Insulation: Blown in cellulose insulation is 98% recycled. Recycled-Content, Formaldehyde-Free Insulation Batts by Johns Manville
Plumbing
Fixtures: American Standard, Kohler, Bobrick, Grohe, Chicago Faucets, Toto, Delta
Appliances: GE, ISE, Bosch, Fagor, Bertazzoni
Insulation: Recycled-Content, Formaldehyde-Free Insulation Batts by Johns Manville
Other: Storm water catch basin and filter system by Stormwater360, Contech, Inc., Cabinet hardware by Sugatsune, Basco and E.B. Bradley
