Sited opposite Richard Neutra’s Strathmore Apartments in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, this housing complex of 31 units and recreational amenities pays homage to its preeminent neighbor while providing the community with much-needed housing for students, faculty, and others on the border of UCLA’s campus. SL11024 additional common amenities, including a fitness center, yoga studio, business center, and student lounges, foster a sense of community within the building, and the mix of program types contribute to the project’s functionality and life. A difficult, wedge-shaped lot with a fifty-foot drop from one corner of the site to the other, the client owned the property for a number of years while a previous design failed to get through the community’s design review board. LOHA was then engaged to propose a solution that fulfills the client’s programmatic requirements and unit types, incorporates the sloped landscape, and sensitively considers the historical adjacencies while also garnering community support. LOHA embraced and resolved these demands through SL11024’s design, crafting a distinctive, singular building that elevates the surrounding built environment. By splitting the building into two volumes, LOHA was able to efficiently integrate the structure’s overall massing with the existing landscape, provide wind cross-ventilation to the apartments, and define a clear circulation path through the property. The building’s volumes shift downward along the street’s natural incline and reach their lowest height directly across from Neutra’s modernist landmark, thereby echoing and amplifying the enlightened site strategies of this high-profile neighbor.

PERFORMANCE