Home designs take aim at Generation Y

Project #4 - Reimagining a city block

To give the project a more human scale, the architects
carved out a community pocket park facing a quiet residential area. Illustrations: Thomas P. Cox, Architects

In October 2011, construction started at Wilshire La Brea, a mixed-use project that occupies an entire city block in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. Winner of a Gold Nugget Award in 2011 for Best On-the-Boards Mixed Use Project, Wilshire La Brea is a mid-rise apartment building with street-level retail. It’s in a prime redevelopment area within a few blocks of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and a new Metro station that’s expected to open in 2019.

The city was strongly opposed to high-rise apartments on the site because of concerns about density and traffic, says Simon Ha, associate principal and studio director in the Los Angeles office of Thomas P. Cox, Architects (TCA). San Francisco-based BRE Properties, which acquired the land from a previous developer, asked TCA to come up with a new design concept. The architects responded with plans for Type III podium housing — a five-story building with one level of retail and two levels of subterranean parking. A pocket park, landscaped courtyards, and a double row of trees on the street help soften the intensely urban setting.

Getting Wilshire La Brea approved took three years, Ha recalls. “We had design charrettes with community members and invited them to participate in designing the pocket park. In the end, we were able to reach a consensus with the community and gain the support of the city council.”

In addition to 40,000 square feet of retail space, Wilshire La Brea includes 478 rental apartments, ranging from townhomes as large as 1,300 square feet to 400-square-foot “micro lofts.”

“We wanted to create some units that would be organically affordable, without subsidies, for Gen Ys just out of college who are looking for a starter apartment,” says Ha.

Since the intended occupants don’t cook much, the micro lofts have only a kitchenette with an under-the-counter refrigerator and a two-burner cooktop. “We eliminated the kitchen/dining room from the plan and turned it into a large studio or loft,” he says.

A variety of communal spaces encourage social interaction, including a gaming room, a laundry room that’s also a Wi-Fi hotspot, two swimming pools, two fitness centers, roof decks, and a clubhouse.
Leasing at Wilshire La Brea is scheduled to start in early 2014.

A cantilevered sky deck 70 feet above the entrance to Wilshire La Brea offers residents one of many opportunities to socialize.