LOWRISE LA

How to Build Our Own Living Structures*
Zoning Study & Proposal, Multifamily Housing, Middle Housing
Los Angeles, California
Client: Los Angeles City Planning Department

A winning entry in the Low-Rise LA call for proposals, How to Build* Our Own Living Structures is a solution for missing middle housing in Los Angeles, re-imagined from the ground up.

The proposal envisions (1) Land-use and zoning policies for middle-scale residential and mixed-used neighborhoods that foster healthier formal, energy and material relationships between architecture, people and the planet (2) Denser, multi-family neighborhoods that empower residents to build their own communities from the ground up; this includes zoning policies that foster economic opportunities and a codified culture of sharing and community-building.

Density is a unique challenge in L.A. that cannot be addressed by simply building taller, but by also questioning the way we make claim to and share land. The line in zoning is codified to create separation rather than opportunity, and prioritizes the dominance of commercial instruments such as streets and property values. Our proposal transforms lines of division into a flexible tool that can be shaped towards mutually beneficial relationships between residents, neighbors and the larger community. Relationships of care between neighbors, non-humans and the planet become possible through zoning and the resulting architectural and social forms. This idea scales up from our immediate site into the neighborhood at large as new types of shared community uses occur at these redefined thresholds.

In our design, zoning for outdoor space benefits both human and non-human beings and is geographically, culturally and climate-specific to Los Angeles. The re-imagined zoning rules give a voice to the trees - the proposal works around existing trees onsite, and new trees are planted in courtyards so that every residential unit has access to one tree within 15’. The parking area for residents is a flexible green park first, and as a space for cars second. An abundance of courtyards across the site allows for passive cooling strategies, strategic solar energy gain and shade orientation that looks towards a more passive architecture specific to the LA climate.

LOWRISE LA

How to Build * Our Own Living Structures Zoning Study & Proposal, Multifamily Housing, Middle Housing Los Angeles, California Client: Los Angeles City Planning Department

Project Team: Architect: 1+1+ ArchitectsMatthew Crilley, Laura Marie Peterson, Peter Yi

How to Build Our Own Living Structures*
Zoning Study & Proposal, Multifamily Housing, Middle Housing
Los Angeles, California
Client: Los Angeles City Planning Department

Project Team:
Architect: 1+1+ Architects
Matthew Crilley, Laura Marie Peterson, Peter Yi