New apartment building takes a unique approach

Los Angeles’ Koreatown is a test bed for changing modes of contemporary urban living – and this new apartment is a perfect example

Story by: David Renwick

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Plans for the building architecture, area, diagram, elevation, floor plan, line, plan, product design, residential area, structure, white — Plans for the building

On the roof, you gain access to a architecture, house, property, real estate, roof, sky, gray, white

It's undeniably new – but it fits into apartment, architecture, building, city, condominium, daytime, downtown, facade, home, house, metropolis, metropolitan area, mixed use, neighbourhood, property, real estate, residential area, sky, street, suburb, tower block, town, urban area, urban design, teal

Plans for the building area, design, diagram, drawing, floor plan, font, line, plan, product, product design, square, text, white

The curved structure of the roof certainly stands apartment, architecture, building, commercial building, condominium, corporate headquarters, elevation, facade, home, mixed use, neighbourhood, property, real estate, residential area, tower block, gray, white

The 'O' shaped building means there's room for apartment, architecture, building, property, real estate, roof, sky, gray, teal

You can look over the rail and down architecture, city, downtown, real estate, roof, water, waterway, black

Plans for the building area, design, furniture, line, product, product design, table, white

The building within the wider city aerial photography, bird's eye view, building, city, cityscape, daytime, downtown, metropolis, metropolitan area, neighbourhood, residential area, skyline, skyscraper, suburb, tower block, urban area, gray

This courtyard area is a like a set apartment, architecture, building, condominium, daylighting, facade, headquarters, house, real estate, stairs, white

Plans for the building product, product design, white

The apartments feature ample storage – an important apartment, architecture, ceiling, daylighting, door, floor, home, house, interior design, plaster, property, real estate, room, wall, window, wood, gray

Architect: Lorcan O'Herlihy ArchitectsPhotographer: Paul VuAbout the project (text supplied): As one of the densest neighbourhoods in the country, Los Angeles’ Koreatown is at the forefront of changing modes of contemporary urban living. LOHA’s design for Mariposa1038 plays with this burgeoning area’s density with a pure cube extruded to fit tight on its lot, and then formed to gesture back to the public street and surrounding context.

To blur the distinction between the public and private sphere, LOHA pushed the cube inward on each of its sides, creating curves that grant relief from the sidewalk and return portions of the ground plane to the public realm. Balconies and window frames project outward to recapture the space between the new geometry and the property edge. Due to the building's curves, LOHA offers each balcony a unique depth and view.

The entrance features contrasting concrete and wood architecture, ceiling, daylighting, floor, flooring, interior design, lobby, brown, orange — The entrance features contrasting concrete and wood

The white skin, reinforcing the purity of the structure's form, is broken by a rhythm of select black treatment to the protruding boxes. Throughout the day, the movement of dark shadows across the white and black facades activates the project with a dynamic sense of constant rearrangement.

Internally, LOHA’s carved opening creates a central focal point for the building’s interior organisation and lets natural light into the courtyard. Below this opening, a landscaped planter with integrated bench seating doubles as a rainwater collection system. All units have exterior access and can be cooled by holistic and sustainable methods of cross ventilation. A rooftop deck provides additional outdoor space and skyline views.

Dec 13, 2017