Architecture | Inhabitat Local - Los Angeles

Manhattan Beach Mixed Use Project Boasts Green Roof Big Enough For Lawn Sports

Green roofs are pretty common these days, but you don't often see one that is large enough to play lawn sports on. The W-V Mixed Use project combines three residences, underground parking and a commercial space on busy Manhattan Beach Boulevard. An incredibly unique project designed by Beverly Hills-based Poon Design, the mixed use residential commercial building also includes a variety of recycled materials, local materials brought in from no more than 500 miles away, and integrated noise control strategies to ensure the happiness of the future home onwers.

Trendy Standard Hotel in Downtown LA Converted From Historical Landmark, Superior Oil Building

The Standard Hotels have become synonymous with style and nightlife in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Architecture firm Koning Eizenberg converted the Superior Oil Company Building into the trendy downtown Los Angeles location. A building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the architects had to respect the original design, while creating a hip center for nightlife for the boutique hotel.

David Hertz’s Panel House Made With Prefab Industrial Refrigeration Walls

Some projects require a heavy duty solution and traditional methods just won't cut it. When David Hertz was asked to build a home right off the ocean in Venice Beach, he resorted to industrial materials to get the job done. Rather than the local standard stick-frame construction, Hertz used steel columns and beams to create a clear span structural system integrating prefabricated panels usually used in refrigeration buildings. The use of industrial materials not only cut down on cost but also maintained a high energy efficiency standard for the home while preserving critical views of the ocean and beach. It also doesn't hurt that there are solar panels and a pool on the roof.

Ray Kappe-Designed Santa Monica LivingHomes Was Installed In An Amazing 8 Hours

Modern homes are to LA like snow is to the north pole, but that doesn't mean they're all the same. Santa Monica-based LivingHomes builds modern and functional prefabricated homes designed by world class architects like Ray Kappe and Kieren Timberlake. The original Ray Kappe home was built in Santa Monica and took an amazing 8 hours to install. Talk about a quick build! Built-in furniture, environmentally conscious materials, and a rooftop solar system are all part of the package deal, which resulted in the first LEED Platinum certified home anywhere.

Herman Miller Showroom First to Earn LEED Platinum-CI

Herman Miller’s Los Angeles Showroom is the first to earn LEED CI Platinum in Los Angeles, and was only the 47th LEED CI Platinum project worldwide at its completion. The interior renovation to a former 1956 warehouse required special consideration by architecture

Stunning Vasquez Rocks Nature & Interpretive Center Built On the Pacific Crest Trail

Anyone brave enough to hike the 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail deserves to have a beautiful place to stop and reflect on nature's wonders. At least, that's the thinking behind Brooks + Scarpa Architects' stunning design for the Vasquez Rocks Nature and Interpretive Center in Agua Dulce. A 3,000 square foot building located in California's high desert, this design is intended to be visually comparative to its awesome natural surroundings. And it's also super efficient thanks to a series of passive design strategies.

The LeBrun House uses Economic Materials to Create a Sustainable Home

In spite of its gray exterior, the Le Brun home manages to blur the lines between indoors and out, while creating a unique multi-generational complex. Located in Mar Vista, the house was originally designed for two documentary filmmakers who were interested in building a place where they could live, work, and still have plenty of space for family visitors. Long narrow logs provided ample room for Studio EA Architects to accommodate a two-structure dwelling connected by an exterior catwalk elevated above a private courtyard garden. Natural light floods every inch of the structure’s interior thanks to the use of clearstory windows throughout and a three story glass stairwell (which doubles as a ventilation shaft).

Sustainable Inspiration Found at the Scripps Oceanfront Conference Center

The Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society, and the Environment is a breathtaking oceanfront conference center that was meant to inspire, playing hosts to scientists from all around the world. Located on top of an ocean bluff, designers Safdie Rabines Architects had to take into consideration the strong winds, western sun, the existing grove of palms, and an ever-changing ocean providing the natural backdrop to the center settings. They felt it was important to create a building that played homage to its natural site and the research of the scientist who come to visit.

Cherokee Mixed-Use Lofts: LEED Platinum Award Winning Design

The Cherokee Lofts is a triple diamond in the rough, an urban infill, mixed-use, market-rate housing project. One of the key factors of the award winning LEED Platinum design is the ever changing movement of its streetscape elevation. The changing façade

Green-Roofed Art Center College of Design’s South Campus Connects With Downtown Pasadena

The Art Center College of Design has expanded into downtown Pasadena taking over a former supersonic wind tunnel facility, because that's exactly the type of building you would want to go to school in. Santa Monica-based Daly Genik Architects handled the renovations and transformed the facility into a naturally daylit and interactive space with a greater connection to the urban environment. The most fascinating part of the ACCD South Campus renovation includes the addition of a native grass planted green roof and a set of innovative sculptural skylights.