Architecture | Inhabitat Local - Los Angeles

Little Tokyo Design Week Kicks-Off

Little Tokyo Design Week (LTDW) kicks off this Thursday by taking a four-day look at the “Future City.” Filled to the brim with a number of workshops, home tours, and curated exhibitions, the festival is designed to celebrate the power and energy of cutting

Cucamonga Valley Water District’s Frontier Project Demonstrates Green Building Best Practices

The Cucamonga Valley Water District established the non-profit Frontier Foundation in 2005 as a way to help Southern California deal with environmental challenges. Their mission is to show residents, builders and companies that sustainable design can be economical, efficient, and inviting. In order to demonstrate these ideals, the foundation built the Frontier Project building in Rancho Cucamonga. Designed by HMC Architects, the 14,000 sq ft building shows off a slew of sustainable technologies and strategies like a green roof, photovoltaics, green interiors, a native garden, energy efficient HVAC, daylighting, passive solar design and much more. The Frontier Project also received its LEED Platinum certification in May of 2010.

Tesla Motors LA Flagship Store is Red Hot & Green

Unlike a traditional car dealership, Tesla Motors' showroom in LA is more like a sculpture gallery crossed with a hobbyist's garage. Renovated from a pair of old warehouses in the Westwood neighborhood by CCS Architecture, Tesla's LA Flagship store is just as efficient and green as the cars they sell. A bold, bright interior shows off the Roadster and their other electric vehicles, then right next door is a pristine service area untainted by emissions, gas and noise. Energy efficient design and a green renovation pairs perfectly with the product they're selling inside.

Brooks+Scarpa’s Alta Lofts Provide Chic Living in an Old Factory

Taking a long and windy road to completion Los Angeles' Alta Lofts is a unique take on contemporary urban living. Struggling to finish the building in the existing economy, the lofts are finally complete and ready to offer sustainable living for a revitalized East LA community. Designed by Brooks-Scarpa Architects formally (Pugh-Scarpa), the green renovation is a striking re-envisioning of the 1920-era paint factory. The contemporary design capping the original neo-classical building is a nod to the retro chic that LA does best. The industrial artist studios open to a large central atrium by garage doors adding community and the open air to the lofts lifestyle.

Lehrer Architects Visualize the Carbon Footprint of an SUV for PARK(ing) Day LA

In celebration of PARK(ing) Day, Lehrer Architects wanted to build their own tribute, calling on their designers to come up with ideas to transform a parking space in front of their office into a temporary park for a day. Working after hours to come up with a unique response, the team voted on the concept entitled “99 Gallons Per Mile,” to visualize the carbon footprint of a modern sport utility vehicle. They built a void of a typical SUV and calculated the emissions that it would emit and visualized this with 99 red helium balloons floating above the installation.

Beverly Hill’s Retro-Chic, Historically Preserved Avalon Hotel

The mid-century modern charm of the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills was not exactly in vogue until more recent years. Architecture firm Koning Eizenberg helped to give the three building complex a much needed update, while preserving historical aspects, from the late 1990s. The resulting hotel is the polished retro-chic hotel that defines an era of Beverly Hills glamour.

The Lebrun House, an Economically Built Sustainable Live/Work Dwelling

In spite of its gray exterior, the Lebrun 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 lotss 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).

Plummer Park Community Center Accommodates Teens and Seniors Alike

The Plummer Park Community Center, in West Hollywood, was once underused because it was too small to accommodate community activities, and too run down to attract specific groups; but all that changed due to one incredible sustaianble renovation. The City of West Hollywood, on a limited budget, hired architects Koning Eizenberg to revamp the center, expanding its size, while adding some green features. The expansion created designated spaces for varying age and group sizes making it a great gathering space for everyone in the community.