In November 2020, the Westlake / Rampart Village neighborhood of Los Angeles welcomed the Rampart Mint Apartments, a new permanent supportive housing project that provides secure and sustainable housing for people who are experiencing homelessness. Designed by Santa Monica-based firm KFA Architecture in collaboration with the West Hollywood Community Housing Corp. (WHCHC) and Affordable Living for the Aging (ALA), the six-story building provides 23 fully accessible studio apartment units, one of which is used as a manager’s unit. The timber-framed building is also designed to meet LEED Gold certification and aims to exceed Title 24 energy standards by 15%.
Located on a former city-owned vacant lot between 3rd Street and Beverly Boulevard, the 15,400-square-foot Rampart Mint Apartments provides 22 units of housing for residents who earn less than 30% of the area median income. All units are equipped with kitchenettes and full bathrooms and include Energy Star appliances, low-flow plumbing, VOC-free interior paints and formaldehyde-free wood materials. Landscaping features drought-tolerant plantings.
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“KFA has long specialized in designing affordable housing throughout the Los Angeles region, and we are very pleased to be a part of another project with WHCHC,” KFA Architecture partner Lise Bornstein said in a press release. “In addition to providing new, high quality, affordable urban infill housing with an emphasis on design and sustainability, Rampart Mint will also breathe new energy into an abandoned site that had been underutilized for more than 30 years.”
Residents will have access to a variety of building amenities including a spacious community room that opens up to a rooftop deck with a community garden and city views, a computer lab, laundry facilities and an office space for social services. Voluntary on-site comprehensive services will also be made available free of charge to all residents by ALA and WHCHC residents services’ staff.
Photography by Jim Simmons via KFA Architecture
