Social housing in California can compete in quality and variety with the best European examples (more on this in our interview with one of the specialists in this genre, architect David Baker). Another confirmation of this is the The Six complex in the most densely populated part of Los Angeles, Markartur Park (according to this indicator, this area is also one of the leaders in the entire United States). The owner of the building, the Skid Row Housing Trust, is building affordable housing for the homeless: in total, it manages 24 residential complexes for a total of almost 1,800 apartments. In this case, the apartment building has an even narrower specialization: it is intended for veterans of the armed forces - including the homeless (there are more former military personnel without a place of residence in Los Angeles than anywhere else in the country, they make up 11% of all homeless people in city) and / or people with disabilities. For them, 18 apartments are specially allocated in a complex of 52 housing units (45 of them are studios, seven are with a separate bedroom; all have their own kitchen and bathroom, as well as full furniture). The rest of the places are intended for those who have been living on the street for a long time and / or have serious health problems. The total area of the building is 3,740 m2, the budget is $ 10.1 million.
Given the challenging mental state of nearly all target audiences for the new home, Brooks + Scarpa has tried to create both a sense of security and involvement in the life around them, while avoiding the sense of alienation that a lonely person may experience. Therefore, the main space of the house is a large courtyard, raised one floor above the street, so that the city around could be seen - but still from a distance. Communicating neighbors is assisted by a large staircase that connects all residential floors, areas with benches in the courtyard, a room for recreational activities and a common kitchen that open up there. There is landscaping both there and on the roof, where an even safer space for walking has been created. An abundance of sunshine in interiors can help manage PTSD, which plagues both veterans and former homeless people.
At ground level, there is a management company manager's office, a support center where residents can meet with social workers, etc., a bicycle storage and a garage with only 19 spaces, as most of The Six's residents do not have cars. In addition, around - a rare for Los Angeles "paradise for pedestrians": within a radius of just one kilometer there are 14 social centers, there is a developed network of public transport and bike paths.
All apartments face the courtyard: this protects them from the noise of the city and allows the use of passive eco-strategies, which brought the project a "platinum" LEED certificate. In particular, it is the white color of the facades and greenery in the courtyard and on the roof, which protect the building from overheating, its orientation, taking into account the prevailing wind directions and the intensity of the sun's rays (for example, from the west there is almost no glazing on the facade, and the courtyard is open on both sides, which as if it were framed when viewed from the street), opening windows, a layout that allows extensive use of natural ventilation and lighting. The house is equipped with faucets with reduced pressure, a rainwater collection system, solar collectors for water heating. These measures made The Six 50% more efficient than a conventional building.
