California is known for its quality social housing, including for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens. We have published a long interview with David Baker, a specialist in such projects in San Francisco, as well as individual structures combining thoughtfulness, attractiveness and environmental friendliness - for example, here and here.
Los Angeles-based Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects, or LOHA, is also involved in projects that need to be more than just comfortable housing, but include “social support” to help residents get through the difficult times they often have. We are talking about an inclusive design that fights against isolation, designed for the contact of residents with each other, the visual connection of all apartments with the environment, safety - not only real, but also psychological. Los Angeles County now has over 58,000 homeless people with a population of 10 million, and the number is growing. Among them, a significant part are former military personnel, “chronic” homeless people, as well as low-income families - the latter find themselves on the street due to high rents typical for California.
The wasteland on Martin Luther King Boulevard (the acronym for the address gave the name to the residential complex - MLK1101) has been converted by LOHA architects and social project developer Clifford Beers Housing into a residential complex with 26 apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms.
The total area of the residential complex is 3160 m2, additional 370 m2 is a garage on the ground floor. On its roof there is a courtyard garden with plants and garden beds that do not require special watering. There you can relax and chat with neighbors, as well as on the galleries that go out there with the doors of apartments: these galleries vary in width precisely for this purpose, so that you would like to stop and chat.
Psychologically and acoustically, the courtyard is protected from the street by a "public" room with a kitchen and dining areas. There you can have cooking lessons, clubbing lunches, group psychotherapy and any other meeting and event. It faces the street, from the level of which there is a staircase - another place for rest and communication of residents of this and neighboring houses.
From the city side, the garage is hidden not only behind this staircase, but also behind two shops: the income from these commercial spaces partially paid for the project, and they also serve as training for residents to help them return to normal life.
The project has received a LEED Gold certification for a series of passive and active components. The L-shaped plan provided through ventilation and natural lighting. There are also highly efficient space heating and cooling systems, household appliances and switches, solar collectors for heating water, etc.
