Following California's Covid-19 health regulations in early 2020, Metro, the Los Angeles public transit agency stopped collecting fares on its busses as a safety precaution measure. However, the company's decision turned into the United States' biggest free-transit experiment, as ridership never dipped below 50 percent, even with the stay-at-home orders enforced by the government. Following 22 months of the decision and around 281 million fare-free transits, the company has decided to restart collecting fares, but is planning on using the information gathered throughout these two years to implement future improvements and introduce other free or reduced-fare programs in the city.
Interior Designer Sophie Goineau has recently completed the restoration of the historic MCM Alfred Wilkes House on Cove Way Drive in Beverly Hills. Giving new life to a residential icon in Los Angeles, the project was completed after two years of uninterrupted restoration throughout the pandemic. Revisiting themes from the great Modernists Richard Neutra, Harold Levitt and Mies van der Rohe, Goineau leaned into the dual configurations of straight lines and curvilinear shapes throughout the 5,000 square foot 4-bedroom.
Lehrer Architects has designed a tiny home village for homeless residents in Los Angeles. Called Whitsett West, the project was completed with the City of Los Angeles’ architects and engineers in the Bureau of Engineering. Located in North Hollywood, the project is the fourth collaboration in the past seven months designed to be a prototype for transitional housing formats.
This week, the C40 global network of cities and engineering and sustainability firm Arup launched a virtual exhibition showcasing examples of climate initiatives and resiliency strategies from 11 cities committed to addressing climate change. Given that cities account for more than 70% of global carbon emissions, the Global Cities Climate Action Exhibition aims to highlight the role of cities in reaching climate targets through local policies and urban development plans, achieving tangible emission reductions and increasing social equity.
Morphosis has joined DesignClass, a growing collection of online classes featuring innovators from architecture, design, and creative leadership. Each class aims to build "curious and creative confidence" in future generations of creative professionals. Delving into design process, logic, and architecture, the new class focuses on how to translate ideas into dynamic architecture with one of the leading practices today.
MAD Architects has announced "The Star", a new landmark that will foster culture, creativity, and inspiration in Los Angeles, California. Nestled in the heart of Hollywood, the Star's reflective architecture nods the neighborhood's glamorous characteristics and embeds nature within its structure with natural lighting, greenery, and workplaces that cater to the employees' mental and physical wellbeing.
Great design is rooted in responsive and adaptive approaches. For architect and landscape architect Greg Kochanowski, equitable design solutions should address critical issues, such as climate and housing. As Partner and Design Principal at GGA, Greg is an active researcher focusing on resilient environments that create synergies between natural systems, culture, infrastructure, and development.
Construction is underway for Gehry Partners' Second Century Project, which will house the new headquarters of Warner Bros. After breaking ground in early 2020, the project now has its structural framework in place, and the façade is currently taking shape. Set for completion in 2023, in time for the production company's centennial, the design features a series of mid-rise, slanted office towers grouped within two distinct structures resembling "icebergs floating along the freeway".
The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village (HSCFV), a large-scale interim housing project providing a wide range of amenities for both the unhoused and those in transition, recently opened in Downtown Los Angeles.
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