Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective

Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior PhotographyMetro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Interior Photography, Windows, CountertopMetro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior Photography, FacadeMetro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior Photography, FacadeMetro at Western Housing / the architects collective - More Images+ 14

Los Angeles, United States
  • Design Team: Richard Prantis, Matthew Donnachie, Fabiola Esquivel, Stephen Ramirez, Carla Cortes, Andrew Crane, Tina Alimirazaee, Houra Khani
  • Clients: Meta Housing
  • City: Los Angeles
  • Country: United States
More SpecsLess Specs
Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Panic Studio LA

Text description provided by the architects. Located in close proximity to the MTA Exposition Line Expo / Western station, the project is situated along a bustling commercial corridor of neighborhood-serving mom-and-pop shops on Western Blvd. The project illustrates a diagrammatic approach to design, starting with the essential building blocks of the program, which are then shaped by the external constraints that act upon it. The project provides 16 two- and three-bedroom units for families and 16 one-bedroom units for homeless veterans. 

Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Panic Studio LA
Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Image 16 of 19
Floor Plan 1
Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Interior Photography, Windows
© Panic Studio LA

The program also includes social services, a community room, a 2nd-floor garden terrace, and a roof deck. Three stories of high-density apartment stock are placed over a ground-level parking podium. The residential floors feature open-ended corridors to provide ample cross-ventilation throughout the length of the building. External forces, such as the fine texture and smaller scale of adjacent single-family residences, and the traffic speeding by on Western, push and pull on the massing, refining its form. 

Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Interior Photography, Dining room, Table, Chair
© Panic Studio LA

The forces generate a roof deck on the south end of the structure as well as an overhanging front façade, creating the opportunity for a green landscaped corridor at the pedestrian level. A narrow courtyard adjoins the backside of the building on the second level, providing a garden refuge lifted above ground level and sheltered from public view. The main façade can be read as a blank white canvas punctuated by openings, bordered by projecting shading fins, interacting with the environment and creating a pixelating effect that pops with color.

Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior Photography
© Panic Studio LA
Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Image 19 of 19
Floor Plan 4
Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Panic Studio LA

Project gallery

See allShow less

Project location

Address:3671 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90018, United States

Click to open map
Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Metro at Western Housing / the architects collective" 03 Feb 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/932949/metro-at-western-housing-the-architects-collective> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.