28th Street Apartments KoningEizenberg Architecture with Clifford Beers Housing and Coalition for Responsible Community Development
The former 28th St. YMCA, designed by Paul Williams, FAIA in 1926, served as affordable housing for many young African American men who migrated to Los Angeles during the mid-1900s. More recently the facility has fallen into disrepair and its housing portion abandoned. With the proposed restoration and addition, the new 28th Street Apartments intends to expand on the building’s legacy by providing improved housing, as well as integrated supportive services and wellness programs directed to youth transitioning from foster care, the homeless, and mentally ill individuals. Additionally, the building will expand ground floor services to the community including restoration of the gymnasium. Relying on old photos, field review, and original documents the historic building spaces and detail will be revived. Within this framework key features like wood windows, doors and millwork, cast stone ornament, and “Batchelder” tile will be restored. All public spaces are preserved although some, like the indoor pool, will be encapsulated—filled with sand to protect the original pool tile and capped with a new floor to adapt to current program needs. The former pool room will be adapted to a new social space with kitchen and lounge for residents. A savvy planning entitlement strategy retains the original unit count (49). Units triple in size to include a small bathroom and kitchen. Increasing unit size while retaining unit count necessitated building additional units on land to the south. The new building is seismically separated and cantilevers two additional units from the steel elevator tower. Since the unit count and use remained unchanged, the project’s parking requirement remains per 1926 standards —zero. Five stalls were included for service, staff and disabled access. Since the resident population served does not own cars, money saved on parking is redirected into restoration amenity. The new units are stacked in a thin cross-ventilated building which includes a laundry, roof deck, parking, services, and elevator. The building is targeted for LEED Gold with a south facing photovoltaic array, sunshades, and solar hot water panels on the roof. Rooftop mechanical equipment is inventively strung across an interior light well to allow for a rooftop garden and circulation that links old and new. To avoid new plumbing penetrating the original board formed concrete ceilings of the ground floor public spaces, a raised “interstitial floor” was created on top of the second floor allowing plumbing, electrical, and fire service lines be transitioned and organized in hidden shafts. Work required navigating current codes and the interpretation of the California Historic Building Code with city engineering, fire, and disabled access officials. Over a dozen code modifications were needed to preserve the integrity of the original structure while linking up with the new building. The extent of the original building is kept clear and distinct and the new wing is wrapped in a mix of modulated perforated screens and cladding that give a nod to the history of taste in finishes—moving from bronze to clear aluminum. The result is a collection of built forms and places that create a cohesive whole and return an active building to the community.
Paul Williams, FAIA
HISTORY
E. AD AM SA VE .
I-10 FWY & DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
PA LO MA ST .
28 TH ST .
ET RE
32 ND ST .
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ST
E.
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PR NO OJE RT CT H
A
I-110 FWY
ALL
OM
SITE
AL LE Y
PA L
E.
S. C ENT RAL AVE .
29 TH ST .
GR IFF ITH
E.
AV E.
ST AN FO RD AV E.
E.
25 TH ST .
E. 2
8 TH
ST R
EE T
AERIAL VIEW LOOKING SOUTH
OVERALL VIEW
The approach to sustainability and infrastructure was guided by opportunities to strenthen informal social interaction and reinforce the historic architecture. The thin addition uses texture and transparency to distinguish between old and new.
SUSTAINABILITY
Daylighting to units New insulation
Exterior walkway Roof deck garden Updated HVAC
Solar hot water panels
Photovoltaic panels shade windows and wall
Cross ventilation Permeable paving
INFRASTRUCTURE New mechanical service platform hung over light well releases roof for use as garden space. Required structure extends to create trellis.
New structure cantilevers over existing to avoid loading exisiting structure Elevator
Circulation between existing and new building
Seismic separation Interstitial floor above existing floor to transition Encapsulate Former pool plumbing and eliminate penetrations in ground floor public spaces SOUTH
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Solar hot Awater panels
Solar photovoltaic panels
modulated perforated screens
Elevator tower and cantilevered residential units
Unit
Mechanical service platform
Roof deck
Trellis
Unit
Unit
Unit
ALLEY
Unit
Unit
Parking
Reception
NE W
E XISITIN
G
Existing pool filled
Unit
Commons room
Unit
Interstitial floor
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
Community center 28TH STREET
SECTION
E. 28TH STREET
COMMUNITY ENTRY
COMMUNITY HALL COMMUNITY CENTER
DN
OFFICE
PALOMA STREET
CONFERENCE ROOM OFFICE
OFFICE
UP
COMMONS ROOM COURTYARD
ELEV.
EXISTING
ACTIVITY ROOM
RECEPTION
LOBBY NEW
RESIDENTIAL ENTRY
ELEC.
TRASH
PARKING
N
ALLEY
1F FLOOR PLAN
UNIT
UNIT
UNIT
UNIT
DN
OPEN TO ROOF BELOW ROOF DECK ROOF
MECH PLATFORM
UNIT ELEV.
ELEV. DN
UP
UP
DN UP
DN
LAUNDRY UNIT
UNIT
4F
3F N
SELECTED UPPER FLOOR PLANS
NEW UNIT
HISTORIC BUILDING (IMPROVED)
TYPICAL UNIT PLANS
VIEW FROM PALOMA STREET
LOOKING UP: PALOMA STREET ENTRY
3F ROOF DECK
VIEW FROM ALLEY