Venice Boulevard Apartments

JKA was asked by the client to design a 5-story, 58- unit 100% affordable housing project utilizing ED 1 requirements. The project sits within the Historic District (HPOZ) of Harvard Heights which had specific requirements for the proposed building to respect the historic nature of the surrounding architecture, especially with respect to the commercial frontage along Venice Boulevard.

As a result, the project uses face brick along the street frontage and large openings of glass block to reference the surrounding commer-cial buildings along Venice and the historic apartment building around the corner on Western Ave. The design incorporates the natural grade to accommodate the ground floor height of the Active Floor Area that is a requirement of the CPIO, thus maximizing the overall building height by providing units at the area of higher grade behind the Active Floor Area up front. Open space was provided through a landscaped rear yard patio, balconies at some of the units, and a roof terrace offering views of the surrounding cityscape.