Lehrer Architects Loma Verde housing

Lehrer Architects has finished Loma Verde, a supportive housing development for formerly homeless residents in Los Angeles’ Filipinotown. The project sits on a 4,500-square-foot lot that once held a single-family home, about half the size of the average single-family lot in the city.

Site and Design

The lot is described as "extremely narrow and sloped in several directions," prompting the architects to design a vertical, wood-framed building. The six-storey structure contains 19 studio apartments and offices for case managers. The team noted that the building is a "single-loaded slab" but incorporates bends and folds in the exterior walls to create a dynamic appearance. Bright white walls are accented with lemon yellow and turquoise blue, and the colour scheme highlights doors, walls, ground planes, rooftop planters and an exposed exit staircase.

The building also features bicycle parking and a roof garden that offers expansive city views, including the Hollywood sign. Open-air corridors provide access to the living units, and open breezeways are intended to foster socialising and fresh air.

Housing Units

Each studio ranges from 270 to 300 square feet (25 to 27.8 square metres). A kitchen wall with an extended counter serves as a dining, working and storage area. The units also include a sleeping area and an enclosed bathroom. Natural light enters through several windows, including a floor-to-ceiling sidelight next to the front door. The design aims to honour and nurture tenants with a sense of generosity and joy. The building’s 19 studio apartments are listed in the stats.

Community Features

The project incorporates open breezeways to encourage community interaction and fresh airflow. The roof garden hosts colourful planters and offers panoramic views of the city. The design also includes offices for case managers, supporting the residents’ transition from homelessness to stable housing.

Architectural Inspiration

Lehrer Architects cited the work of California painter Wayne Thiebaud, the compositional sensibilities of Richard Diebenkorn, and the spatial sensibilities of Frank Stella’s 2.7-dimensional paintings as early inspirations. The team noted that these artists create worlds of visual impact within long, thin spaces on their canvases.

Impact and Vision

The project is intended to model how a community can include multiple forms of housing in harmony, caring for the most vulnerable. It also offers a blueprint for creative development in a city that urgently needs to increase affordable housing density. Lehrer Architects has long been committed to creating ennobling shelter for Los Angeles’s most vulnerable residents. Other projects by the studio include Willowbrook Apartments, which serve disabled veterans, and a village of brightly painted tiny houses that provide temporary housing for homeless residents.

The photography for the project is by Paul Vu.