643 N. Spring St.

Project Details

Project Description

FROM THE ARCHITECTS:

Studio Gang announces its first project in Los Angeles, an ambitious new mixed-used building for major Parisian real estate investment company Compagnie de Phalsbourg in collaboration with local development partner Creative Space and European lifestyle brand MOB Hotel.

“By mixing apartments, a hotel, shops and public plazas, we hope to create a lively new living space in one of the most vibrant parts of Los Angeles,” said Max Castro, Vice President of International Development for Compagnie de Phalsbourg. “This dynamic combination is also reflected in our choice of an interdisciplinary, multicultural team that marries international talent with local expertise.”

Located at 643 North Spring Street, the tower curves diagonally across the site, creating dynamic public plazas on both Spring Street and New High Street that anchor the building and enrich Chinatown’s ongoing growth. This emphasis on community spaces extends to the building, where nearly 300 rental apartments ranging in size from studios to three-bedrooms will share amenities with a 149-room, community-oriented hotel operated by MOB, all connected to vibrant new retail amenities directly north and east of the downtown core.

“This project transforms a parking lot and commercial strip into an architecture that opens up the potential of the site to connect neighborhoods,” said Studio Gang Founding Principal Jeanne Gang. “Responding to the growing needs of the city, we designed the footprint to enable new generous outdoor public space at ground level while simultaneously creating a curved upper volume to capture views, light, and air for the building’s inhabitants.”

The building steps out to embrace the adjacent neighborhoods, linking Chinatown and the recently opened LA State Historic Park to Union Station and El Pueblo. Undulating concrete floor plates support crenellated, high-performance glass walls, creating terraces with wraparound views of the city and mountains. At approximately 55 feet wide, the building’s narrow form allows for fresh air and sunlight in every unit, while the set-back windows create self-shading in summer, capitalizing on the mild climate. In deference to the neighborhood, the curved building is equally accessible from Spring and New High Streets, with parking located underground and retail on both sides at ground level.

Emphasizing the importance of outdoor space, a rooftop amenity deck and generous, landscaped terraces on the second and third levels will be shared among residents and hotel guests. Underscoring MOB Hotel’s mission to encourage cooperative living, shared amenities include a gym, coworking spaces, rentable private offices, pop-up stores dedicated to young creators, a rooftop swimming pool and bar, and spaces for outdoor cooking and dining. This will be the third location for MOB Hotel, an innovative hospitality company centered on an egalitarian, community-oriented philosophy.

"MOB is not just a lifestyle brand but also a movement that feeds off the raw nature of the environments in which it resides,” said MOB Founder Cyril Aouizerate. “With this second US outpost, we are excited to join the creative and vibrant culture of Chinatown, which we believe will further extend our core values.”

A Site Plan Review package has been submitted to the Los Angeles City Planning Department. Community meetings with Compagnie de Phalsbourg and Studio Gang will take place in the coming months.