Project Details
- Project Name
- Mariposa1038
- Location
- CA
- Architect
- Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects [LOHA]
- Project Types
- Multifamily
- Size
- 68,000 sq. feet
- Awards
- 2018 AIA Housing Awards
- Shared by
- Hanley Wood
- Project Status
- Built
2018 Residential Architect Design Awards / Multifamily Housing / Award
“I think it’s fun, it’s modest, and it’s a very Los Angeles vernacular. I also think the landscape on the roof looks great embedded in the project.” —Dirk Denison
Mariposa is Spanish for “butterfly,” which is a good name for this surprisingly curvy apartment complex designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA), for a site in the Koreatown neighborhood south of downtown Los Angeles. It’s one of the densest residential areas in the country and desperately in need of affordable housing. But that need also presents a conundrum: How do you maximize residential space without crowding out public space?
LOHA’s solution is decidedly straightforward, yet elegant. The 32-unit, 68,000-square-foot building is square in parti, but LOHA bowed the four façades inward to create a buffer space between the exterior and the apartment block itself. On the ground floor, the space in front of the street-facing elevation is filled in with concrete planters; up above, folded-metal hoods extrude from the façades, framing windows and balconies.
The façades are covered in white stucco, but the metal hoods alternate in color between black and white, giving the building a depth and character that changes as the sun and shadows move during the day. The effect is a bold edifice that gives back to the public sphere.
Inside, the subtle curves of the exterior are echoed in a central, oblong courtyard, whose sinuous form outlines the procession of breezeways and stairs leading four flights up to the roof, where LOHA installed garden planters and outdoor seating to take advantage of the stunning views north toward the downtown Los Angeles skyline. At ground level, the courtyard features a large planter that acts as a rainwater catchment and is bounded by built-in wooden benches. In a challenging brief, LOHA created a building that plays a dual role, improving the public, street-level experience in a dense neighborhood while creating a sense of private serenity for residents.
See the full list of winners of the 2018 Residential Architect Design Awards.
Project Credits
Project: Mariposa1038, Los Angeles
Client: Mana Hale
Architect: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, Los Angeles . Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA (principal-in-charge); Nick Hopson, AIA (project director), Alex Anamos, AIA, Dana Lydon, Assoc. AIA, Donnie Schmidt, Jessica Colangelo, Jennie Matusova (project team)
Structural Engineer: Amir Pirbadian
Civil Engineer: Harvey Goodman Civil Engineering
General Contractor: Fortis 17 CRM Corp.
Landscape Architect: LINK
Lighting Designer: Guy Smith AIA LC
Geotechnical Engineer: Geocon West
Size: 68,000 square feet
Cost: $8.4 million
Materials and Sources
Cabinetry/Custom Woodwork: Modulo Cucine
Skylights: Velux America
Roofing: GAF (built-up); Miracote (elastomeric)
Windows: Milgard
Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
As one of the densest neighborhoods in the country, Los Angeles’ Koreatown is at the forefront of changing modes of contemporary urban living. LOHA’s design for Mariposa1038 plays with this burgeoning area’s density with a pure cube, extruded to fit tight on its lot, and then formed to gesture back to the public street and surrounding context.
To blur the distinction between the public and private sphere, LOHA pushed the cube inward on each of its sides, creating curves that grant relief from the sidewalk and return portions of the ground plane to the public realm. Balconies and window frames project outward to recapture the space between the new geometry and the property edge. Due to the building's curves, LOHA offers each balcony a unique depth and view.
The white skin, reinforcing the purity of the structure's form, is broken by a rhythm of select black treatment to the protruding boxes. Throughout the day, the movement of dark shadows across the white and black facades activates the project with a dynamic sense of constant rearrangement.
Internally, LOHA’s carved opening creates a central focal point for the building’s interior organization and lets natural light into the courtyard. Below this opening, a landscaped planter with integrated bench seating doubles as a rainwater collection system. All units have exterior access and can be cooled by holistic and sustainable methods of cross ventilation. A rooftop deck provides additional outdoor space and skyline views.
