Xantho Work House

This project was selected as an Honor winner in the 2022 Residential Architect Design Awards, On the Boards category.

" [In] Houston, we have so many buildings that are underutilized and such a dire need for housing. I think this is a good [example] of adding on to existing spaces, especially in industrial areas.” — Juror Lindsey Slay Williams, Assoc. AIA

With the continuing post-COVID popularity of working from home, what sorts of new architectural typologies might emerge to serve this growing sector of the American economy? One answer, from Los Angeles–based architects Brooks + Scarpa, is Xantho Work House: a novel admixture of residential and office space that manages to combine the best of both while becoming something altogether its own.

Located in the Hawthorne neighborhood of southern LA, Xantho (the name comes from a naturally occurring yellow pigment) is a hybrid design in more ways than one. A renovation of an existing workshop structure, the proposed 1,600-square-foot project is located at the outermost edge of a manufacturing and warehouse district, right where it abuts a scenic landscaped park. Brooks + Scarpa’s expansion and remodeling accentuates the juxtaposition of the industrial and the domestic. Adding a two-story, 800-square-foot rooftop apartment to the shed-like base, the project will allow the client to live directly above his tech-business office; the arrangement hearkens back to the palazzos of medieval Venice with luxurious living quarters situated atop canal-front work and storage levels. Featuring expansive views in all directions and a new green wall affixed to the workshop façade, the scheme proffers a seductive and eco-friendly model for the live-work future—one that bears just a little resemblance to the pre-office past.

PROJECT CREDITS
Project: Xantho Work House, Hawthorne, Calif.
Architects/Landscape: Brooks + Scarpa, Hawthorne, Calif. and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA , lead designer; Angela Brooks, FAIA, principal-in-charge; Jeffrey Huber, FAIA, Calder Scarpa, Miguel Villareal
Structural and Civil Engineering: Labib Funk
Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing: Breen Engineering
LEED Consultant: Homage Design
Geotechnical Engineering: Southern California Geotechnical
Contractor: Aaron Favela Construction

MATERIALS AND SOURCES
Appliances: GE, ISE, Bosch, Fagor, Bertazzoni
Fixtures: American Standard, Kohler, Bobrick, Grohe, Chicago Faucets, Toto, Delta
Cabinets: Recycled formaldehyde-free MDF, FSC certified oak
Concrete: Type ll Portland cement with 25% flyash, LM Scofield Lithochrome stain
Flooring: Walker Zanger Ecotile concrete and FSC certified oak
Gypsum: Recycled-content gypsum board with 31% recycled content
HVAC: Mitsubishi variable refrigerant-flow heating and AC
Insulation: Johns Manville recycled-content, formaldehyde-free insulation batts
Lighting: Shaper, Bega Prudential, Stonco, Belfer, Del Rey Lighting
Masonry and Stone: Angeles Block Company
Metal: Custom Perforated Screens Metal Sales, Inc.
Paints and Finishes: AFM Safecoat non-toxic, zero-VOC paint
Plumbing and Water System: Stormwater360, Contech, Inc.
Skylights: Bristolite, Solatube International, Inc.
Windows: Arcadia, Alpine, US Aluminum Corporation