Cloverdale749 in Los Angeles, California by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

Article source: The American Institute of Architects (AIA)

Cloverdale749 is located around the block from the historically significant Miracle Mile hub comprising the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and many noteworthy cultural destinations. Adhering to a strategy to maximize land use and capitalize on zoning, the building’s 10,500 square feet push against floor area and density limitations determined by the lot’s size and location. In essence, this project is a volume that cannot expand further.

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

• Architects: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
• Project: Cloverdale749
• Location: Los Angeles, California, US 
• Photography: Lawrence Anderson
• Team: Lorcan O’Herlihy (Principal), Donnie Schmidt (PD), Alex Morassut (PM), Dana Lydon (on site CA)
• Client: Papalian Capital Partners
• Interior Designer: Palumbo
• Landscape Architect: LINK Landscape
• General Contractor: Fortis17 CRM
• Structural Engineer: Labib & Associates
• Civil Engineer: Harvey Goodman Civil Engineering, Inc.
• Size: 10,500 SF
• Status: Completed in 2013

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

Cloverdale749’s footprint and volume were determined by zoning and development needs, yet within these parameters LOHA explored the threshold between the unit and the street, establishing a veil of transformable layers that promotes a hybridized relationship between private and public zones.

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

The project’s façade is a study in juxtaposing simplicity with complexity, celebrating the structure’s volume with a choreographed display of permeable layers. The building envelope introduces a visual fragmentation that allows for varied experiences of privacy along the edges of each unit. Incorporating passively sustainable elements in the exterior cladding helps reduce the solar heat load on the building and its energy expenditures for cooling. The recycled content, recyclability, and white color of the metal wall panels further contribute to sustainable building goals.

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

A blurring of interior and exterior spaces is integral to the design and, dependent on viewing and lighting angles, the building’s sheathing reveals and conceals patios. Circulation is pushed to the exterior, eliminating the need for climate-controlled inner hallways. Private open balconies front the street while the rooftop offers decks overlooking the city. Internally, the units feature open plan layouts, illuminated by light that floods in through clerestories and expansive glazing.

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

The project’s integration with its surroundings is upheld by carefully considered deck, window, and walkway placements so that vistas of the Hollywood Sign and Downtown Los Angeles are highlighted from within.

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

The form also presents a visually striking contrast on a street otherwise occupied by neutral stucco neighbors so typical of Southern California apartment structures. This project’s white skin is a powerful statement of contemporary urban optimism that injects a distinct presence into its surrounding historic fabric.

Image Courtesy © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

Tags: California, US

Category: Family house

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