US architecture studio Lever Architecture has renovated a former 1980s warehouse in Los Angeles, incorporating a new structure atop the existing parking garage foundation. Located at 843 N Spring Street, near Dodger Stadium in Chinatown, the 145,000-square-foot building contains a mix of uses, including offices and retail space.
According to Lever Architecture, the project “takes a windowless, 1980s-era retail warehouse with a parking garage underneath and grafts a new structure on top of it, creating one of the first and largest hybrid cross-laminated timber (CLT) buildings in Los Angeles.”
The building features two four-story wings placed above the garage, flanking an interior courtyard, atrium, and walking path. The landscape design was created by Field Operations. A main staircase leads to the entrance, retail spaces, and the courtyard, while the remaining sides of the building adjoin a street, alleyway, and neighboring building.
The building’s facade is primarily clad in glass, with a structure consisting of 3- and 5-ply CLT panels and concrete slabs. Exposed steel, concrete, and beams are visible throughout the interior, which features open floor plans.
Lever Architecture noted that using CLT allowed them to build atop the existing foundations, avoiding demolition and reducing embodied carbon. The building incorporates various sustainable strategies, including rooftop solar panels, EV charging stations, bike parking, 100% rainwater recycling, and vertical fins to reduce solar heat gain.
The centre atrium features an egress stair, balconies, and wide landings, providing outdoor spaces for occupants. The building’s design combines Los Angeles’s high-rise and low-rise architectural styles.
Image Courtesy: dezeen.com
