4252 Crenshaw

4252 Crenshaw employs the parameters of modular construction to create efficient design solutions. 

PROJECT SUMMARY
Client:              Universal Standard Housing
Landscape:  Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture
Location:         4252 S. Crenshaw Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008
Units:               111 Units (13 Live-Work, 13 Extremely Low-Income Affordable Housing)
Size:                 45,298 GSF (37,638 Residential NSF)
Status:             Completed Fall 2019

4252 Crenshaw is the first modular apartment building in Los Angeles to employ the parameters of modular construction to create efficient design solutions.  Located along the Crenshaw Corridor near historic Leimert Park Village, the modules were installed in six days.  The swift installation dramatically reduced the construction schedule and decreased construction nuisance to neighbors.  Benefits of modular also include:  lower volume of construction waste, reduced need to store construction materials, and greater budget control. Designed under the City of Los Angeles’ Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) program intended to incentivize the production of affordable housing near transit, 4252 Crenshaw offers no on-site parking as allowed by the TOC guidelines.  The project provides workforce and affordable units targeted to two specific markets:  the workforce units target young adults in the beginning stages of their working lives, while the affordable units target very low income residents.  The project’s challenge was to respond to the context of existing and proposed development projects along the Crenshaw corridor, while honoring the adjacent residential neighborhood comprised primarily of Spanish Revival single-family homes and apartment buildings.  The design responds to both conditions by locating live-work units, building entry, lobby and business center, along the retail-oriented Crenshaw Blvd., while locating residential-scale amenities next to the adjacent neighborhood.  A shady ground-level garden buffers the neighborhood from the building and includes picnic tables, BBQ’s, and a secure bicycle storage area.  The roof deck, offering sweeping views from Baldwin Hills to downtown Los Angeles, is designed to accommodate quiet gatherings of small groups.