With Australia’s affordable housing crisis at a critical juncture, the nation’s built environment experts could take a leaf out of a new development on the United States’ east coast by LA-based Brooks + Scarpa.

The practice’s Rose Apartments project comprises 35 residences across four storeys. The apartments will be made available for transitional aged youths who leave the family home or youth facilities. Located in close proximity to a number of retail and hospitality offerings as well as Venice Beach, Rose Apartments residents need not worry about a car.

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Brooks + Scarpa’s design channels the nearby Horatio Court, wrapping around an elevated courtyard located above the commercial precinct on the ground floor. Central courtyards seek to promote pedestrian-oriented communities, giving residents a space to connect with other occupants, relax or utilise for services and socialisation.

“A lot of the courtyard apartments built prior to the 1950s, especially in Hollywood and West Hollywood, were part of a search for indigenous architecture,” says Los Angeles Conservancy Director for Preservation, Ken Bernstein, who says community connection was also key.

The Rose Apartments courtyard mediates between home and street for residents, particularly those whose apartment is located close to it. Brooks + Scarpa looks to build on the housing design language of southern California, and heighten its hallmarks with increased security, privacy and openness within interior spaces. The facade’s walls, featuring cement plaster, are scalloped, to bring depth and texture to the development. A surface applied sparkle grain allows for sunlight to transform the building into a glistening block of concrete.

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The architect took advantage of a State Assembly Bill in order to increase the height and density of the building due to it being utilised for affordable housing.

Rose Apartments brings much-needed relief to Los Angeles’ affordable housing supply, which is at a similar level for demand to Australia. For more information, click here.

Jarrod Reedie

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