VA CAMPUS BUILDINGS 205 & 208 (TIE)
Developer: Friendship for Affordable Housing
GC: SLC
Architect: Sejal Sonani Architecture
The VA Campus Buildings 205 and 208 project was a comprehensive endeavor to revitalize two essential historic structures within the Veterans Affairs (VA) campus to provide 120 units of much-needed permanent supportive housing for our Veterans. These aging buildings were in dire need of extensive upgrades to enhance their functionality, safety, and energy efficiency while simultaneously providing a more inviting and comfortable environment for Veterans, their families, and on-site supportive services staff.
Initially built in 1937 and 1944 as neuropsychiatric hospitals, the project involved the complete interior demolition and rehabilitation of two buildings totaling 100,906 square feet and over two acres of site improvements. To ensure the project’s success, the team engaged with VA staff, healthcare professionals, and Veterans to gather input on design and functionality improvements.
The redesigned interior now accommodates 60 studios and 60 one-bedroom units for Veterans, in addition to two manager units. Twenty of these units are compliant with ADA requirements, offering accessibility for individuals with mobility challenges.
WEST LA VETERANS AFFAIRS CAMPUS – VA BUILDING 207 (TIE)
Developer: Thomas Safran & Associates
GC: Alpha Construction
Architect: KFA LLP
Located in the heart of Los Angeles at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Campus, VA Building 207 is a 59-unit housing building for formerly homeless Veterans over the age of 62. The project team led an extensive two-year adaptive rehabilitation process to convert a long neglected 1940s Spanish Revival building into a much-needed supportive residential community for Veterans.
Homeless Veterans over the age of 62 are extremely vulnerable, as they contend with the difficulties of advanced age, worsened by the traumas of homelessness and war. Several of the 59 units are explicitly reserved for Veterans with severe mental illness as well. The project team kept residents’ past traumas and health conditions under close consideration when designing and furnishing the building.
The double-height lobby entrance from Vandergrift Avenue is a bright and welcoming place for the residents of VA 207 and leads directly to the primary communal gathering spaces. The community room includes computer stations, a pool table, a TV viewing area, and a piano, as well as a communal kitchen.
INGRAM APARTMENTS
Developer: SRO Housing
GC: Westport, WPIC
Architect: KFA Architecture
Ingraham Apartments is designed as a modern interpretation of the historical mid-rise apartments that make up this urban neighborhood. Emphasizing vertical forms, accented with large, faceted, recessed windows, the design sensitively reflects the historical architecture.
Located in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, Ingraham Apartments, the seven-story, 121-unit permanent supportive housing project is now home to 120 formerly homeless and low-income individuals. The limited area of the site at 15,000 square feet of buildable area called for a design that maximizes the site’s density while incorporating greenspace for residents to enjoy. Upon entering the building, guests are greeted with a large lobby area, with adjacent support service offices and a resident community room.
HERITAGE GARDENS
Developer: Mercy Housing California
GC: United Building Company (UBC)
Architect: Studio One Eleven
In 2018, the City of Long Beach issued an RFP to develop affordable housing on a vacant lot, which would have accommodated only 30 homes. Mercy Housing California (MHC) purchased the adjacent lot, which had been underutilized.
MHC was able to develop a larger 68-home community atop 3,262 square feet of ground floor level community-serving commercial space with an extensive public art component. The completed development will deliver on the best possible use of this valuable land in downtown Long Beach, providing 33 apartments for low- income seniors, 16 apartments for seniors exiting homelessness and 18 apartments for senior veterans exiting homelessness.
