Category Archives: Projects

New Dana Strand

NEW DANA STRAND

Wilmington, CA

Client:

Mercy Housing of California

Lot size:

23 Acres

Units:

77 Single-Family
115 Attached Townhomes
120 Garden Apartments
100 Senior Apartments

Total Units:

412 Units

2008 PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Affordable Project Under 30 du/ac

A formerly failed public housing project is now a 100% affordable townhouse project with “defensible space” design techniques, such as front stoops and windows placed as “eyes on the street”, used to engage residents with their neighborhood while creating a sense of place and pride and helping avoid the patterns of isolation and decay of the former project. Individual entries, varied roof forms and color contrasts provide a sense of individuality to each home.

Included is a 10,000 sf. Life-Long Learning Center with community rooms, classrooms and recreation facilities, as well as a public park with sports fields.

Olen Corporate Headquarters

OLEN CORPORATE PARK

Irvine, CA

Client:

Olen Properties Corporation

Area:

56,200 sf

Leasing Offices:

14,150 sf

Parking:

4/1,000 Surface Parking

This 56,200 sf office building was designed to serve as the headquarters for local development company Olen Properties Corporation. Sited on Corporate Drive in the commercial heart of Irvine, CA the structure was envisioned to deliver an impressive impact on visitors.

The Owner felt that this particular project must meet two very important objectives. First, as a real estate company, the firm’s own building must make a definitive and unique architectural statement. And second, the structure must reflect the corporation’s dedication to reliable, durable construction.

Neo-classical and post-modernist in design, the building offers a majestic quality while the use of natural marble and granite serves to anchor it into the organic landscape. A dramatic two-story entry and marble lobby is appreciated by visitors, marking the building as a “Class A” office building.

Amenities include 4/1,000 surface parking, high-speed elevators, and a computerized energy management system.

Rodeo Drive Boutiques

Rodeo Drive Boutiques

Beverly Hills, CA

Client:

Multiple Owner Boutiques

Area:

10,000 sf

Tenants:

Torie Steele, Gianfranco Ferre, Krizia, Valentino, Donald Dliner, Inamori Jewlery, Jag Clothing, Lanvin, Right Bank Clothing & Restaurant, Beverly Hills Banks

Winner of the Los Angeles Chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIA) Award of Merit

The concept is one of several shops presented as discreet, yet connected places of business. Each shop has its own identity and its own designer line to present from within its own unique identifiable storefront. Customers enter through the doorways of one of five individual facades, and access to all of the shops is provided through an interior galleria. The result is a unified individuality which does not dominate or overwhelm the scale for the street.

Intimate features perpetuate the scale and character of the Rodeo Drive streetscape. Rusticated details reminiscent of the shops found on the Via della Spiga in Milan, Italy, can be found on the facades.

Torie Steele Boutiques is one of a series of nine boutiques designed by our firm on world- famous Rodeo Drive.

“Dignified and suitable street architecture.”
-Robert Stern, FAIA

“The approach is theatre and a very good direction for the whole streeet to take.”
-Bruce Graham, FAIA

San Diego Design Center

SAN DIEGO DESIGN CENTER – QUALCOMM OFFICE BUILDING

San Diego, CA

Client:

McKellar Development of La Jolla

Site Area:

13 Acres

Total Area:

350,000 sf

Parking:

690 Stalls

This project originated as the San Diego Design Center. The building was later purchased by QualComm and renamed. Situated upon an 11-acre suburban site, the building encompasses 350,000 square feet of office space.

Extending some 800 feet in length, the interior systems of streets, walkways, plazas and atriums cleverly accommodate a complex circulation pattern. The central hall, with its tower, plaza and walkways, serves to solidly anchor the building and the visitor’s experience of the building.

9920-9922 JEFFERSON

9920-9922 JEFFERSON

Culver City, CA

Client:

Abraxis Bioscience, LLC

Area:

55,509 sf – Building 1 / Existing
17,000 sf – Building 2 / New Construction

Total Lease Space

72,509 sf

Storage/Warehouse:

8,250 sf

Total Project Area:

80,759 sf

Parking:

213 Stalls

9920 Jefferson has provided Culver City, CA with much-needed ‘creative office space.’ Dating from 1962, this steel-framed, reinforced masonry manufacturing building has been renovated and designed for re-use as professional offices. VTBS provided Architectural Services to include the design for upgrades, alterations and improvements to the existing building, one element of which, involved removing areas of the second floor framing to allow a natural light atrium at the first floor level.

Taking advantage of the balance of the existing lot, VTBS has conceived a radiant new office building, designed to complement the existing structure yet vitalize the project with a modern image. The new building is four stories in height with a usable roof terrace and constructed with a cast-in-place concrete first floor with three steel frame floors above.

21515 Vanowen Street

21515 Vanowen Street Mixed-Use

Canoga Park, CA

Client:

Sandstone Properties

Total Area:

184,958 sf – 0.94 Acres

Residential:

146,686 sf

Open Space Area:

27,118 sf

Units:

184 Luxury Apartments

Parking:

240 Automobile Stalls

Density:

195 du/ac – 4.49 FAR

Status:

Design Development

This 0.9-acre site is currently occupied by an underperforming two-story, 1960’s office building with some on-site parking and one subterranean parking level.

The wide and shallow site is within the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan area, and is designed to be in full compliance.

The eight-story residential structure sits atop ground-floor leasing and amenity spaces and three above-grade parking levels. The building is H-shaped with podium courtyards facing north and south. The south-facing court is the active court with a pool, spa, and lounge; the north court has seating areas, BBQ’s and a fire pit.

The roof has two additional common areas; at the east end, a dog park and at the west end, a sunset enjoyment terrace. The units benefit from great city and mountain views and range in size from studios at 500 sf to 2-bedroom units at 1,070 sf.

655 Hope

655 HOPE

Downtown Los Angeles, CA

Client:

Seck Group, LLC

Lot Area:

22,000 sf

Total Area:

116,000 sf

Total Units:

80 Live/Work Condominiums

Parking:

84 Stalls

A 17-story office building in downtown Los Angeles is renewed as a Live/Work environment providing 80 condominiums within the top 11 floors, ground-floor retail and indoor parking. Rehabilitation work includes replacement of exterior walls, complete reconfiguration of all floors and interior upgrades including floor-to-ceiling windows and 11′-0″ foot ceilings in each unit. The roof-top star-gazer entertainment deck and helipad overlooks the panorama of Downtown Los Angeles.

Montecito Terraces

Montecito Terraces

Panorama City, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.

Site Area:

1.9 Acres

Residential Area:

81,000 sf

Units:

98 Senior Affordable Apartments

Unit Size:

528 sf – 771 sf

Density:

50 du/ac

Parking:

122 Subterranean Stalls

Replacing outdated apartments in Panorama City, CA with a new senior development covering two non-contiguous sites, Montecito Terraces provides 98 1-& 2-bedroom units for low-income seniors. Conceived as a Mediterranean-style design to complement the area’s historic architecture, the complex provides an architectural anchor for future upgrades to the neighborhood. The buildings are three levels of Type-V wood over Type-1 concrete with semi-subterranean parking. Montecito Terraces is the first project designed for AMCAL Multi-housing to receive LEED Gold Certification utilizing sustainable methods including diverting waste from landfills and recycling building materials, low-water use systems (irrigation and personal use), low-VOC paints and high-rated HVAC filters.

100% affordable, the project was financed with an allocation of 9% low-income Housing Tax Credits in 2009, conventional debt and public funds from the Proposition 1C Infill Infrastructure Grant fund, ARRA federal stimulus fund, Los Angeles Housing Dept., and Los Angeles CRA.

Olen Pointe

OLEN POINTE

Brea, CA

Client:

Olen Properties Corporation

Lot Area:

19 Acres

Site Area:

830,000 sf

Building Area:

Phase I – 320,000 sf
Phase II – 391,000 sf

Parking:

1,254 Parking Stalls in Structure
621 Parking Stalls on Site

A nearly 1,000,000 sf office park was designed for Olen Properties Corporation, a second collaboration with VTBS in the development of contemporary, elegant and functional commercial space. Filling the need for office space in the hub of the experienced labor bases of Orange County, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, the masterplan for the park called for two high-rise buildings, each offering 121,000 sf of office space, a mid-rise building offering 77,000 sf for commercial uses, two restaurants and a 180-room Marriott Garden Hotel.

Distinctive architecture was devised with granite building exteriors and energy-efficient solarban glass. Exterior plazas featuring cascading waterways, bronze sculptures and lush landscaping invite the tenants to enjoy outdoor breaks in their schedules.

A second phase of 14 acres is currently planned for an additional 391,000 sf of office space, 2 restaurants, and a six-screen theater complex.

St. James Parish Hall

ST. JAMES PARISH HALL

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

St. James Episcopal Church

Lot Size:

9,122 sf

Area:

15,504 sf

Status:

Dedicated, April 3, 1994

VTBS was entrusted with designing a modern yet historically respectful Parish Hall adjacent to the neo-Gothic St. James Episcopal Cathedral. The unreinforced masonry structure was condemned in the 1980’s due to seismic instability. The design intent was to create a building which would be timeless in appearance and complement the church.

Exhibiting a simple yet elegant design, the Parish Hall is an introverted building where the main hall opens up to the courtyard shared with the church. Skylights illuminate much of the interior space including the two-story congregational hall with an eye-catching beam-and-truss ceiling and striking two-story stained-glass window depicting the cross.

The structure provides space for a fully furnished library, meeting rooms, a food and clothing distribution center, child-care center and playground, parish administrative offices and a commercial kitchen. The large basement is dedicated to youth and scouting activities and also houses the St. James’ food pantry.

UCLA Southwest Campus Housing

UCLA SOUTHWEST CAMPUS HOUSING

Westwood Village, Los Angeles, CA

Client:

UCLA Capital Programs

Lot Size:

11.4 Acres

Units:

840 Apartments

A 15-acre sloping site accommodates 1,380 graduate students at the dense urban campus of UCLA. Seven buildings are served by existing streets as well as a network of new streets connecting the surrounding neighborhood. Each building has its own courtyard providing distinctive outdoor space defined by the architectural elements that enclose it.

Notable sustainable features incorporated into the design were, among others, the use of water-efficient plumbing fixtures, optimized energy performance exceeding California Title 24 requirements, an improved building ventilation system via open air corridors and breezeways, underground parking to minimize heat-island effects and the use of passive solar design, daylighting and natural ventilation.

New Dana Strand

NEW DANA STRAND

Wilmington, CA

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & MASTERPLAN

Client:

Mercy Housing of California

Lot Area:

23 Acres – 1,000,000 sf

Units:

116 Attached Townhomes

Total Units:

412 Units

Density:

18 du/ac

2008 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Affordable Project Under 30 du/ac

This 100% affordable townhouse project is part of a larger master plan developed by the firm which is to also include several other residential components serving households of various size, stage of life and income level.

Formerly a failed public housing project plagued by crime, gang activity and social problems, and at odds with the surrounding community, the approach to the replacement project was to knit the surrounding street pattern into the new development.

Three-story townhouses placed in traditional row house fashion line the streets. Direct-entry garages are alley accessed. “Defensible space” design techniques, such as front stoops, and windows placed as “eyes on the street”, are used to engage residents with their neighborhood, creating a sense of place and pride, and help avoid the patterns of isolation and decay of the former project.

Individual entries, varied roof forms and color contrasts provide a sense of individuality to each home; front yards with attractive landscaping, sidewalks and street trees provide an attractive residential setting.

Included in the project is a Life Long Learning Center with community rooms, classrooms and recreation facilities, as well as a public park with sports fields. These are placed at the center of the project and will also serve the apartments, senior housing and single family homes which will form the larger community.

Eva Varro Designs

Eva Varro Designs

Santa Monica, CA

Client:

Eva Varro Designs

Sales Area:

740 sf

Status:

Completed, August 2010

The renovation of the Santa Monica Place mall offered clothing designer, Eva Varro, the opportunity to showcase her boutique fashion. Located in the enviable position of one floor directly above Tiffany’s, overlooking the open courtyard of the mall, the design for the store needed to respond to the elegant up-scale surrounding businesses and yet provide a current and contemporary storefront to attract a large economic range of shoppers. VTBS provided full interior and exterior architectural services including floor design, dressing rooms, display opportunities, paint and textile selection and storefront facade.

Rubix Hollywood

Rubix Hollywood

Hollywood, CA

Client:

Wood Partners

Lot Area:

2 Acres – 87,000 sf

Area:

200,000 sf Residential

Units:

218 Rental Apartments

Density:

109 du/ac – 2.3 FAR

Parking:

213,000 sf – 627 Stalls

At the heart of Hollywood near a Metro station, Rubix Hollywood transitions between twin adjacencies – a bustling commercial district and quiet residential neighborhood. Formerly a parking lot, the project provides 209 replacement parking stalls for neighboring businesses while assigned tenant parking for the complex is protected through a controlled-entry gate with remote access.

Three buildings enhanced with vibrant and varying color palettes accommodate program density in four floors, arranged around a series of linked courtyards, framing views, and optimizing daylight access and engaging perimeter streets. The sloped site is used to create varied conditions of sidewalk-to-building relationship.

Holly Street Village

Holly Street Village

Pasadena, CA

Client:

Janss Corporation & The Pasadena RDA

Area:

4.5 Acres

Units:

374 Rental Units

Residential:

333,000 sf

Retail:

11,000 sf

Total Area:

344,000 sf

Density:

1.8 FAR – 85 du/ac

1994 Gold Nugget Grand Award
Best Apartment Project Four or More Stories
1994 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Mixed-Use Project
1995 L.A. Business Council Urban Beautification Award
Best Mixed-Use

This development is a paradigm for mixed-use development in Southern California. Comprised of a light-rail station, retail, affordable housing and restaurant space with sidewalk café-style dining, this urban village contains 374 rental apartments (20% dedicated to lower income families), including unfinished ‘artist loft’ units in the adaptively reused and restored Hall of Justice Building. Additionally, the project includes the reuse and restoration of the historically significant YMCA Building, which now houses 120 single-room occupancy units. In order to maximize the available site area, the adjacent railroad right-of-way was covered in long-span construction; and units were built directly over the train tracks. Within the garage is a dedicated ‘shell’ for the MetroRail Blue Line Train Station, linking this area to downtown Los Angeles

New Dana Strand

NEW DANA STRAND

Wilmington, CA

AFFORDABLE HOUSING & MASTERPLAN

Client:

Mercy Housing of California

Lot size:

23 Acres

Density:

5.04 du/ac

Units:

77 Single-Family
115 Attached Townhomes
120 Garden Apartments
100 Senior Apartments

Total Units:

412 Units

Status:

Completed, 2008

A formerly failed public housing project is now a 100% affordable townhouse project with “defensible space” design techniques, such as front stoops and windows placed as “eyes on the street”, used to engage residents with their neighborhood while creating a sense of place and pride and helping avoid the patterns of isolation and decay of the former project. Individual entries, varied roof forms and color contrasts provide a sense of individuality to each home. Included is a 10,000 sf. Life-Long Learning Center with community rooms, classrooms and recreation facilities, as well as a public park with sports fields.

LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER

Client:

Mercy Housing California

Area:

10,000 sf Community Building

Status:

Completed, 2008

2008 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Affordable Project Under 30 du/ac.

This 10,000 sf community building is part of the New Dana Strand Master Plan, the redevelopment of a 22-acre former public housing project for nonprofit developer Mercy Housing California. Building program includes a gymnasium/performance space, classrooms, exhibition space, computer lab, offices and conference rooms.

The facility serves the entire Dana Strand community with after-school programs, parenting classes, and indoor/outdoor recreational space. The operator is the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles.

Montecito Terraces

Montecito Terraces

Panorama City, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.

Site Area:

1.9 Acres

Residential Area:

80,835 sf

Units:

98 Senior Affordable Apartments

Unit Size:

528 sf – 771 sf

Density:

50 du/ac

Parking:

122 Subterranean Stalls

Sustainability:

LEED Gold Certification

Replacing outdated apartments in Panorama City, CA with a new senior development covering two non-contiguous sites, Montecito Terraces provides 98 1-& 2-bedroom units for low-income seniors. Conceived as a Mediterranean-style design to complement the area’s historic architecture, the complex provides an architectural anchor for future upgrades to the neighborhood. The buildings are three levels of Type-V wood over Type-1 concrete with semi-subterranean parking. Montecito Terraces is the first project designed for AMCAL Multi-housing to receive LEED Gold Certification utilizing sustainable methods including diverting waste from landfills and recycling building materials, low-water use systems (irrigation and personal use), low-VOC paints and high-rated HVAC filters.

100% affordable, the project was financed with an allocation of 9% low-income Housing Tax Credits in 2009, conventional debt and public funds from the Proposition 1C Infill Infrastructure Grant fund, ARRA federal stimulus fund, Los Angeles Housing Dept., and Los Angeles CRA.

1207 4th Street

1207 4th Street

Santa Monica, CA

Client:

Johannes Van Tilburg, FAIA

Site Area:

7,500 sf

Building Area:

26,000 sf

Units:

1st Floor: Retail
2nd-4th Floors: Office
Penthouse: 3 Live/Work Suites

Density:

3.5 FAR

Winner of the 2000 Gold Nugget Award of Merit for Best Mixed-Use Project, the innovative design of this unique building is a true blend of 3 mediums; Commercial, Retail and Residential (Live/Work). Located in the heart of Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade District, the building led the way for high-density design in a tightly-woven neighborhood. Retail businesses occupy the 1st floor, while the 2nd, 3rd & 4th floors are comprised of offices with individual suites ranging from 2,500sf to 6,300sf. Topping off the the building are 3 penthouse suites offering 800-2,040 sf live/work residences with commanding Pacific Ocean views from large terraces.

Latitude 33 – Sky Tower

LATITUDE 33 – SKY TOWER

Marina Del Rey, CA

Client:

Lennar & Sunbrook Partners

Lot Area:

.58 Acres

Building Area:

101,000 sf

Units:

45 Tower Condos

Unit Sizes:

1,278 to 3,140 sf

Parking:

302 Stalls

Density:

77.6 du/ac

2012 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Adaptive Re-Use Project

This adaptive re-use project includes the demolition of all structures occupying the site, with the exception of the nine-story office tower located at the northeast corner of the site. Work included structural upgrades as well as replacement of the exterior curtain wall and window system.

The tower’s ground floor now accommodates a porte cochere entry and guest parking, lobby with concierge services, gym and luxury amenities, as well as retail space lining Washington Boulevard, one block from Venice Beach. Parking capacity was increased with a new adjacent structure whose roof became the podium for a stacked townhouse project.

Forty-five flats occupy levels 2 through 9 of the tower: four penthouses at each of the top levels, six units per floor in the middle stories, and nine including designated affordable units on the second floor. Over 70% are corner units and the spectacular views are fully delivered by a new curtain wall which provides floor-to ceiling windows, drawing in the coastal milieu and sea breezes. Unit plans emphasize large rooms, informal layouts with open kitchens and dens. Hallways are generally omitted, or widened to furnishable proportion.

Gemini I & II

GEMINI TWIN TOWERS

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Client:

Van Vlymen Vastgoed B.V.

Twin Towers:

18 Stories

Tower One:

12,000 M2 – (130,000 sf)

Tower Two:

12,000 M2 – (130,000 sf)

This 20-story tower, Gemini II, was designed by VTBS Architects to complement the existing Gemini I Tower designed by Van Tilburg en Partners in Rotterdam. Twin brothers Arie Van Tilburg and Johannes Van Tilburg, FAIA each own architectural firms respectively in The Netherlands and the United States. The building is constructed with pre-fabricated concrete panels and installed with electrical and air conditioning systems in place. Exterior granite and window frames are an integral part of these pre-fabricated panels. After installation, the panels are connected with post-tension cables. Parking is housed in a 2-level pre-cast concrete parking structure at 2.5 stalls per 1,000 sf.

“It was great pleasure to invite my brother Johannes to design the second Gemini tower next to mine in Rotterdam. It had been thrity years since we last work together. The client, Van Vlymen Vastgoed B.V., was excited about our combined effort on their behalf.”
– Arie Van Tilburg, Architect, BNA
Rotterdam, The Netherlands