Category Archives: Projects

NoHo Lofts

NoHo Lofts

North Hollywood, CA

Client:

JH Snyder Company

Lot Area:

4 Acres – 175,000 sf

Total Area:

284,000 sf

Units:

292 Loft & Live/Work Apartments

Unit Sizes:

530 sf to 830 sf

Density:

73 du/ac – 1.53 FAR

Parking:

760 Residential & Retail Stalls

2007 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Live/Work Project

2007 Builder’s Choice Design & Planning Merit Award
Best Loft Design

Home to the NOHO Arts District, the Academy of Arts and Sciences and the North Hollywood Metro Station and Transit Center, NOHO Lofts is a component of VTBS-designed NOHO Commons, the revitalization of an historic performing arts district in North Hollywood in a public-private partnership with the CRA/LA.

A mixed-use, transit-oriented project, NOHO Lofts is three stories of loft-style units arranged around a 130’ by 300’ courtyard with swimming pool and gardens. Individual units are accessed from covered outdoor corridors and bridges over courts, creating a breezy feel and offering the opportunity for rear windows and cross ventilation in many units.

Fourteen street-accessed live-work storefront units line the south side of the 360-car ground floor garage which serves a retail center at the west side of the site. There are 400 parking spaces for residents and guests below grade.

The project features a contemporary design highlighted with concrete block with different colors and textures, and tall large-scale window openings for the high-ceiling loft-style units. Projecting window bays, varied plaster colors, upper level balconies, bracket-supported eaves, and unique features such as a corner window “lantern” extending above roof level, also provide visual interest.

Latitude 33

Latitude 33

Marina Del Rey, CA

Client:

Lennar, Sunbrook Partners & Standard Pacific

Lot Area:

3.5 Acres

Units:

45 Tower Condos
27 3-Story Lofts
50 Townhomes

2012 Gold Nugget GRAND AWARD
Best Multi-Family Housing Project

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 along 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 Sky Collection 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.

Airport Center Marketplace

AIRPORT CENTER MARKETPLACE

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

HP Drollinger Company Shopping Center

Lot Size:

6.02 Acres

Area:

86,045 sf

Ralphs Market:

52,000 sf

Retail Remodel:

26,000 sf

Office Remodel:

10,000 sf

New Retail:

10,000 sf

Parking:

400 Stalls

Airport Center Marketplace serves as the center of the Westchester Central Business Redevelopment effort known as Westchester Village. As the first significant construction project in the Village in 30 years, it now houses some of the district’s first-tier food service and retail companies such as Ralphs Supermarket, Starbucks Coffee and the Boston Market Restaurant. The overall planning effort of the Airport Center Marketplace centers on improving and maximizing commercial and retail visibility, integrating pedestrian connections, and improving vehicular circulation and parking layout. 10,000 sf of new retail space was added in addition to the new market. As a result, the success of the Airport Center Marketplace has contributed to the expansion and growth of local business developments and housing market making Westchester a more viable community.

Cornerstone Residences @ St. Francis

CORNERSTONE RESIDENCES AT ST. FRANCIS CENTER

Denver, CO

Owners:

St. Francis Center,
Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corporation & Key Bank Community Development Corp.

Area:

51,000 sf

Units:

10 furnished Studio Apts.
40 furnished 1-Bedroom Apts.

VTBS Architects was selected to design a new 5-story residence for the chronically homeless in the Curtis Park neighborhood of Denver. This ‘transitional lifestyle’ building offers individuals and families a place to stabilize their lives prior to moving to independent housing. The main level houses the support and common areas to foster a sense of community and assistance. This includes a community room, TV and fitness rooms, an employment center, clinic and a case manager’s office. Subterranean parking and a rooftop garden terrace offer building support spaces.

Conscious use of sustainable basics from finishes through systems was a priority which included low-emissivity glazing, increased insulation, sun shade devices, operable windows, dual-flush toilets, ENERGY STAR appliances, eco-green elevators, sustainable and recycled materials, composite decking, white roofing and motion sensors on the lighting.

“What makes the Cornerstone Residences at St. Francis unique is its supportive service model in relationship to its design. It’s not just a building; it’s a model for designing affordable housing that serves the homeless while integrating green and sustainable construction solutions.”
-Joyce Alms-Ransford, Executive Director
Rocky Mountain Housing Development Corporation, Inc.

Grand Towers

Grand Towers

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

Alameda Group and Meruelo/Maddux Development

Tower One:

44 stories

Retail:

15,000 sf

Residential Condominiums:

432,000 sf

Total:

447,000 sf

Centered in Downtown Los Angeles, these towers proudly join the dramatic and world-renowned Los Angeles skyline. The towers stand on-grade with an abutting parking structure which serves several residential towers.

VTBS collaborated with Richard Keating, FAIA on the project.

Summit on Sixth

The Summit on Sixth

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

Apollo Real Estate

Lot Area:

1.8 AC-78,000 sf

Retail:

23,000 sf

Residential:

209,000 sf

Units:

82 Luxury Condominiums

Density:

45.8 du/ac

2010 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Adaptive Re-use Project

The adaptive reuse of a vacant 1960s office tower provides ninety-six condominium flats, as well as ground floor retail, a block from a Metro subway station in a revitalizing neighborhood west of downtown Los Angeles.

The deep floor plate of the lower five levels accommodates one-bedroom units with high ceilings and generous dens near their entries. These levels are expressed with balconies and individual windows set deep into thick walls, relating to the predominantly lower-scale surrounding urban fabric, while a new curtain wall, relating to the sky, encloses the stepped-back, slender upper story tower. Here, wider two-bedroom units with bedrooms on both sides of living-rooms, and generous terraces, are accommodated in the shallower floor plate.

An existing garage under the building, extending to a partly-subterranean three-level structure north of the tower, accommodates resident and retail parking. Along a side street, planters screen the above-ground garage, whose low massing ensures preservation of spectacular Hollywood Hills views for north-facing units.

A gym and lounge for residents are tucked under first floor retail. The building was upgraded for accessibility, seismic, life safety and energy performance.

Clairidge

CLAIRIDGE

Calabasas, CA

Client:

Multiple Owners

Lot Area:

5 Acres – 22,000 sf

1994 Elan Award of Merit
Best Architectural Design Luxury Home

This single-family development features luxury homes that range from 3,900 to 4,600 sf on half-acre lots. Individual floor plans feature grand staircase entrances and foyers, sunken living rooms, volume ceilings and large master suites. Exteriors feature deeply recessed windows and large overhangs.

Castelar Senior Housing

CASTELAR

Los Angeles, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multihousing, Inc.

Area:

1.07 Acres

Density:

95.3 du/ac

Units:

120 Units

Parking:

120 Stalls

A 101-unit affordable family housing project in Downtown Los Angeles, Castelar is an urban in-fill project at the edge of Chinatown, helping define the gateway into this unique neighborhood. The project was financed with 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, conventional debt and $525,000 from LAHD and developed in coordination with the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and the Chinatown Development and Design Advisory.

In 2004, Castelar was named “Best Affordable Housing Development in Downtown LA” by the Downtown News.

Jefferson @ Hollywood

Jefferson @ Hollywood

Hollywood, CA

Client:

JPI California Development

Area:

2.8 Acres

Units:

270 units

Retail:

8,500 sf ground-floor retail

Density:

123 du/ac

Completed:

Occupied July 2010

Occupying half a city block near an iconic intersection (and Metro subway station) in Hollywood, a new 6-story building provides 270 apartments and live-work units, 8,500sf of retail space and parking for building occupants as well as replacement parking for commercial neighbors.

Studio- one- and two-bedroom apartments are accommodated on five floors of Type-III wood-frame construction over a concrete podium, with ground floor parking contained within a perimeter of retail shops and live-work units. Three additional subterranean parking levels accommodate a total of 757 stalls.

Being an urban project with streets or alleys on four sides, the building’s street wall is highly three-dimensional and articulated, and its expression responds to the diverse context.

A tower element with a flight of balconies rising above roof level to a ziggurat crown evokes the historic art deco office towers of nearby Hollywood Boulevard, and marks the building’s main entrance and leasing office.

The curve of a busy thoroughfare at the northwest corner is marked by a deconstructed, billboard-wrapped drum – a modern, sculptural element reflecting the motion of the street and acting as a beacon welcoming visitors to Hollywood. Retail shops and live-work units line the three adjacent streets.

In the central courtyard, upper level bridges, views to streets, trees and plantings combine to provide a series of outdoor rooms. A south-facing suite of resident facilities opens to the swimming pool with spa, firepit, sunning decks and cabanas.

Montecito Terraces

Montecito Terraces

Panorama City, CA

Client:

AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.

Site Area:

1.9 Acres

Residential Area:

80,835 sf

Units:

98 Apartments

Replacing outdated apartments with a new senior development covering two non-contiguous sites, 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.

NoHo Commons Masterplan

NoHo Commons Masterplan

North Hollywood, CA

Client:

JH Snyder Company

Lot area:

23 Acres

Total Area:

1.2 Million sf

Status:

Occupied, 2007 & 2008

NOHO Lofts

Client:

JH Snyder Company

Area:

4 Acres

Density:

73 du/ac

Units:

292 Loft Apartments

2007 Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Live/Work Project
2007 Builder’s Choice Design & Planning Merit Award
Best Loft Design

NOHO Gallery

Client:

Fairfield Residential, LLC

Area:

6.58 Acres

Density:

67 du/ac

Units:

438 Apartments

Home to the NoHo Arts District, the Academy of Arts and Sciences and the North Hollywood Metro Station and Transit Center, NoHo Commons is the revitalization of an historical performing arts district in North Hollywood, California in a public-private partnership with the CRA/LA. A transit-oriented development adjacent to one of the largest transportation hubs in the San Fernando Valley, pedestrian engaging paseos, boulevards and plazas define this renewed urban village with mixed-use developments of new housing, neighborhood-serving retail, office space and entertainment destinations. Phase I contains 438 units of housing, Phase II offers 292 units of lofts and live/work and 60,000 of retail space and Phase III will be completed with an entertainment center and class A office space.

One Rodeo Boutiques

One Rodeo

Beverly Hills, CA

Client:

The Stitzel Company

Area:

12,500 SF

Contractor:

Peck/Jones Construction

Located at the prestigious intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, the One Rodeo Drive complex ascends as the gateway structure to the “golden triangle” shopping district of Beverly Hills.

Originally designed as a collection of various-sized, multi-leveled boutiques intended to give each tenant a separate façade identity while maintaining a continuity in regard to the project as a whole, One Rodeo is situated across the street from the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel and adjacent to the individual shops of Rodeo Drive. The innovative structure is currently occupied by the fashion house of world-renowned designer Fendi.

The building incorporates a Neo-Palladian design theme to blend the massive scale of its Wilshire Boulevard neighbors with the humanly-scaled, pedestrian environment of Rodeo Drive, all within this single 12,500 square foot, multifaceted structure.

2121 Wilshire Medical Building

2121 Wilshire Medical Building

Santa Monica, CA

Client:

DKOBY Enterprises

Site Area:

15,300 sf

Building Area:

30,000 sf

Office:

24,500 sf

Retail:

5,400 sf

Parking:

120 Stalls

Density:

2 FAR

1995 PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit
Best Office/Professional Building Under 90,000 sf

Located on densely-traveled Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, CA, the building is adjacent to a residential neighborhood which presented an opportunity to create a design that would enhance the urban context – yet be sympathetic to the residential community. The design takes advantage of the corner lot by creating a visual impact with cantilevered and terraced floor levels, in conjunction with glazed vertical elements. The exterior finishes and colors were designed to capture the attention of the passer-by, while remaining unobtrusive to the occupants.

CASA CUSENZA

CASA CUSENZA

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Area:

2.5 Acres Beachfront Property

Status:

Completed, 2005

“Nature was the catalyst for design, form and function. From the moment I set foot on the site, three monumental higuera trees, towering well over 50 ft above the jungle floor, became my focal point. Articulating design elements of glass, stone, and concrete beneath their protective canopy evolved into what is now Casa Cusenza.”
-Peter J. Petraglia
Project Architect, VTBS Architects

Augustine Bowers

AUGUSTINE BOWERS

Santa Clara, CA

Four, High-Rise Office & Retail Buildings

Lot Area:

31 Acres

Office Space:

1,029,600 sf

Retail:

35,000 sf

Total Building Area:

2, 004,600 sf

Density:

1.5 FAR

Status:

Sited in the heart of the Silicon Valley of Northern California, Augustine Bowers is designed as an office campus comprised of 4 high-rise office and retail buildings amidst a network of open park and public gathering areas. Designed as the Gateway to Santa Clara, Augustine Bowers includes 35,000 square feet of retail servicing the surrounding neighborhood as well as the commercial occupants.

New Dana Strand Lifelong Learning Center

NEW DANA STRAND LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER

Wilmington, CA

Client:

Mercy Housing California

Area:

10,000 sf Community Building

2008 PCBC 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. The program includes a gymnasium/performance space, classrooms, exhibition space, computer lab, offices and conference room. 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.

Pico & Veteran Senior Housing

Pico & Veteran Senior Housing

Zev Yaroslavsky Apartments
Los Angeles, CA

Client:

Menorah Housing Foundation

Lot Area:

0.68 Acres

Building Area:

30,000 sf

Units:

46 Apartments

Parking:

36 Residential & Commercial

Stakeholders:

US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
County of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Housing Department

2012 Gold Nugget GRAND AWARD
Best Senior Affordable Housing Project

Formerly the Department of Public Social Services for West Los Angeles, the 20-year vacant building was a magnet for weeds, graffiti and vagrants. Named after LA County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky (one of the project’s champions), the project provides 45 1-bedroom affordable senior apartments and one 2-bedroom Manager’s unit within a 2-story wood-framed building over an at-grade concrete parking structure. The Owner, Menorah Housing Foundation chose to establish their new Headquarters in the ground floor commercial office space.

One challenge of the project was to protect and incorporate the established ficus trees that shade the sidewalk fronting the structure on Pico Boulevard.

Cedarbrook – Peridot @ Niles

CEDARBROOK – PERIDOT @NILES

Fremont, CA

Client:

Regis Homes of Northern CA

Lot Area:

3.81 Acres

Units:

27 Single Family Homes

Density:

7 du/ac

Cedarbrook is a 27-home infill development located in the Niles Historical District of Fremont, California. While maximizing the allowable density and conforming to the unique shape of the site, the project offers five different floor plans that range in size from 1,650 to 2,400 sf in variant architectural styles. Rich and inviting landscaping enhances this financially viable development of distinctly styled homes making it an asset to the existing neighborhood.

Eastown – BLVD6200

Eastown – BLVD6200

Hollywood, CA

Client:

Clarett West

Site Area:

7.3 Acres

Building Area:

1.13 Million sf

Retail / Restaurant:

163,000 sf

Density:

3.6 FAR – 140 du/ac

Units:

1,027 Apartments & 38 Live/Work

Parking:

2,696 Stalls

Status:

Phase I Completed 2014
Phase II – Under

The Eastown & BLVD6200 Project is a 1.13 million square foot mixed-use development that spans both sides of Hollywood Blvd. A large-scale sustainable project that harmoniously integrates rental housing, affordable housing, public open space, street level live-work units, neighborhood-serving retail, and parking comprised of approximately 2,696 spaces of subterranean and above-grade parking to accommodate the residential tenants and guests, the retail users, and the adjacent Pantages Theater patrons.

Sited across from the Los Angeles Metro Red Line Station, the community provides visitors, residents and customers the opportunity for either on-site parking or transit accessibility.

Casey’s Pond

CASEY’S POND

Steamboat Springs, CO

Client/Owner:

Yampa Valley Medical Center

Operator:

Pearl Senior Living

Lot Area:

121, 293 sf

Units:

54 Skilled Nursing
26 Memory Care
30 Assisted Living
34 Independent Living

VTBS Architects has designed a new tri-level continuum of care facility with a dramatic view of Steamboat Ski Mountain to the east, Casey’s Pond to the west and bordered on the south by Burgess Creek. The design represents mountain architecture and utilizes the existing water features by integrating them into the site design.

The three progressive levels of care and independent living allow for multiple living arrangements. More independent retirees may stay in their own units while a loved one is helped in another area, and where they can be a part of each other’s daily activities without having to exit the complex and experience the extreme climate conditions of Colorado. Memory care, located on the second level, involves an outdoor garden area protected from the elements to facilitate year-round use in a safe and secure environment.

Within the skilled nursing component VTBS created three ‘neighborhoods’ to reduce the impersonal and negative impact of large dining halls and to allow for more intimate fellowship among the inhabitants, assisting in socialization and encouraging multiple activities. Residents may enjoy a meal in other neighborhoods or partake in the meal preparation activities if they choose. Residents are offered a multitude of dining experiences from formal dining to casual outdoor fare.