Architecture

Helios House

Located in Los Angeles at the intersection of Robertson and Olympic Boulevards, Helios House is a gas station situated on a site with a preexisting gas station built in the mid- 1970s. Architects upgraded the original station in an environmentally conscious manner and installed new materials that are sustainable and recyclable. Using architecture and design to reinvent the gas station experience, Helios House restores the fantasy and aspirations that gas station design once embodied.

Carver Apartments

The Carver Apartments, located beside an elevated freeway on the southern edge of downtown Los Angeles, have set an exemplary standard for affordable housing. Architects made the most of a confined lot, infused a block of small, single rooms with a strong identity, and invested in high-quality construction to reduce maintenance costs. The cylindrical form minimizes exposure to the freeway, and the angles orient windows away from the traffic while catching the flash of headlights passing by. In the new Carver Apartments, they’ve raised the bar and created a model of affordable housing.

The Frontier Project

The Frontier Project is a 14,000-square-foot demonstration building that showcases how sustainable design is economical, efficient, and inviting. Located in Rancho Cucamonga, the Frontier Project displays and utilizes sustainable innovations for Southern California living and working environments. The Frontier Project features a demonstration kitchen, living room/casual meeting space, photovoltaic solar array, a passive cooling system, reclaimed redwood from a local winery, an onsite water retention system, and California native plants and succulents. Homeowners, builders, and business owners can view these systems to learn how to incorporate them into their homes or businesses.