Formosa 1140 / By Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)

West Hollywood, California, United States
Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

Located in the heart of West Hollywood, this new eleven unit housing project emphasizes the central importance of shared open space for the residents and the community.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

Formosa takes what would be the internalized open space of the courtyard and moves it to the exterior of the building to create a park which occupies approximately one third (4,600 sf) of the project site.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

As a result of shifting the common open space to the exterior and pushing the building to one side, units are organized linearly allowing for ‘park frontage’ and cross-ventilation for every unit. External circulation is used as a buffer between public and private realms and articulated through layers of perforated metal and small openings.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

The careful placement of outer skin panels and inner skin fenestration creates a choreographed effect, both revealing and concealing, while achieving a unique expression of form and materials. The exterior skin also keeps west facing units cooler by acting as a screen and shading device.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

The provision of this park space resulted in a series of negotiations between Habitat Group Los Angeles, LLC (Developer), LOHA (Architect) and the City from which a unique, more fluid, model of community planning and development emerged to the benefit of all parties involved.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

The outcome of these negotiations is the leasing of the park to the City of West Hollywood, to develop as part of a network of pocket parks throughout the City. This effort also helped Habitat Group Los Angeles take advantage of certain incentives and zoning concessions for the proposed building.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

This project presents a challenging but influential opportunity in regards to the creation and inclusion of an urban park in a private development. The park is accessible to the public at large, not solely residents with granted permission.

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

Photo © Courtesy of Lawrence Anderson Photography

Formosa 1140 contains within its own genetic code the imprint of a larger urban design that will offer some kind of public space back to the city and in so doing, distribute a patchwork of parks across Los Angeles’s formidable grid.
Description from the Architects:

ground floor plan--drawing © Courtesy of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

second floor plan--drawing © Courtesy of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

third floor plan--drawing © Courtesy of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

section--drawing © Courtesy of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

green area diagram--drawing © Courtesy of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

sketch--drawing © Courtesy of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

Project Data
Project name: Formosa 1140
Location: West Hollywood, California, United States
Program: 4-storey, 11 unit multi family housing (approx. 1,500 sf per unit)
Size: 16,000 sf
Project year: 2008
Constructed Area: 1,486 sqm
Area per unit: 140 sqm aprox.
Total construction cost: $5 million

Completion: January 2009

The people

Owner: Richard Loring, President (Habitat Group Los Angeles, LLC)

Architects: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)
Principal-In-Charge: Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA
Project Manager: Katherine Williams

Project Team: Katherine Williams (PM), Kevin Tsai, Evan Brinkman, Kevin Southerland
Interior designer: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

Engineers: Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger, Engineering, Inc.

Landscape: Katie Spitz & Associates

General contractor: Archetype Inc.Photographs: © Lawrence Anderson Photography

The products
Structural system

Type V Wood Construction with Steel Moment Frame over Concrete Podium and Subterranean Garage

Exterior cladding
Metal/glass curtainwall: Metal Sales Corrugated Metal Siding
Wood: Stained Cedar Siding (Shiplap)

Roofing
Built-up roofing: Res-Com Built-Up Roof with Gravel
Roof Decks: Ipe Wood Decking

Windows
Aluminum: Metal Window Corporation and Milgard

Glazing
Glass: Dual-Pane Low-E

Doors
Metal doors: Metal Window Corporation
Sliding doors: Custom Interior Bathroom Sliding Wood Doors with P-95 Insert
Fire-control doors, security grilles: Custom Fabricated GarageDoor Gate
Special doors (sound control, X-ray, etc.): Mifab

Hardware
Locksets: Schlage/Ives/Metal Window Corp.
Pulls: K&B International, Inc.

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Thermafoil Cabinetry-Custom by K&B International, Inc.
Paints and stains: Frazee Paint
Floor and wall tile: Bathrooms – Atlas Concorde
Wood Flooring: Premier Flooring (FSC CERTIFIED Wood Flooring)

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting: Interior Cove Lighting: LED Rope Lighting
Downlights: Recessed Lighting – Intense Lighting
Exterior: Artemide and Prolighting

Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators: Otis Elevator

Plumbing
Toto Dual-Flush Toilets
Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters

Note>>Location in this map, It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

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