PROJECTS Archives

UC San Diego Main Gymnasium + Natatorium

October 18, 2022/in Education, Wellness, On the Boards/by Jeffrey Morris

JFAK is in the first phases of designing a complete renovation of UCSD’s Main Gym and Natatorium to update it for new contemporary fitness and athletics uses, as well as for a new generation of students and users. Originally completed in 1968, the buildings are excellent examples of mid-century modern architecture, and a portion of the buildings’ façade is historically protected. The project will include approximately 65,000 SF of renovation, restoration, and seismic retrofit, and an approximately 15,000 SF addition. The project will comprise a full seismic retrofit of both buildings. It is intended to be certified LEED Silver at minimum. We’re excited to be working with the UCSD community to breathe new life into this pair of iconic buildings.

Iovine & Young Center Phase 1

October 18, 2022/in Education/by Jeffrey Morris

The Iovine Young Center (IYC) is a progressive high school that will be located at the Audubon Middle School campus in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles. JFAK will work in collaboration with Iovine and Young Academy (IYA), the groundbreaking educational startup housed at USC and founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, as well as its partner Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). IYC’s programming will be modeled on that of IYA, which combines design and the arts; engineering and computer science; business and venture management; and communication. Music and digital production; exploration of AI; applied design research; and immersive, hands-on makerspace/lab work will be actively on display. Core high school subjects will form the spine of the IYC curriculum. JFAK is engaged in two parallel tasks: renovation of two existing buildings to provide 14 inaugural classrooms and support spaces which finished September 2022 (Phase 1), and a longer master planning, design, and construction pathway that will culminate in the realization of IYC’s new, permanent home (Phase 2).

Palmdale SAVES Navigation Center

March 24, 2022/in Civic and Institutional, Residential, On the Boards/by Jeffrey Morris

Situated in an area of the City of Palmdale planned to undergo higher-density, pedestrian-friendly development centered on a forthcoming California High Speed Rail station, the proposed 58,000 SF Palmdale SAVES Navigation Center will provide vital preventative services to those at risk of becoming homeless, as well as assist currently unhoused individuals and families by providing temporary emergency shelter. In particular, the facility will host a large new food pantry at street level that expands upon an existing food bank operated by South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES). Above, two levels of interim housing will provide the critical shelter component.

Consulting closely with housing and service providers within the Antelope Valley and across the country, and building upon the organizational framework of SAVES’ existing food pantry, JFAK empowered the new facility to serve widely varying needs of distinct demographics by, first, designing each floor to operate self-sufficiently, and second, incorporating adaptability into the spatial organization of each floor. Larger spaces are left open to allow for multiple functions to be handled within, and services are grouped together in central locations to allow all other activities to flow freely around them. This balance between fluidity and separation fosters flexibility for operators of the various on-site services.

The careful attention to functionality as well as adaptability, within a sculptural, iconic design that presents an optimistic face to the City, addresses the pressing needs of the community while acknowledging the dramatic urban transformation of which it is a critical part. The project embodies Palmdale’s commitment to ensuring that its evolving urban core is accessible and welcoming to all.

NAVIG8 – Council District 8 Homeless Navigation Center

August 30, 2021/in PROJECTS, Wellness, Civic and Institutional/by Jeffrey Morris

Located in an underserved neighborhood in South LA, this 5,700 SF public facility provides much-needed services for the unhoused, including: Personal Storage in secure, mobile bins; Personal Hygiene (showers and toilets); and informal Counseling. In order to speed construction, reduce waste, mitigate pollution, and create an affordable, replicable prototype, the building was constructed of prefabricated modules assembled on-site.

Notably, the structure dignifies homelessness with an iconic, civic-scaled design that has a strong street presence. Rather than hide away, it stands out and welcomes our family, friends, and neighbors in need of assistance. It acknowledges the power of architecture to destigmatize and to celebrate our common humanity; it is an uplifting addition to LA’s constructed public landscape. The iconic gable “house” form alludes to the homelike services provided here, while the same form used upside-down suggests that home can be anyplace; home is where one makes it.

CIVIC

August 4, 2021/in Civic and Institutional, Residential, On the Boards/by Jeffrey Morris

CIVIC reimagines the West LA Civic Center (WLACC), which currently houses an abandoned courthouse, outdated senior center, underutilized central plaza, and functioning library and municipal office building. The design transforms WLACC into a vibrant new mixed-use hub of residential, civic, and commercial life – and suggests what thoughtfully-designed urban living in Los Angeles might offer in the near future.

CIVIC celebrates WLACC’s mid-century modern character through balanced but dynamic and widely varied massing that responds sensitively to the surrounding context. Its overall density is moderate, but its variation allows the accommodation of increased numbers of residents and types of uses. Importantly, the corner of Corinth Ave and Santa Monica Blvd becomes a new welcome point, drawing pedestrians and visitors using mass transit into a dynamic necklace of connected and inclusive public spaces that come together to form a new “Town Square.” Taller, higher-density buildings are located along Santa Monica Blvd. Lower-density townhouses line Iowa Avenue at the south. The park and plazas of the Town Square are bordered by retail, existing library, and relocated bandstand, and are anchored at the northeast entry by a vibrant new senior center.

CIVIC’s architectural expression celebrates heterogeneity as a defining characteristic of our richly diverse and vibrant metropolis. The market-rate housing helps to subsidize the affordable and senior housing. The project, with its distributed varieties of housing and amenities, welcomes all ages, incomes, and races – and eschews privatized living in favor of interaction and community.

Cumulus at The Sunset

January 25, 2021/in Civic and Institutional, Commercial, On the Boards/by Jeffrey Morris

Cumulus suggests dynamic new possibilities for urban signage within the framework of The Sunset, a re-visioned, pedestrian-oriented retail and wellness development at Sunset Plaza. Cumulus takes the place of three existing static signage elements on The Sunset property that will be demolished, and is a sculptural steel structure holding two new static signs positioned for maximum visibility from cars traveling both east and west along Sunset Blvd. Cumulus establishes a striking silhouette in the skyline of West Hollywood and acts as a gateway connecting the contrasting physical landscapes of the City; ground with sky; and the immediacy of the pedestrian experience with the more distant, 35-mile-per-hour view. It is a technological garden in the sky.

Cumulus is placed atop The Sunset’s easternmost building. Approximately one-third of its overall surface area is planted; the remaining convex surfaces are painted to replicate nature. The two static signs are pressed into the richly three-dimensional volumes of the frame, and the concave indents that surround the signs are rendered white to offer up the highest possible contrast between billboards and frame, image and context.

Through both its form and its greenness, the frame advances the City of West Hollywood’s and The Sunset’s common mission to advance pedestrianism, connectivity, and human-centeredness – ingredients that make up a uniquely urban sustainability. As a “cloud”, it also refers to our ubiquitous information cloud. But while information technology has its pitfalls, Cumulus uses it to humanize our world by providing a whimsical spectacle to be marveled at, one that provokes wonder and perhaps even joy. Cumulus also enhances the often alienating automobile experience to be richer and more surprising.

Cumulus, in reframing the billboard atop The Sunset, defines a familiar terrain anew.

Listen In

October 29, 2020/in PROJECTS, Civic and Institutional/by Jeffrey Morris

Listen In is a public sound art installation spearheaded by United Way of Greater Los Angeles that expresses, through a dynamic interaction of space, material, and sound, the mission of its “Everyone In” campaign to end homelessness. Listen In asks that all individuals take a moment to listen, reflect, and become engaged in shaping a brighter future for our City – a future in which every person has a roof over his, her, or their head; a future in which affordable housing is available and accessible to all.

Listen In is comprised of 19 self-supporting steel tube tripod structures, each framing 6 suspended wind chimes, that can be arrayed in an infinite number of patterns at any site in Los Angeles. The 114 individual chimes sound out 10 different notes and can be activated by wind, manually at random, or by musicians performing in concert. With a multitude of colors, tones, and lengths – but always organized within the protective frame of a tripod – the chimes represent the singularity and complexity of human beings in society. While the importance of the individual voice is celebrated, so too is the need to join together, to ignite the power of the collective.

Irolo Senior Housing

October 29, 2020/in Residential/by Jeffrey Morris

Housing the Elderly: Located at a busy intersection in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, this mixed-use project contains 6,000 square feet of commercial space and forty-seven units for low-income seniors to live in a safe, dignified environment. Involving the weaving together of an existing three-story brick structure with a new five-story component directly behind it, the project was built for $78 per square foot.

Chaotic Context: Taking cues from the ad hoc context of warehouses, billboards, and traffic lights, the project combines a strong, sculptural form with sensitive articulation that addresses its smaller neighbors. The new and existing structures are mediated by a shared circulation tower and an adjacent slot of space that allows residents to view the street life below.

Safe Haven: Located with security in mind, a central courtyard sits on the second floor of the project, above ground level parking, the manager’s office, and a lobby. Serving as the communal heart of the project, this courtyard includes a community room and laundry facilities. The project is punctuated by many other spaces that encourage the residents to interact with each other, including widened walkway areas and a peaceful roof terrace with framed views of the surrounding city.

Color: The strong massing of the project is tempered by the playful use of color. These colors are derived from a palette known in Korea as Danchung, which features the oranges, reds, blues, and greens found in traditional temple painting and decoration.

Hale-Morris-Lewis Senior Housing

October 29, 2020/in PROJECTS, Residential/by Jeffrey Morris

Vision: In 1992, Dr. Barbara Lewis, the current head of the Women’s Congregation of the New Antioch Church of God in Christ, had a vision: God came to her and said that she must build a home where the low-income elderly of her community could live out their lives safely and peacefully. Hale-Morris-Lewis Manor (HML) is the result of this vision.

Oasis: Located in South Los Angeles, less than half a mile from where the 1992 riots started on a street known as “Blood Alley,” the clean lines and white facades of this 33,000 square foot housing project were designed to counter this negative image. On two sides of a shallow “U” shape, 41light-filled units surround a centralized garden. The third wing, separated from the first two by a spatially dynamic lobby, contains two connected community rooms, one of which serves informally as a chapel.

Paradise: In order to allow the project’s residents to reconnect with a safe, protected environment, the project’s public spaces open directly onto the garden. A covered patio directly outside the lobby includes a large palm tree reaching up to the sky through a hole in the roof.

See the Light: The public spaces are suffused with natural light from an abundance of windows and skylights. These provide an ever-changing quality of light that creates a place of respite and a feeling of sanctuary.

Yangsan Golf Club

February 12, 2020/in PROJECTS, Wellness/by SAdesignsJFAK

Set amidst the mountains near Pusan, South Korea, this 50,000 square-foot structure rejects the typical approach to the design of a golf clubhouse – one where traditional forms and imported materials are used to express power, money, and privilege. Instead, it utilizes a contemporary language that is informed by regional sensibilities and local materials.

Inspired by ancient fortresses located nearby, the building is composed of a number of limestone volumes that firmly anchor the building to the earth. These volumes are juxtaposed with several upwardly-tilting roofs clad in lead-coated copper. Large expanses of glass allow each of the public interior spaces to have sweeping views over the golf course to the mountains beyond. The generous use of skylights creates dramatic lighting effects.

Each of the three nine-hole segments on the golf course contains a “tee house,” a small pavilion offering restrooms and a café. Their overhanging roofs create shaded outdoor rooms and frame views of the surrounding topography. The abstract form and flat roofs of these structures suggest small tables floating among the hills, lakes, and sand pits of the golf course.

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