CONCEPT

The 100% Affordable Senior Apartment Project design carefully considers and addresses the special lifestyles of older residents.  It incorporates many of the new energy-saving construction methods

The Project has a special place in the northern part of the City of Gardena. The Project serves as an extended Senior Citizen collecting area and provides free lunch and social services for the low income seniors in North Gardena, including informational meetings on health care and a social service provider.

CONTEXT / NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS

The Senior project is located near to many facilities in the City of Gardena that will help create a community of support among the elderly.  It is located on a street with main bus line services, Line #1 and #5. which takes the rider to the Blue and Green Light Rail lines.

The project is an urban in-fill building among adjacent apartment buildings. The Chester Washington Golf Course with a community building and a public park behind the golf course is directly across the street.  The property is within walking distance of a host of convenience retail shopping and service providers.

DESIGN INTENTION

The building is designed as a three-story building facing on El Segundo Boulevard. It reinforces the existing street edge of the adjacent apartment buildings. There is a change in material in the facade in order to soften the mass and to emphasize the corner where the entrance is located.  The standard external finish material is stucco.  The façade facing El Segundo is continuous and more industrial to reflect the fast movement of a main street, with the Wilton Place façade broken down in scale to reflect the lower density smaller scale family neighborhood to the south. At the main entrance and courtyard the material changes to Storefront to break up the mass which provides transparency and an inviting sense and visually links the entrance through to the courtyard. The recessed and projecting balconies break up the building’s mass and shade the large recessed sliding glass doors to the living rooms.

SOCIAL

The project is designed so that residents will age-in-place. The laundry room is located adjacent to the elevator area, so that residents do not have to pass by the main entry. The entry lobby provides chairs so that the occupants can also sit at the front of the building to watch the street scene. The courtyard has a shaded lanai and social gathering spaces are located and distributed on all 3 floors to limit isolation and encourage social engagement