26th Street Low-Income Housing by Kanner Architects

26th Street Low-Income Housing integrates a sustainable approach with Modernist design, effectively challenging the paradigm of affordable urban housing. The design of this 4-story, 44-unit building provides open spaces in an urban setting, taking advantage of fresh air, sunlight and open sky.

The entry has been formed to break up the massing. A white frame around the upper levels helps the lower units recede from the street. The mass of the façade, along Santa Monica Blvd—one of LA’s busiest streets—is further broken by alternating greened vertical fencing with horizontal earth toned boards, which also provide transparent security.

The result of an exhaustive outreach effort with and input from the socially progressive Santa Monica community, the design draws inspiration from historical precedents of Southern CA Modernist architecture. The linear design allows for cross ventilation and eliminates the need for environmentally offensive, noisy, view obstructing rooftop equipment.