Apartments in Los Angeles
- Heide Wessely
The Star Apartments near the centre of Los Angeles are not a luxury housing scheme, as the name might suggest. They are dwellings for people of low income and who formerly belonged to the long-term homeless. Here, 102 dwelling units manufactured in Idaho and transported to the site by truck have been stacked in dynamic fashion up to six storeys in height. This construction is borne by a concrete deck supported by powerful piles that conduct the loads into the ground below. The piles penetrate a single-storey existing structure that the architects built over instead of demolishing. This former commercial structure is used by the new residents as well as people living in the neighbourhood. Accommodated in this section is the public health office with a clinic and health centre. The facilities provided here include psychological consultancy, health care and wellbeing, and case management.
