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JAMES M. WOOD COMMUNITY CENTER
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Photography: RMA Photography,
Inc.
CMACN 2005 Awards Edition, “CMU Profiles in Architecture”
Jury
Comments: It is rare that a building is able to
give voice to those that are seldom heard. In this instance,
the architect draws on every instinct, including the
exploitation of the park across the street, to establish and
to mark the structure’s presence. Employing a rational
structural frame, fully glazed at the first level, then open
to frame the outdoor terrace above, yields unusual depth.
Through the simple layering of the columnar bays against the
box-like enclosure of the meeting rooms beyond, no longer is
this an elevation, but a true civic facade. Each detail is
carefully considered in its contribution to the entirety of
the composition demonstrating that skill, not cost, can
enrich the human condition.
The Center’s design juxtaposes modernism with its core
of concrete masonry volumes and columns to give the patrons
of its tough community a dignified, inspiring “civic
living room.” It houses most of the public needs of the
reformed residents of this largely homeless and indigent
neighborhood. The project was a repeat collaboration between
architect and satisfied client, an agency impressed by the
achievement of design ideals of respect and pride, while on
a tight budget. CMU played a central role in attaining these
ideals.
In early phases of the project, wood-frame construction was briefly considered, but could not provide the same benefits that concrete masonry offered, namely speed of construction, durability, and the achievement of occupancy requirements with superior fire-rating. CMU needed less perimeter clearance, allowing us to use 10% more of the narrow plot.
No matter what kind of abuse the building takes, CMU makes it easy to keep the site clean and ready for the next community group. Construction took 14 months. The concrete masonry, both the frame and exterior finish, made it possible to complete the project in a short period of time.
The CMU columns are on a monumental scale - on the ground floor they relate to the pedestrian looking into the “living room,” while on the second balcony they attain an airy, permeable feeling, not normally associated with CMU. Bright colors encourage a level of transcendence. One patron, a formerly homeless man, gazed from a park across the street through the concrete masonry columns to the wall at the back of the second-floor balcony, saying in wonderment that he watched the colors play against the sky color throughout the day.
ARCHITECT:
Lehrer
Architects LA
2140 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Michael
B. Lehrer, FAIA
Principal
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:
Reiss Brown Ekmekji
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Robert F. Vairo Construction
MASONRY CONTRACTOR:
Daryl Sutliff Masonry
BLOCK PRODUCER:
Angelus Block Company, Inc.
OWNER:
SRO Housing Corporation
