Mosaic Gardens at Westlake is a 125 unit affordable apartment building, consisting of 68 units for families, 1/2 of which are for the chronically homeless and 57 units for seniors, ½ of which are for homeless seniors in two separate towers on a common 3 story podium. The site is a very steep, blighted and overgrown corner of a busy intersection adjacent to the 1st Bridge. The design takes advantage of the drastic topography to give each unit a unique view, scanning from downtown LA to the Hollywood Hills. The main entry foyer rises from long, meandering, lush planted serpentine retaining walls that soften the grade change and transition to the sidewalk while deterring graffiti, invigorating the street edge and tying the project into the nearby Hermosa Vista urban mountain park.

A robust menu of support service programs and building amenities will prove a vital part to the success of the project. In addition to full time social services there will be onsite support for chemical addiction, physical and mental disabilities. A double height, 1,500 square foot multi-purpose room will serve as a gathering hall for residents, the community, serve as an after school program and summer program for children in addition to other uses. Additional amenities include separate computer labs for residents and children, a resident kitchen to serve the Multi-Purpose Room as well as provide a facility to teach residents cooking techniques, a crafts room, fitness room, senior lounge, shared resident lounges and a community nursing station accessed from the main entry foyer. Exterior amenities include a children’s play area with easels and a wash out sink, lush resident courtyards, roof decks, and a senior community rooftop vegetable and herb garden. The Main Entry Foyer sits adjacent to forecourt plaza welcoming the community.

The Mosaic Gardens at Westlake addresses a citywide crisis by providing permanent housing and essential support services in one community for the chronically homeless. Additionally, it provides permanent housing and key services to a variety of people in need in the immediate neighborhood. The Mosaic Gardens at Westlake is internally designed to create a sense of community and empowerment for its residents and externally designed to enhance its context and provide a community benefit to its neighborhood.