With the extremely high barrier to entry of Los Angeles housing, renting has become the norm. With the cost of living continuing to rise, many people starting their careers and/or moving to Los Angeles are left with the option of finding roommates, or rent payments possibly above their means. Enter coliving, the rapidly spreading housing type that provides residents with their own private sleeping areas, and shared amenities amongst other residents. Cohaus is a company based around developing and managing new coliving projects, meaning the company that has involvement in all stages: real estate, design and construction of new houses, and managing each house and its residents. Cohaus projects differ from house to house, some being conversions of existing properties and some being ground-up buildings designed specifically for coliving. Each project prioritizes providing each potential resident with a private bedroom, connected bathroom, and closet, as well as sufficient space in large shared kitchens and living rooms. Additionally, by keeping every part of the process in-house, the company is able to take feedback from residents in each property to improve each new project. Future projects are greatly influenced by understanding how residents use spaces and their feelings on the good and bad of their coliving experience, creating a framework for an empathetic design. Moreover, each project aims to provide the framework for the formation of a family-like unit between the residents.

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This specific project is located in the Los Angeles neighborhood West Adams and is designed with the pedestrian in mind. Encouraging exploration of the historic neighborhood with expansive views of Jefferson Blvd, the entry stair for the building is also used to break the massing of the typical Los Angeles duplex. The stairs and its landings are the focal point of the massing, and are sized to serve as shared open space and mini-balconies for residents and visitors to interact on. The circulation up these stairs takes people to several entryways into the homes, while also leading all the way up to a shared roof deck between both units.

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For this project, I aided the project from pre-development to final bidding drawing sets. I collaborated with lead architect David Chun to develop schematic plans and design development details. From there, I was tasked with the project management duties of developing construction documents, submitting plans to the City of Los Angeles, completing project clearances from various city departments, and revising plans based on corrections provided by the city. Additionally, I developed lighting plans and interior elevations for bidding purposes.