Location: Los Angeles, CA
Date: 2022
Category: Multi-Family Residential

About this Project:

• Scope: Renovations to Lobby and Amenities in Multi-Family Tower

• Lobby: 3,230 sf

• Amenities: 20,060 sf

• Photo: Paul Vu

HansonLA crafted a new lobby for The Josephine in downtown Los Angeles through a series of strategic moves to improve circulation, increase functionality, and elevate the experience for the existing and future tenants of the residential building. The lobby is the first in a multi-phased renovation to redefine the circulation and formalize the public amenities throughout this multi-family tower. 

A series of curvilinear walls connect the three primary points of circulation—the street entrance, the porte-cochère, and the elevators—as they define the center of the space with a reception desk. The walls carve continuous paths of circulation through the lobby while defining the adjacent areas with spaces for shared amenities including a business lounge, leasing offices, bathrooms, and package rooms. The sinuous nature of the walls is further articulated through furniture that naturally unfolds as an extension of the walls. An organic puncture in the curved angle of the wall produces a distinct reception desk with vantage points to both the street and porte-cochère entrances to the building. A small bench emerges from the wall by the south entrance, with an extension in the curved angle of the wall. The continuous flow created by the fluid curves of the walls is reflected in a custom-designed light fixture that traces the circulation of the plan throughout the space as it emphasizes the movement and formal language of the architecture. 

Strategic use of material further shapes the space as it demarcates uses. In the primary lobby entry area, the curved walls are clad with custom patinated-brass panels that capture reflections of light and further highlight the undulating and fluid motion of the walls. The secondary amenity areas are demarcated with dark-stained oak wood and highly textured stone walls to reflect the intimate, private nature of the spaces. A vertical pattern is created through material applications producing a subtle visual connection across the spaces, a detail that reflects the bespoke, craft-oriented approach to the design. A white stone floor extends throughout the project, unifying the spaces and emphasizing the new, continuous experience.