9001 SMB Palm Mixed-Use Development

Size: + 81,000 SF
Program:  Mixed Use Project:
                  42 residential units + Restaurant + Commercial/Retail
Project Team: 
Workplays Studio* Architecture
     Ric. Abramson FAIA, Principal       
     Gregory Fischer
     Daniel Ruiz
     Christopher Megowan
     Eric Townsend          
Location: West Hollywood, CA 
Status: In Progress

9001 SMB represents a bold urban vision along Santa Monica Boulevard for West Hollywood’s west side. It seeks to accommodate a need for housing with a desire to retain an important economic driver along the city’s “Main Street”. This boulevard-centric project relies on programmatic diversity and an active commercial street front to support and enliven Santa Monica Boulevard. The main façade skin is comprised of a seismic bracing system and an integrated glazing system that becomes the signature for the project. Fritted glass and mechanized shades ensure an ever-changing façade as residents adjust their interior environments between day and evening.

Located at the West entrance to West Hollywood, the proposed project is a five story mixed-use project comprised of 34 market rate units and 8 affordable units atop the new 10,000 s.f. Palm Restaurant and an additional 10,000 s.f. of pedestrian-oriented retail space. The design itself acknowledges its setting by establishing an aggressive, boulevard-oriented development to be built over two phases (to keep the Palm operating during construction).  A new outdoor dining area promises to bring a real transformation to a rather inactive street edge.  The project also looks beyond its property limits by becoming a backdrop for sightlines emanating from the city’s Avenues of Arts & Design to its south.  Two glowing “light boxes” in its street facade hope to enliven the nighttime atmosphere creating a visually active surface as diners stroll the avenues after an evening meal.  A “green” tower marks its residential entry sequence from the street. The housing units above reflect a combination of loft-like flats oriented to the boulevard, townhouse units overlooking the Sunset Strip to the north, and a tower of affordable units that offer views of Downtown Los Angeles. Residential occupants atop the restaurant and retail spaces find a private, urban “oasis” in an elevated courtyard that serves as a space of repose and a means to appreciate views of the metropolitan basin beyond.