Kudos for Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects' Skid Row Housing Trust Project

Image by Lawrence Anderson via ArchitectLos Angeles-based architecture firm Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) recently picked up some well-earned accolades when Architect (the magazine of the American Institute of Architects) awarded the Skid Row Housing Trust project the Work Award in its 2012 Annual Design review. The small-in-scale but huge-in-impact project cost $266,500 to renovate the 4,100-square-foot space. The newly improved space includes new management offices, including a library, conference rooms, and a flexible training and event space, which will help the organization better "develop, manage, and operate housing" for the significant homeless population living on the streets east of Downtown Los Angeles. Architect describes LOHA's designs thusly: "Made from off-the-shelf components, the lights consist of white aluminum tubes that brighten and enliven the multipurpose space…The architects also uncovered existing clerestory windows in the building, tapping into an additional natural light source." The LOHA website (kudos on the chemistry motif, by the way) states that the collaboration with the Skid Row Housing trust is ongoing, so we can look forward to more great designs for the social good from LOHA in the future.