An industrial oasis, the Spring Street Lot, transforms disparate warehouse buildings into a connected micro-campus of creative offices, restaurants and nightlife venues, all stitched together by a vibrant and sustainable landscape. Conceived as both a place of work and a significant entertainment destination, the master plan encompasses open public spaces for daily use, a weekly market and large-scale events. The landscape is thoroughly Angeleno in its unexpected and informal urbanity.
Gathering spaces distributed throughout the project operate at multiple scales, common areas for larger community gathering and smaller seating nooks for individual tenants. The stepped seating across the paseo from the wildly popular restaurant, Majordomo, serves as a lively social space for the throngs that await one of the toughest dinner reservations in the city. The restaurant outdoor dining sits beneath an African Sumac tree with chef David Chang’s Korean onggi, earthenware fermentation pots, hiding in the surrounding landscape. Menu specific edible vegetation such as citrus trees, bamboo and a variety of herbs are woven into the tapestry of succulents, cacti and California native plants.
Taking inspiration from the exuberant graffiti that washes the structures, a graphic composition was used to position all elements of the design, including hardscape, planting and seating. The landscape introduces sculptural plant silhouettes like Yucca rostrata and variegated Euphorbia as odd characters in the Street Art tableaux. In partnership with the planting areas, an abstract mural stretching across the hardscape, creates a cohesive identity and atmosphere for the limb-like site configuration.
The primary limb of the project, the pedestrian paseo, connects Spring Street to Naud Street across the site and serves as a fire lane additionally. A native meadow was established using grass pavers that can bear the weight of a fire engine. The climate appropriate landscape overall has low water needs and requires little maintenance. With ephemerality as a primary objective, the planting is designed to attract pollinators and birdlife as well as provide seasonal change and interest.
Located within the Cornfields Arroyo Specific Plan, Spring Street Lot aims to augment the growing ecological and urban development along the LA River. Plant species were selected to participate in restoring a continuous habitat for riparian flora and fauna. The Spring Street Bridge, a future viewing deck and bike related program will ensure the project’s fluid relationship to the developing LA Riverbanks and the new State Historic Park.
Name of the project: Spring Street Lot
Project category (Public Project, Infrastructure, Residential housing park, Private garden, Hospitality) Public Project
Role of the entrant in the project: Landscape Designer
Project location: 1725 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Design year: 2017
Year Built: 2018
