Lehrer Architects Designs 40-Unit Modular Homeless Shelter in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Lehrer Architects and the Los Angeles Agency for Engineering designed a housing project for homeless people in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. The project includes 40 modular houses, built in a container-style design on an irregular, previously empty area near main traffic lanes.

The designers said the entire project would take only 13 weeks to complete and could be dismantled and removed in the future. They used different colored areas and bright panels to bring visual variety and a sense of brightness to a site that might otherwise feel bleak.

The designers described local residents’ opposition to the shelter as the biggest challenge for the project, which they called a new experiment. The design was meant to build a sense of community and dignity for homeless people, and the houses can be used for community-based meals, meetings, and bathrooms, a practical form of welcome for neighbors without homes (Matthew 25:35).

According to Nerin Kadribegovic, a partner at Lehrer’s construction firm, the project’s cost is low, and its largest expense is a 550-metre sewer. The project also includes fences to protect privacy and reduce resistance from nearby residents.

Michael B., another partner, said the team spent considerable time discussing and limiting costs and addressing residents’ objections. He said the firm wanted to create a pleasant atmosphere through color without high cost, and he expressed hope that the design could become a new model for the whole of America.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)