Noho Lofts

Los Angeles

ANY HOUSING VENTURE that promotes public transportation in auto-choked L.A. deserves props; this infill project meets that objective and more.

Part of a burgeoning transit village at the North Hollywood terminus of the city's Red Line subway, the 292 loft-style residences (ranging from 530 to 830 square feet) wrap around a shared courtyard, pool, and gardens to form a distinctive landmark. Handsome exteriors are articulated with textured concrete block, plaster of varying colors, oversized windows, projecting window bays, third-story balconies, and bracket-supported eaves. And you won't find any dingy hallways here. Covered breezeways and bridges over courts provide outdoor access to individual units, creating opportunities for rear windows and cross-ventilation. Inside, the units are open, fresh, and airy.

All that and the project also includes 14 live/work store-front units facing an adjacent retail center—and masking a 360-car, ground-floor parking garage for said retail, plus 400 parking spaces below grade for loft residents and their guests.

Category: Lofts; Entrant/Architect/Land planner/Interior designer: Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh, Santa Monica, Calif.; Builder: Hill Contracting, Long Beach, Calif.; Developer: J.H. Snyder, Los Angeles; Interior designer: Faulkner Design Group, Dallas; Landscape architect: L.A. Group, Woodland Hills, Calif.