Normandie Terrace Grand Opening

On Wednesday April 24, 2013 we attended Grand Opening ceremony for one of our projects - Normandie Terrace, a 66-unit affordable apartment building located in Korea Town in Los Angeles.

 

Cutting the official ribbon is Fabian Carreon, a Superintendent on this project.  Behind him is American Communities team along with Sean Rogan, Executive Director, Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles.

 

 

Normandie Terrace as seen from 6th Street

 

 

PSL Architects crew with Richard Cardozza, our LEED consultant who bravely guided the Design Team in acheiving Platinum LEED rating!

Las Alturas - Construction begins

Construction on Las Alturas Senior Affordable Housing project started on 4.8.13. Estimated construction schedule is 15-16 months, therefore the project should open sometime in Fall 2014.

 

Las Alturas site as viewed from a neighboring Whittier project rooftop. Earth moving, site clearing and shoring in progress.

The Serrano - getting ready for exterior cement plaster

After several months of wood framing we can finally see the mass of the bulding!  Currently, metal lath is being installed around the exterior facades of the building.  Pretty soon, this whole building will be snowy white!

The Serrano - roof has been installed

No, it didn't snow in Los Angeles... White TPO roofing membrane is part of building sustainable design for The Serrano project

The Serrano - construction progress

The roof is all framed up....we can finally see the mass of the building. 

This project will provide some of the best views in Los Angeles!

The Metro at Chinatown Senior Lofts

Last Friday, everyone at PSL Architects went on a morning tour to walk The Metro at Chinatown Senior Lofts ( http://www.metrochinatownseniorlofts.com ).  Opened in December 2012, the project provides senior citizens with quality, affordable and independent living. 

 

Principal and Project Manager, Richard Prantis, gave a 2-hour presentation of this amazing adaptive reuse project.  Construction is done and the majority of the tenants have already moved in to their brand new apartments. We toured a couple of vacant units, common spaces, administration offices as well as service/mechanical rooms to understand all aspects of building operations and reasons for design decisions.

 

Both the corner building and the lower structure are part of the adaptive reuse project

The Serrano - wood framing almost finished...

View from the 6th floor apartment

The Serrano - 4th Floor on the way...

Fourth floor is on the way

The Serrano - 3rd floor going up

2nd floor framing is done

The Serrano - Construction Observation

One lucky tenant will have an amazing view of Downtown LA.  This is only the 2nd floor...imagine the view from the 6th floor!

The Serrano - wood framing is going up!

And...we have a podium deck! Wood framing is going up.

5555 Hollywood - Nearing Completion

We walked 5555 Hollywood Monday and it's getting close. The intrest list has closed with over 2,500 applicants!

 

Veiw from Hollywood Blvd and Western Ave

The Serrano - Big Day...Podium Concrete Pour Day

 

 

After one cement mixer truck unloads all the concrete to concrete pumper, another one is ready to start its unload...smooth process to ensure continuous material delivery

The Serrano - Rebar at Podium

Rebar is installed per Structural Drawings

The Serrano - Working on the Podium Deck

Rebar is much heavier then it seems!

The Serrano - Building is above grade

 Vehicular Entry to the basement garage.  CMU block walls are up.  Wood formwork for the Podium Deck is underway

The Serrano - Concrete Deck poured

And...we have a concrete deck - our first floor

The Serrano - Preparation for Concrete Deck Pour

 Rebar is laid out and tied securely

5555 Hollywood - PSL crew at the job site

PSL crew at the job site

 

The Serrano - Concrete deck formwork

 Construction of the concrete deck formwork has began.  Plywood (which is essentially the bottom of the concrete deck) is securely attached to metal scaffolding below.  Many, many building systems must be coordinated before any concrete can be poured. It's amazing how much material is used for formwork... Once the concrete deck is set then it all gets taken down and reused (hopefully) somewhere else!