The street level and second floor retail concept takes inspiration from the many plazas and alleyways of Chinatown that turn the spaces between buildings into passageways to more secluded courtyards and gathering spaces. The arrival sequence from the main stairs on Spring Street invites pedestrians up as if ascending a walled garden; and the passageway from New High Street draws foot traffic into the plaza level to discover the smaller retail spaces that match the scale of many of Chinatown’s mainstay local businesses.

Located directly across from the Chinatown Metro stop, the building is ideally located to take advantage of the City’s transit network. The project will also offer EV charging stations and 230 bike stalls to support green transit options for tenants and visitors.

Working with Field Operations, the landscape design is intended to bridge the gap between indoor and outdoor, and fully embrace the Los Angeles climate by maximizing outdoor area. The open-air circulation spaces and courtyards, along with private balconies and a shared rooftop amenity deck, provide layers of outdoor connections to various users throughout the building.

With the goal of pushing the boundaries of sustainable mass timber construction at scale, the building is one of the first major Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) office buildings in Los Angeles. The hybrid structural system combines 3- and 5-ply CLT panels and concrete topping slab, with exposed steel columns and beams that account for the building’s gravity and seismic loads. Exposed timber panels cantilever over the balconies, and add a natural, warm aesthetic to the interior. Preliminary calculations show an estimated reduction of 1357 metric tons of carbon compared to traditional building methods, which is equivalent to keeping 287 cars off the road for a year.