Real estate developer Carmel Partners awarded Surfacedesign creative control of the outside living spaces at its luxury apartment project Atelier, designed by architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz. Taking inspiration from the building’s proximity to the former Los Angeles Garment District, Surfacedesign’s overall approach was influenced by the Bauhaus textile patterns of Anni Albers. Geometrical lines and shapes are repeated throughout the 33‐story project’s two outdoor living spaces: pool/amenity deck and rooftop lounge. Surfacedesign injected the textile inspiration into the composition, stitching together the hardscape with a rich landscape of native and Mediterranean plantings.
Atelier Luxury Apartments 5th‐floor pool area serves as its primary communal space. For the landscape, Surfacedesign’s palette uses a combination of silver ground covers, agaves, and acacias with pops of color: reds, oranges, and yellows. The silver ground covers reference the glassy/steel materiality of the urban Los Angeles skyline. The red, orange, and yellow bougainvillea, aloes, and succulents are familiar Southern California favorites and warmly ground the project in its downtown Los Angeles context. The plantings also provide some shade and a sense of privacy for the deck’s many amenities: outdoor grilling areas, a dog run, a bocce ball court and game terrace, a 25‐meter lap pool and spa, an outdoor firepit and fireplace, cabañas, and a hammock garden. Atelier Luxury Apartments outdoor‐living project was capped by a rooftop lounge with sweeping views of downtown Los Angeles.
Atelier Luxury Apartments
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Client: Carmel Partners
Landscape Architect: Surfacedesign, Inc.
Geoff Di Girolamo, ASLA, Assoc. AIA, Partner
Nick Gotthardt, ASLA, Principal
Affiliates:
Architect: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Pool Consultant: Addison Pools
Irrigation Consultant: Brookwater
Interior Designer: Rodrigo Vargas Design
Structural Engineer: Englekirk Structural Engineers
Civil Engineer: Fuscoe Engineering
Lighting Designer: SOC Lighting
Photographer: Marion Brenner
