BAP: The SIX

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The SIX

Program and Size: multi-family residential (52 units total) Client: Skid Row Housing Trust Location: Los Angeles, CA Year: 2016

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Table of Contents

01_Story 03

Project Team

Form Finding

Cavities for Cooling 02_Site 07

Site + Regional Resources

Climate Information

Urban Context

Thresholds + Entrances 03_Space 12

Plan

Section: E-W

Section: N-S Axonometric

04_Circulation 17

Mechanical Air Circulation

Passive Air Circulation + Climate Controls 05_Structure 22

Digital Analysis

Physical Analysis

06_Skin 27

Energy Analysis (with Covetool)

Physical Model

Net Layout of Physical Model 07_Reflection 31 08_Resources + Citations 32

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01_Story The story of any building is the concept and ideas that drove an idea to fruition as a building, and how they evolved over time. This section will cover the challenges The SIX was intended to address and the people responsible for bringing it to life.

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01_Story_Design Team Project Design Team: Architect: Brooks + Scarpa Landscape architect: LandStudio360 Structural Engineer: John Martin & Associates M/E/P Engineer: Innovative Engineering Group Civil Engineer: Barbara L. Hall Specifications: Phil Easton General Contractor: Golden Bear Construction LTD Partnership: The Six Veterans Housing, LP Brooks + Scarpa 1

Architect Firm Profile: Brooks + Scarpa is a firm dedicated to “enhancing the human experience,” most notably through sustainability and digital fabrication methods. While The Six specifically doesn’t use specialized digital fabrication, it is LEED Platinum certified and employs several passive design strategies to reduce energy usage such as an inner courtyard for daylighting and improved circulation.

Project Background: The Six was produced as part of an affordable housing initiative in Skid Row, a neighborhood of Los Angeles known for its high homeless population. This project in particular was aimed towards homeless veteran population- 18 of its 52 units are specifically for veterans. The name “the six” refers to the military phrase “got your six,” meaning “I’ve got your back.” The Six follows similarly contemporary housing buildings in Skid Row built by notable public realm firms such as Michael Maltzan Architects on behalf of the Skid Row Housing Trust. The Skid Row Housing Trust currently oversees public housing in 24 buildings.

Mixed Use Urban Housing 2

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The Rose Mixed Use Apartments 3

430 Pico Affordable Housing 4

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01_Story_Form Finding

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Start with conventional apartment block

Subtract sections to allow for atrium space and air circulation

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Raise block to add parking and public space

Add green space, furnishings, and solar arrays

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01_Story_Cavities for Cooling

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02_Site Among the larger concepts and issues that drives the building’s design, the site itself plays host to a set of unique challenges on top of the ones the architect is trying to solve. This section will cover how The SIX responds to the urban Los Angeles setting and its associated climate.

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02_Site_Regional Resources

17 underground parking spaces

LEGEND [BELOW CONTEXT ANALYSIS]

prevailing SSE wind from March to August

(hottest months in LA)

bus stops

vehicle parking

main streets / high noise levels

residential streets / lower noise levels

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Water Source: half from Hetchy Hetchy and Crystal Springs watershed; other half from local groundwater wells Wastewater Disposal: septic tank overflow diverted to Vista Grande Tunnel for disposal to the Pacific Ocean at Thornton Beach.

Garbage Disposal: Ox Mountain Sanitary Landfill

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02_Site_Climate Information Context: Urban Los Angeles, CA Climate: Climate Zone 9

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02_Site_Urban Context

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02_Site_Thresholds + Entrances

LEGEND [ABOVE SITE STUDY]

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private resident-only spaces

vehicle entry

pedestrian entry

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03_Space The users of the building will likely develop their experience of the building by interacting with the carefully designed spaces they occupy. Section 03 will cover The SIX’s spatial arrangement, both vertically and through plan.

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03_Space_Plan

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03_Space_Section E-W

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03_Space_Section N-S

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03_Space_Axonometric Section

The SIX Affordable Veterans Housing BAP 08: Section Axonometric

Immediate Context: The Six is offset from the public right-ofway to accommodate a public courtyard that establishes a longer and more welcoming entry sequence. Entrances are not pictured on the section axonometric, but stairs along the perimeter and base bring pedestrians in through the front, while the garage entrance brings vehicular traffic to the back to the building away from pedestrian activity.

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04_Circulation Circulation is vital for the occupants in numerous ways. It determines how they, the occupants, will move through the project, as well as moving air, water, and more which consequently determines the comfort and experience of the occupants.

Section 04 will uncover the intentions and layout of the various circulation systems inside and out of The SIX.

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04_Circuation_Mechanical

he SIX

able Veterans Housing Air Circulation

w: Scarpa, in their effort to Six as a LEED platinum hose to optimize the building air circulation through main spaces. This strategy is most he large voids in the front of the mass that allows air through, up, and out of the is improved building perforapproximately 50%, and left nical systems as supplemental

Due to the hidden nature of the HVAC system, primary air distribution is up to speculation.

Mechanical plant systems denoted in red line+fill

e, the roof was kept occuonsolidation and concealchanical plants, either in in non-occupiable spaces or ecially-designed geometric that hid unsightly mechanical upiable spaces.

e mechanical systems are n and minimized in favor of atural air circulation.

y Brooks+Scarpa

Natural air circulation as the primary circulation system increases efficiency by 50%

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04_Circuation_Passive Climate Control

The SIX

Affordable Veterans Housing BAP 07: Air Circulation and Thermal Comfort

Passive Systems: The SIX employs varies passive systems.

Notably, the building uses a large inner courtyard that opens to the roof and has large openings on both the east and south sides of the building to maximize air flow with the natural wind direction. This allows hot air to be flushed out of the building during the day. In this diagram, the wind flow is denoted by curvy blue arrows.

Green/Cool roof system mitigates solar heat gain from the roof

White paint allows for low abedo, reflecting solar heat from the building

Other passive systems that contribute to thermal comfort include the insulated outer walls made of cellulose that serve as a thermal bridge or buffer. The hot sun during the daytime is absorbed in this insulation to keep indoor residential spaces cool, and then gradually released into the spaces as the temperature drops in the evening.

Cellulose insulation acts as thermal massing to control daytime-nightime temperatures

Furthermore, the building uses a combination green and cool roof for heat reduction. Although the diagram provided by the architects showcases wood screen shades, these were eliminated in the final design to save costs. This would have been a revealed approach Sun Shading of exterior to sun shading, and without it, the windows and interior building circulation is left more greatly courtyard minimizes exposed to direct sun and glare. solar heat gain

Natural air circulation is optimized through strategic voids and atrium space

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04_Circuation_Vertical Circulation

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04_Circuation_General Circulation

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05_Structure Structure is one of the most crucial elements of any building project, and plays a governing part of the overall design of the project. Section 05 delves into the internal structural skeleton of The SIX, and how it works with the underlying concepts of the project to achieve success.

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05_Structure_Digital Model

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05_Structure_Physical Model

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06_Skin The “Skin” or performative envelope of a building is key in determining how the building performs on a number of different metrics, from EUI (energyuse index), the building’s thermal performance, and what lighting will be required among other points. Section 06 will examine the building skin of The SIX, as well as employing Covetool to determine how it performs in its existing climate.

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06_Skin_Energy Analysis (With Covetool)

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06_Skin_Net Layout of Physical Model

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06_Skin_Physical Model

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07_Reflection Tyler Having analyzed The Six, there are a number of strengths this building possesses that distinguishes it as an example of highly efficient design and something to inspire other (future) architects to take after in their own designs. In regards to its strength in circulation and passive/environmentally friendly systems, the building was largely governed by maximizing the potential of these systems. The large cavities allow for optimal circulation that brings air into and completely through the building, its EUI (Energy Use Index) is much lower thanks in part to the independence from mechanical air systems and deployment of solar panels along the roof, and it also balances daylighting with shading through strategically shaded windows. It also fits into its urban context (but does not blend into the surrounding uninspired housing) and solves an issue that the particular area faces.

On the other hand, the one challenge that some may consider to be a weakness is its lack of transparency in its systems. Most of its structural and MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) systems are hidden behind white cement board, leaving much of the configuration of these systems to one’s reasoning and imagination. True, its focus in regards to MEP is focused on employing the exterior environmental forces to its advantage and not so much typical MEP systems. However, its opaqueness in structure is unfortunate given its complex interior form.

Laura When first starting to investigate “The Six,” Tyler and I were unfamiliar with the building as a whole and only knew its obvious formal quality- notably, the geometric white stucco form with a large open courtyard.

Over the course of the project research and drawings, we realized the many passive design qualities of the large courtyard, including air circulation and daylighting to the initial apartment units. Upon digging, we discovered that the design initially had a dense wooden slat facade around the outer walkways to shield direct sunlight, but this facade was entirely scrapped due to cost considerations. The building as it stands now probably lets in more direct light and heat than initially anticipated.

Cost was likely a heavily limited factor on the design “The Six,” as it was commissioned publicly to be low-cost subsidized veteran’s housing. This building is part of a series of buildings in Los Angeles aimed towards addressing the issues of homelessness and affordable housing there. As a result, the aesthetic design was likely limited throughout the process by cost considerations. Similarly, when trying to determine the skeletal structure of the building, we discovered that the structure is quite hidden and reads as a secondary issue as opp osed to the actual aesthetic of the building.

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08_Citations General Information • Kwok, Natasha, “Brooks + Scarpa Completes Affordable Housing for Disabled..,” Designboom, 17 May 2017, https://www.designboom.com/architecture/brooks-scarpa-the-six-affordable-housing-disabled-veterans-los-angeles-05-17-2017/.

• Trujillo, John, “Brooks + Scarpa completes The Six housing for LA’s homeless..,” Dezeen, 17 May 2017, https://www.dezeen.com/2017/05/16/ brooks-scarpa-completes-the-six-housing-homeless-disabled-veterans-los-angeles/.

• Zara, Janelle, “THE SIX by Brooks + Scarpa,” Architectural Record, 1 Apr 2017, https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/12503-the-six-bybrooks-scarpa.

• “The SIX,” AIA, 2017, https://www.aia.org/showcases/78656-the-six.

• “The Six Affordable Veteran Housing,” ARCHITECT Magazine, 08 Dec 2017, https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/the-six-affordable-veteran-housing_o.

• “The Six/Brooks + Scarpa Architects,” ArchDaily, 09 Aug 2017, https://www.archdaily.com/877376/the-six-affordable-housing-brooks-plus-scarpa-architects.

• “The Six Disabled Veteran Housing,” Brooks + Scarpa, Last Accessed 23 Nov 2020, https://brooksscarpa.com/the-six.

• “The Six,” Skid Row Housing Trust, Last Accessed 23 Nov 2020, https://skidrow.org/buildings/the-six/.

Image Citations 1. Hobson, Benedict. Lawrence Scarpa and Angela Brooks. Dezeen. Dezeen, 2018. https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/08/adidas-podbrooks-and-scarpa_dezeen_2364_col_5-1704x1704.jpg.

2. Brooks, Scarpa. Mixed-Use Housing, Los Angeles, CA. 2020. Brooks+Scarpa. https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf1.myportfolio.com/4463c9937613d0935c67240351d53354/23437177a57d45ea5947c246_rw_1920.jpg?h=665528644571ba7f2205df26372a9dc3.

3. Brooks, Scarpa. The Rose Mixed-Use Apartments Venice, CA. 2020. Brooks+Scarpa. https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf1.myportfolio.com/4463c9937613d0935c67240351d53354/94baef52-7f0b-47f3-87d5-56312d2ad257_rw_1920.jpg?h=f499ca6d45f9c6da3686214e830ce619.

4. “430 Pico Affordable Housing” Brooks + Scarpa, Last Accessed 23 Nov 2020, https://brooksscarpa.com/430-pico.

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