AVA Arts District Revamps LA’s Creative Core

AVA Arts District, a mixed-use development in Los Angeles, is a finalist in the 8th annual GRAY Awards in the Mixed-Use Development breakout category. The project, designed by OFFICEUNTITLED, aims to serve as a base camp for creators and artists. Its location on the eastern edge of Downtown LA taps into the neighborhood’s irreverent art and street scene.

Over the past forty years, artists moved into the former industrial area and brought it to life within closed studios. Today, art has moved to the street, with new storefronts, gallery spaces, and large-scale murals. The development sits along Alameda Street, a major north-south artery linking Union Station to South LA and the Port of Los Angeles. It’s positioned across from a future Metro underground station and at the heart of the Los Angeles River revitalization. The submission notes that the building is part of nearly two dozen planned developments in the neighborhood.

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A Design That Borrows From the Past

The design concept is rooted in the materiality and fenestration techniques found throughout the district. OFFICEUNTITLED calls it “Buildings on a Building” — a reference to the tradition of commandeering rooftops of industrial buildings for new development. Board-formed concrete and fiber cement paneling reinforce the base as a solid platform for lighter white and black metal panel-clad upper buildings. The result is a project that reads as an assemblage rather than a single monolithic structure.

Large-scale murals by local artists adorn the walls of the lobby, gym, and clubhouse spaces. Industrial materials like precast fluted concrete panels, cloverleaf perforated metal accents, and locally sourced reclaimed timber parallel the warehouses and commercial buildings that remain a signature of the area. From the street, full-height commissioned artwork is visible to and from Downtown LA.

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The complex provides 475 live/work units with ground-floor retail. Twenty percent of the live/work units are built within Type I construction, allowing for light industrial uses. All units include a minimum of 150 square feet of uninhibited working space.

The residential spaces are designed to be minimalist, creating an open live/work framework with diverse views of the city. Co-working and study areas throughout the building offer communal meeting space, lounges, and private phone booths.

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Lighting and color are used deliberately to boost mood and productivity.

Courtyards, Ecology, and Transportation

AVA was designed with multiple courtyards and activities to promote pedestrian interaction. The outdoor area follows the “Los Angeles Rio Guidelines,” selecting indigenous, waterwise plantings per the Los Angeles River Master Plan. The site features an ecological corridor through the Spur Paseo, a public amenity with planted areas that create habitats and attract native pollinator species.