Construction Ongoing on Nadel Architects-Designed L.A. Development

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

Los Angeles—The Millennium Woodland Hills, 395-unit multifamily development in the Woodland Hills, Calif., Warner Center neighborhood, is under construction. Designed by Nadel Architects and developed by The Dinerstein Companies, the more than 827,000-square-foot project is located in a suburban area experiencing increasing demand for multifamily housing.

Situated on a seven-acre parcel, the development will include four- and five-story buildings encompassing a seven-tier parking garage. Residential units will extend in size from 864 to 1,500 square feet.

“This project received entitlements prior to the recession,” Dale Yonkin, AIA, project director with Nadel Architects, tells MHN. “Therefore it was ready for construction documents and construction to quickly catch the wave of the rebounding real estate market following the recession. We were able to design a 100 percent residential project, as opposed to new projects trying to obtain entitlement approval. [They] needed to comply with the new Warner Center specific plan stating that 40 percent of the area’s new projects would need to be non-residential.”

Nadel Architects’ goal was to provide the required density as economically as possible. To meet that objective, the firm designed a “wrap” project incorporating a freestanding garage, with multi-story residential buildings wrapped around the garage. The wrap allows all construction to be on grade, and provides the most cost-effective structured parking solution.

“Another challenge was to differentiate this project among the many other multi-family residential projects in the area,” Yonkin says. “We went with a bold modernist design with a vibrant red color scheme. We chose this design and color scheme to differentiate from the more conservative and traditional multifamily projects in Warner Center. Since the project is located on a very visible corner, we created a strong street presence through signature exterior elements at the corner buildings.”

The project was also differentiated by means of special amenities, including multiple courtyards, “each with a distinctive landscape style and extensive amenities oriented out to additional communal areas,” Yonkin says.

The Millennium Woodland Hills will showcase a number of amenities, including a fitness center, two swimming pools, yoga room, business center and 2,000-square-foot dog park. Two of the courtyards will serve as outdoor living spaces with cabanas around the pools and clubhouses. Other courtyards will offer quiet areas, fire pits and outdoor cooking spaces for social and family gatherings.

The development is targeting LEED Silver certification, and incorporates sustainable elements that include solar-powered pool water heaters, drought-tolerant landscaping, recycle chutes, bicycle-parking areas, fully-insulated buildings with dual glass windows and collection of rain water for infiltration.

“The project contributes to the rental market demands for the area, while the modernist design and vibrant color scheme will attract the young, hip, urban Millennial generation,” Yonkin says.