West Los Angeles Veterans Home

With land available on a veteran’s campus in West Los Angeles, the California Department of Veterans Affairs welcomed the opportunity to build more senior housing for veterans. It was eager to add as much housing as possible yet ensure that the accommodations were dignified and respectful to their residents.

A detailed design process yielded the solution: rather than the traditional arrangement of four veterans sharing one room, the community accommodates two residents per unit with a shared bath. The units provide a separate living space for each resident that offers visual and acoustic privacy, outdoor views and personal storage space.

The complex houses nearly 400 veterans. A quarter-mile-long arc forms the spine of the building, with residential wings on the interior curve that look out onto inviting outdoor courtyards. These roughly perpendicular wings are reminiscent of several historic building on campus with H-shaped footprints.

The Veterans Home features common areas and dining venues of various scales, from a large community center to several smaller “neighborhood” indoor and outdoor gathering areas. They provide residents with numerous destinations and opportunities for socialization. In each neighborhood, personalized display cases filled with memorabilia assist with wayfinding.