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Over the past 30 years, Michael Maltzan and his associates have been bringing exemplary design to those most in need, along with a wide range of project types including cultural and institutional buildings, expansive houses for art collectors, and a landmark bridge over the Los Angeles River. It began with Inner City Arts, an educational program for disadvantaged kids in downtown Los Angeles, and continued through four projects for the Skid Row Housing Trust. The firm brings a spirit of invention and humanity to the most frugal of their commissions, inspiring many other L.A. architects who share their commitment to social justice. Sadly, demand far exceeds supply, as the homeless population of L.A. continues to grow, and progress in constructing affordable housing is painfully slow. Funding is inadequate, homeowners throw up obstacles, and plans are delayed by a tangle of constantly changing, often unreasonable regulations.
In contrast, the 77-unit block of permanent supportive housing for the homeless near the port city of Long Beach was approved in six months and constructed in under two years. It was commissioned by an enlightened, locally based developer, Excelerate Housing Group, which named it 26 Point 2. That is the distance in miles of a marathon run, and it refers to the adage that life is a journey. For Maltzan, it came as a welcome relief from the ordeal of building in his home city. “A preconception that architects are extravagant is still prevalent among most developers”, he explains. “Excelerate shares our belief that architecture can help in the healing process, by creating a balance between private and social spaces, the building and its surroundings. A well-designed building gives residents greater visibility and respect rather than a generic structure”.
The wood-framed block occupies a corner site in what was once an oilfield, and a cluster of storage tanks is a near neighbor. The ground is full of...
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