Brion Joins the Executive Board /  by Valerie Puchades

We are so proud of AERO Principal Brion Moran for being elected to the Executive Board of Directors at the Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce. Brion has been serving on the board since 2020. This new role will help him have an even more significant impact on the local business community. Below is a quote from Halimah Ginyard celebrating Brion’s new position. 

 

“I am pleased to welcome Mr. Moran; He is an exceptional leader in Inglewood and an asset to our Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Board. The Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors provides critical leadership and decision-making vital to presenting a unified voice as an industry.  We are privileged to have such a committed and talented individual and an industry leader at the helm of our organization. We anticipate that his diverse experience will add significant value.”

Halimah Ginyard – President & CEO

Inglewood Airport Area Chamber of Commerce

New Project: Urgent Care Facility in Inglewood /  by Valerie Puchades

It’s rewarding when we get to work on a project that makes our local community stronger. That’s why we are thrilled to be working with Dr. Amos to design a new urgent care facillity for the Inglewood community. This will be the doctor’s second facility in LA. His first one, Weekend Urgent Care, serves residents of Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw, Ladera Heights and Leimert Park communities. Weekend Urgent Care’s goal is to provide outstanding, culturally competent, efficient medical care when their patients need it most, on Weekends. That’s a goal we can stand behind.

400 Centinela Street Affordable Housing Project Kicks Off /  by Valerie Puchades

AERO has officially started the conceptual design process for a 120 unit affordable housing complex located in our very own community and being built by our clients the Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) and Venice Community Housing. We’re partnering with our colleagues and officemates, The Architects Collective to bring this much needed project to fruition. When completed, the building will offer a variety of studio and one, two and three-bedroom units and include SJLI’s new 20,000sf HQ.

Welcoming our newest team member, Xinhua Wei /  by Valerie Puchades

Please give a warm welcome to Xinhua!

Xinhua takes inspiration from living and studying in China and the US. She draws on her international experiences to design places where people from various backgrounds feel comfortable. She aims to provide a better living experience through residential and multi-use building design.

AERO Goes Modular /  by Valerie Puchades

Andrew Crane at a modular factory

AERO partner, Andrew Crane, had the opportunity to tour two modular factories this summer in preparation for the construction of a workforce housing development at 400 E Adams. We learned much about the process, including how it can increase quality and save time in construction. 

First, a little background on the project. 400 E Adams is an 88-unit apartment building with a mix of units priced for individuals or families at income levels of 120-150 percent of the area's mean income level with 11 percent of units priced at the extremely low income level. The project owner, Markwood Enterprises, set a goal to finance and build the property without using grants or other public funding. This project is turning into a great case study on how developers can contribute to alleviating the housing crisis while still being economically feasible. An essential aspect of that strategy is taking advantage of modular construction.  

Modular factory floor with robots

Some of the cost efficiencies of modular construction come from automating the process. At one factory we toured, robots do about 60% of the building. A side benefit of this approach is that it eliminates much of the needed body strength that an individual would need on a traditional job site, making it a much more available job for people of different abilities. 

Modular construction works best when the building form is simple and repetitive actions, like installing the same finishes in every unit, can be achieved. In contrast, this construction method might not be as cost-effective for luxury condos where finishes and appliance packages vary. 

The building is delivered as a series of "boxes" that fit on a flatbed truck. For this project, we are receiving 48 boxes to achieve 88 units. Each box contains 1-2 fully finished, self-contained and locked apartments. Some hotels use this construction method to have fully finished and furnished hotel rooms delivered and assembled on a new property, artwork, furniture, appliances and all!  

Once the boxes get to the construction site, the process looks more traditional. A general contractor or construction management firm manages the on-site construction. They complete the site work and then hire a "setter" to crane in the modular units and strap them together. After assembly, the contractor roofs and sides the building and connects the utilities through the hallways. 

An aspect of this construction process we will be testing is the noise impact on the surrounding community. We hypothesize that construction noise and duration will be significantly lowered, making construction projects like this less inconvenient for the neighborhood and easier for developers to gain community support for their projects. 

Another benefit of modular construction is the quality of the final product. Double framed demising walls and floor ceiling assemblies are standard, creating a more durable structure with a higher R-value. That translates to better soundproofing between units and better energy efficiencies. Both good selling points for a property. Quality control and building efficiencies are also improved, saving developers time and money. 

Assembled Modular Units

Welcoming Our Newest Team Member, Hesby Cruz /  by Valerie Puchades

Picture of team member, Hesby Cruz

Please give a warm welcome to Hesby!

As a designer, he has an understanding of the intricacies of multi-family housing design and experience working with real estate developers on 100% affordable housing projects. At AERO, he contributes design ideas and helps the team to develop renderings and other project documentation to help clients see their visions take form.

A New Members-Only Cigar Bar in the Neighborhood /  by Andrew Crane

There’s a new cigar shop in town, and it is far more than meets the eye. Let us introduce you to Drobe Stogies. 

The space features a menswear shop, as well as a members-only bar. Located behind the retail shop, this speakeasy-style bar provides members with personal cigar lockers, a lounge and a VIP room. 

The shop features a traditional palette of natural materials, wood-paneled walls, a stone bar top, leather lounge chairs and polished concrete floors for a sophisticated feel. 

To learn more, click here.

Dunsmuir Apartments Progress /  by Andrew Crane

Our Dunsmuir Apartments project is moving right along!  

Each of the units are centered around a large private outdoor space, setting the building apart from the traditional apartment buildings that cover this Mid-City neighborhood. The building offers its tenants a gym, a community room, and a landscaped backyard with a BBQ. Once complete, this building will bring vitality to a once vacant lot. 

Like a couple of other projects we’ve highlighted, we have once again taken advantage of Los Angeles’ Transit Oriented Community (TOC) ordinance to maximize the housing provided onsite.

This project is expected to be completed in 2023. Follow along on our social channels to watch it progress!

400 E. Adams Street Brings Workforce Housing to Historic South-Central /  by Andrew Crane

We always enjoy working on well-intentioned development projects and believe that the expansion of affordable housing is one of the most valuable investments you can make. That's why we are proud to be designing this infill development featuring four levels of prefabricated modular units above on-grade parking. 

Taking advantage of Transit Oriented Community (TOC) incentives, we worked with the developer to design an 84-unit apartment complex in Historic South-Central that provides much needed workforce housing to the neighborhood while still being financially viable. Eight of the proposed apartments will be set aside as affordable housing at the extremely low-income level. The remaining units will be priced for households earning between 120 and 150 percent of the area median income. 

Follow along as this project continues to take shape!

Slauson Mixed-use Complex Moves Forward /  by Valerie Puchades

Building permit applications have been submitted for Slauson Apartments. Now that the ball is rolling, we’re excited to tell you all about it! 

This mixed-use apartment building is located in the Park Mesa Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles and is one and a half blocks away from a stop on the city's newest light rail line on Crenshaw Blvd. By taking advantage of the Transit Oriented Community (TOC) ordinance, we were able to achieve 63 units and 2,000sf of retail space.

When designing the retail component, we did so with small businesses in mind. With small spaces that are independent business friendly, we are creating something that serves the immediate needs of the community. 

Stay tuned for more information as this project develops.