Westwood Methodist Church Sanctuary Addition

The simple program, a bathroom addition with planters, was opportunistically leveraged into architecture as building

Location: Westwood, Los Angeles, Ca
Architect: Lehrer Architects LA, Inc Nerin Kadribegovic, Addition Design, Fundraising Program
Builder: Vairo Construction
MEP Engineer: Davidovich and Associates
Civil Engineer: Huitt Zollars
Photography: Michael B. Lehrer, FAIA
Awards: Award for Excellence in Design, American Institute of Architects – Los Angeles, 2011
Merit Award for Sacred Landscape, Faith and Form Magazine, 2011
Award of Excellence for ‘exceptional contribution’ in Landscape Architecture Category, Los Angeles Business Council, 2011
Westside Prize Honor Award, Westside Urban Forum, 2011

The simple program, a bathroom addition with planters, was opportunistically leveraged into architecture as building/landscape/urban furniture to create a new archetype – the quasi-public pocket park.

This project illustrates how there are no throw-away spaces. It honors the city and it honors the (Wilshire) boulevard by creating a quasi-public pocket park out of what was destined to be an otherwise grandiose, people-less driveway.