Santa Monica Rejects “Jenga” Design, OKs Basic Apartments

Santa Monica officials trashed a developer’s “Jenga” design concept for an apartment project.

The city’s architectural review board unanimously approved a 260-unit housing development after the developer brought on a different architect and abandoned the design resembling the building blocks game, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported.

The board rejected the original design in December, forcing the developer, whose identity is hidden behind an LLC, to come up with a new look for the development. Tai Architecture created the approved design.

The eight-story project, at 1907-1933 Wilshire Boulevard, will have 26 affordable housing units, about 21,500 square feet of ground-floor retail, and four levels of subterranean parking. It will rise 85 feet above Wilshire between 19th and 20th Streets, with vehicle access in the rear alley.

It’s one of the largest residential developments in the city’s mixed-use district to earn approval this year.

The initial proposal drew criticism from board members for its appearance and lack of connectivity with the street and surrounding buildings.

Instead of pursuing the Jenga look, the building will feature a more traditional aesthetic, including gridded windows on the ground floor, projecting frames and recessed upper floors in darker materials to reduce the building’s perceived scale. The proposal also features more open courtyards and increased natural light access throughout the building.

There’s still more work for the developer, however, as the approval came with numerous conditions that must be addressed before construction can begin. The developer is required to find an alternative support system for a large architectural frame, increase the number of sun-shade fins on the building’s exterior, and plan to plant bigger trees in the second-floor courtyard than was proposed, as well as tweak some balcony proportions and how metal panels will wrap around corners of the building.

The project must still go through final plan review and building permit approval before shovels can hit dirt.

— Chris Malone Méndez