Palimpsest: USC Center for Social Justice

Leimert Park has a layered history that celebrates black culture within Los Angeles. The USC Center for Social Justice has the opportunity to respectfully add a new layer and cultural hub to that history; Palimpsest accomplishes this feat through an emphasis of social and environmental sustainability. Apart from social justice research and services, this project engages with the Los Angeles and local community through active public space and an amphitheatre that amplifies voices and movements towards equity. The architecture relays a narrative of environmental sustainability through it’s mass timber construction and use of titanium dioxide coating that purifies the air. Overall, Palimpsest is meant to positively impact the community it is placed within: the true essence of what architecture is all about.