USC Center for Social Justice

The project is a heavy timber mid-rise tower located in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park. The building is meant to function as a safe space for members of USC and the local community to engage one another in social justice issues. The program is arranged so that every floor has a space dedicated to community outreach and a series of architectural stairs connect these community spaces. A courtyard adjacent to the future Leimert Park Metro station provides a space for assembly and acts as a node for all the elements of the surrounding site. A performative skin meant to reduce solar gain during the hottest months and increase it during the coldest months wraps the major elevations of the project.