Little Tokyo Towers

Los angeles, CALIFORNIA

RAHD Group, Little Tokyo Towers Board of Directors

300 senior Units

The rehabilitation of Little Toyko Towers featured a full modernization of a 300-unit 1970’s pre-cast concrete residential tower in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. The building’s urban setting, cultural context, and unique modularized construction provided challenges and opportunities for reimagining this faded tower.

The typical one-bedroom unit plans were expanded by reconstructing the window wall of the bedroom to take full advantage of the existing concrete slab extensions. In addition to adding valuable square footage to the unit plans, this enhancement of the façade also served to break up the predominant horizontality of the original design. New balcony rails further serve to update the overall aesthetic while providing safety for continued use in the many years to come.

Building systems were updated, including new HVAC and new plumbing throughout the building. These improvements, coupled with new windows and doors, new elevator equipment, as well as a new membrane roof help to improve overall building efficiency and reduce ongoing maintenance.

Common areas were upgraded throughout including a re-envisioned multi-purpose room with operable partitions, new A/V infrastructure, and new lobby, library, and craft rooms. New casework, furnishing, landscape, and site signage all were designed with an eye towards the Japanese-American context of the neighborhood, the building, and its inhabitants.