The Alvidrez is a proposed new permanent supportive housing development in Los Angeles to be developed by Skid Row Housing Trust and designed by Michael Maltzan Architecture. Planned for the Skid Row neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles, California, the 77,190 square foot, 14-story building will replace an old existing five-story residential building. This new residential construction is designed to be one of the first in the country to utilize a mass timber building frame system. Plans will provide 150 studio apartments, and 1 manager’s unit, for formerly homeless individuals. Each apartment is planned to include a bathroom, kitchen, appliances, and furnishings to support independent living. The building will host supportive services space for case managers on the ground floor.

The massing program for the proposed Alvidrez is driven by the construction logic of a mass timber frame system. The system incorporates modular building blocks made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) columns, beams and gravity framing deck members that contain the basic dwelling unit types. Mass timber systems are typically more fire resistant, provide strong structural integrity but are lighter in weight, are sustainable, and can provide time-saving efficiency benefits during construction.

The Alvidrez’s building form is a collection of vertical “bundles” of varying heights and elevations that feature eight outdoor roof terraces at the 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th floors. These terraces serve as important resting places for residents to enjoy the outdoors while also allowing for more natural light and ventilation to reach individual apartments.

The Alvidrez is named after Skid Row Housing Trust’s former CEO, Mike Alvidrez, who dedicated 27 years of service to the organization and is a life-long advocate of ensuring people experiencing homelessness have dignified homes with supportive services so they may break the cycle of homelessness for good.