Evo: downtown L.A.’s new ‘green’ condos
It may seem like the worst time for a new condominium building to hit the market, but developers behind the new 24-story Evo tower at 1155 S. Grand Ave. in downtown Los Angeles this month are moving forward with a strategy that includes playing to the eco-consciousness of prospective buyers.
The building, representatives say, is on track to receive a silver LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The eco-friendly features will be the subject of a talk and tour Oct. 11, but the Home section got a sneak peek before Evo’s premiere. The model unit shown here was set up to showcase how the building’s sustainable construction can be complemented with a green interior.
* An earlier version of this caption incorrectly listed the address of the tower as 1155 S. Grand St. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
The new 24-story Evo tower at 1155 S. Grand Ave. in downtown Los Angeles will provide residents with energy efficiency and proximity to mass transit, not to mention great light.
Because many sustainable elements -- energy efficiency, proximity to mass transit, and so forth -- are not immediately apparent when one steps inside, Evo brought in designer Daniel Vandenbark of the West Hollywood firm Vernare to create a model unit with green interiors. Here in the main living area, he turned an oversized woven light fixture into a coffee table topped by recycled plexiglass. The space opens onto to the kitchen, out of frame to the right. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
Part of the appeal for downtown residents is the proximity to night life and restaurants, which inevitably reduces the amount of entertaining and cooking done at home. For many, an epic kitchen with monster appliances is neither a practical use of space nor a wise use of natural resources. This Evo kitchen: modern yet restrained. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
When he designed the loft-like one-bedroom model unit, Vandenbark envisioned a place where a person could entertain or crash with friends after a night on the town. In front of a partition separating the living room from the bedroom, he installed a daybed with natural latex padding and vegetable-dyed hemp upholstery. The concrete wall has been covered with American Clay plaster, a natural material that was troweled on and given a raked finish. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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“I like the powder room to be different from the rest of the house,” Vandenbark says. Using the same nontoxic Mythic paint used elsewhere in the condo, artist David Gilmore created a mural that’s bold, “like a tattoo,” Vandenbark says, adding that the work-in-progress can be taken in all sorts of different directions. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
In the bedroom area, the designer put in a platform bed made of sustainable bamboo finished in a nontoxic whitewash glaze. The pillow covers are cork. The chair and ottoman are by the new firm Animavi, whose steel frame is outfitted with soy-based foam cushioning and natural cowhide upholstery. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
On the sixth floor, a bank of glass doors slides open to a deep balcony. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
A different view from the same condo’s balcony at Evo, which sits at the corner of 12 Street and Grand Avenue. The metal panel on the floor above is a safety railing for one the building’s so-called Juliet balconies. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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On the sixth floor public patio, Evo’s glass facade reflects the image of its sister tower, Elleven. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
Evo’s pool, also six floors up, is long enough for residents to swim laps. The building is No. 3 in the South Group’s downtown development. The first tower, Elleven, lies to the right, separated from Evo by a pedestrian pathway. The second building, Luna, rises to the left. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
The view from a balcony on the 14th floor. Pan left and one can catch a glimpse of Staples Center a few blocks away. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
The dining area in a 14th-floor model unit is surrounded by city views. Floor plans in the building range from 730 to 3,500 square feet, and asking prices run from the mid-$400,000s to $3 million. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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For this two-bedroom model on the 14th floor, designer Vandenbark furnished the master with this bed made of salvaged lumber. He made the headboard with blocks of end-grain pine. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
The master bedroom’s closet: almost as large as the sleeping area. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
The second bedroom in the same unit. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
Though the bedrooms are distinct spaces, the rest of the 2,300-plus square feet are open and loft-like. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
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The Animavi chairs from the sixth-floor model reappear in the 14th floor unit, this time upholstered in a bright green felted wool. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
The top of a table by Greg Bergere’s Go Build studio has the vibe of zebrawood without the environmental implications. It’s made with a stained poplar veneer.
For more information about the building and its Oct. 11 event, go to the Evo website. For a look inside more Southern California homes, check out our Homes of the Times archive. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)
