City / Santa Monica, CA Program / 3 units condo Completed / 1992
The Given triplex is a three-unit speculative condominium development in the Ocean Park neighborhood in Santa Monica. At first, glance the triplex appears to be a familiar, craftsman-inspired development with “broad curb appeal,” as realtors describe it. Craftsmanlike material and proportions are used intentionally to solidify the eroding neighborhood texture of the few adjacent older building and open spaces; this quiet strategy belies the program’s density. An idiosyncratic layer with slightly altered roof pitches, voluminous interior spaces with generous windows adds present day vitality and confirms—for those who insist that past architecture is better than what we build now—that current architecture may well offer as great a potential as adhering to past traditions.