New urban apartments in downtown SM

By Daily Press staff

Construction has started on twin six-story apartment buildings providing 100 units at 1244 Sixth St. in downtown Santa Monica.

Developed by JSM Construction Inc., the urban multi-family project will extend the developer’s presence in the area bounded by Wilshire Boulevard and Colorado Avenue on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh streets, where it has built some 500 units.

Designed by Killefer Flammang Architects, the San Marco and Rappalo buildings will each include 2,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, said JSM’s Tim Ball. Both buildings will be served by a common gym.

“The thrust of the design concept,” explained architect Wade Killefer, “is to provide urban housing in a casual environment.”

Ranging in size from 640 to 950 square feet, the units include 18 one-bedroom/one-bath and 32 two-bedroom/two-bath apartments — all with private balconies.

The landscaping concept calls for using plants that address water conservation concerns, said KFA’s Bob Timmerman, project manager.

Planned for completion within a year, the two buildings will add to JSM’s downtown Santa Monica collection, which currently includes 10 buildings.

The new project is the latest of more than 7,000 market-rate, low-income and special needs multi-family units designed by KFA in downtown Los Angeles and the Westside. The 45-member firm was named “City Rebuilder of the Year” last year by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects.



Appliance leader picks agency of record for $5M year-long campaign

By Daily Press staff

Santa Monica-based Kastner & Partners has been named agency of record for Breville, a leader in high-end home appliances.

In addition to serving as key creative, strategic and media agency partner, Kastner & Partners will serve as guardians of Breville brand communication in all touch points, including packaging and point-of-sale.

“We’ve been working with Kastner & Partners on a project basis over the last year to better establish our brand in the U.S., and they’ve been instrumental in helping us increase sales performance to date,” said Scott Brady, vice president of sales and marketing, Breville USA. “We’re thrilled to officially announce Kastner & Partners as agency of record and excited to unveil our first creative campaigns as partners in the upcoming months.”

The integrated campaign will kick off with national print ads in epicurean, shelter and women’s lifestyle magazines in November, followed by national cable and alternative out-of-home initiatives in 2007.

“When Breville first talked with us about their goals for building the brand in the U.S., we came back to them with new product packaging designs — not at all what they had asked for, but what we believed would best elevate the brand among high-end retailers, positively impacting bottom-line sales and overall image,” said Thomas Grabner, CEO, Kastner & Partners in America. “Now we’re set for stage two: communicating the genuine innovation and beautiful design of the Breville brand to consumers.”

Kastner & Partners in America is part of an independent, international network providing creative, strategy and media under one roof. The company works for a select roster of top brands such as Red Bull, Porsche and Ubisoft.