GREEN MATERIALS, BUILDING, AND living are becoming commonplace in Los Angeles with each passing year. Locals are at the forefront of the green movement. New buildings that use materials, which have low environmental impact and have high energy efficiently are known as green buildings. Recycled materials used in construction can be a type of green product.
Being green can mean anything from installing solar panels to recycling plastic bottles — just doing your part to help the environment. However, what if an entire building could be recycled — would that be green? In Downtown Los Angeles, the recycling of buildings from one use to another is known as adaptive reuse.
One of the best ways to conserve land and building materials is to reuse them. Imagine a new city made of old structures. Downtown Los Angeles has done just that. It defines adaptive reuse as: An Adaptive Reuse Project is any change of use to dwelling units, guest rooms, or joint living and work quarters in all or any portion of any eligible building.
What that translates into is changing an existing building — say a toy factory — into an apartment building. The theory is that by converting older, economically distressed buildings into apartments, this will help transform Downtown L.A. into a “24-hour city” like Manhattan.
The city allows buildings with specific zoning codes — commercial or industrial, built before July 1, 1974 — to apply for an adaptive reuse permit. Of course, there are a plethora of hurdles to cross, but if a building is designated as an adaptive reuse project the builder can begin converting the building into apartments. However, the city of Los Angeles does not allow all buildings to be converted — only specific structures that fall into the Downtown Los Angeles map.
By allowing certain buildings to be converted to apartments, downtown has seen a renaissance with young and older people alike moving to the area. L.A. Live, a multi-facility complex across the street from the Staples Center, will bring three hotels, restaurants and shops to the revitalized neighborhood.
The number of apartment lofts has exploded in the last five years, with more units coming online each month. Of course, record growth can have problems as well. With a large number of loft units coming onto the market and a liquidity crunch from lenders along with a soft real estate market, many lofts are not being sold, but rented instead.
With time, loft units will be selling again and Downtown L.A. will continue to grow, attracting new businesses along with the regentrification of an already diverse city. Through adaptive reuse, many other cities can learn to manage land and materials, and help the environment.
MIKE HEAYN is a Washington Mutual multi-family loan consultant. He (310) 428-1342, or e-mailed at
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 27, 2008. Read the original PDF.