Occupying a corner lot in a West Los Angeles neighborhood along Mississippi Avenue, one block off Sawtelle Boulevard, the Mississippi Lofts duplex is connected to one of the most active pedestrian streets in the area. This neighborhood of older Japanese businesses, restaurants, nurseries, and homes maintains the scale and charm of a unique time. The placement of the 2,711 square foot duplex responds to its corner site on the Northeast and a desire for optimal solar orientation for the South. The developer’s desire for a large sunny garden and the goal of maintaining maximized open space created a vertical stacking along the North and elongation to the West, allowing full Southern exposure. The open space created is enhanced by a drought-tolerant garden and also function as an area for subsurface irrigation fed by the building’s on-site greywater system.

Mississippi Lofts is a two-unit solar duplex. Both units have separate two car garages and unique outdoor spaces. Because of its compact design allowing for outdoor space consistent with the scale of the existing neighborhood, the project received unanimous support from the local neighborhood association.