Completed 2001

Prototypes is an interior tenant improvement project located in the ground floor of a LA skid row hotel owned and operated by the non-profit housing development organization Skid Row Housing Trust (SRHT). Prototypes (the tenant) is a non-profit group that provides counseling services, HIV testing and referral assistance to women on skid row, many with addiction problems and mental illness.

KEA's design for the 2,300 sf space accommodates a simple program of reception, counseling and meeting space, kitchenette and bathrooms to provide daytime refuge and respite that encourages women to seek Prototype's services.

The interior is arranged to establish layers of access. Beginning with an open reception area and client restroom, space then tightens at a copy room and lowered ceiling which clients pass as they move back through counseling areas and offices. The linear organization culminates in a large meeting room where group sessions, "movie matinees" and other activities for the women take place.

The rear masonry wall was opened to provide a "smoking area" off the alley and allow light to penetrate from the front and rear. Details throughout are kept simple and efficient to meet tight budget and space requirements.