Isla Intersections Supportive Housing and Paseo by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects: Transforming LA’s Challenging Urban Parcels into Sustainable Community Housing

The Isla Intersections Supportive Housing and Paseo project by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) stands as a breakthrough model for sustainable, community-centered living in Los Angeles. Completed in 2025 and spanning 35,000 square feet, this 54-unit modular housing development reimagines how the city’s most challenging parcels can be transformed into resilient, people-focused spaces.

Situated on a 19,814-square-foot triangular site, the development sits near one of the busiest freeway interchanges in the world—where the 110 and 105 intersect. Despite the noise, pollution, and spatial limitations, LOHA successfully converts the difficult lot into a vibrant living environment that integrates affordable housing, wellness infrastructure, and ecological restoration.

Reclaiming Neglected Urban Land for Affordable Housing

In 2018, Los Angeles opened more than 1,700 city-owned parcels to developers addressing the affordable housing crisis. Many of these lots were awkwardly shaped, polluted, or hidden along busy corridors. Isla Intersections creatively repurposes two such parcels—a traffic island and an abandoned railroad right-of-way—into a unified architectural landmark.

Working alongside non-profit developer Holos Communities, LOHA’s design demonstrates how modular construction and landscape-focused planning can turn neglected infrastructure land into thriving neighborhoods.

Modular Architecture for Faster, Sustainable Construction

The housing complex is built from recyclable steel modular containers—each unit composed of three 20-foot by 8-foot modules welded into a 480-square-foot home. These compact, efficient residences include:

• ADA-compliant kitchen
• Bathroom
• Living area
• Bedroom
• Open-plan layout maximizing natural light

Sixteen staggered container “boxes” line the spine of Broadway Street, forming towers connected by external walkways. This creates both visual rhythm along the street and functional circulation across the site.

Designing Community Spaces Through Staggered Towers

The pie-shaped geometry of the site becomes an asset. LOHA strategically arranges the residential towers along the perimeter to carve out pocket parks and a central communal courtyard. These shared landscaped spaces:

• Bring nature into daily urban living
• Encourage interaction among residents
• Offer quiet green environments despite the adjacent freeways

This integration of private living units with communal outdoor areas delivers a strong sense of belonging and wellness.

A Gradual Urban Transition and Human-Centered Paseo

Moving north along Broadway, the building gradually steps down from five stories to two, blending sensitively into nearby single-family neighborhoods. This transition strengthens the connection to the Annenberg Paseo, a newly designed pedestrian-friendly corridor adjacent to the project.

The Paseo functions as a “slow space” prioritizing walkers and cyclists. At ground level, the building opens toward the paseo with:

• Retail spaces
• Incubation and job training centers
• Support service offices
• Administrative workspaces

This not only activates the public edge but provides residents with easy access to resources that support long-term stability.

A Living Lung: Filtering Air, Growing Food, Supporting Community Health

Given the site’s proximity to freeways, LOHA’s landscape strategy doubles as environmental infrastructure. The paseo and pocket parks are planted with air-purifying vegetation that traps particulates and reduces pollution exposure.

Additional sustainability features include:

• Rooftop farms
• Edible gardens
• Weekly farmers' markets with fresh produce
• Partnerships with local urban farms

These agricultural elements support food security and reconnect residents with South Los Angeles’s cultural history of farming.

Just one mile away, the Stanford Avalon Community Garden—a cherished 9-acre urban farm—acts as a regional partner. Isla Intersections aims to extend this legacy by becoming part of a larger network of urban agricultural zones throughout Los Angeles.

A Model for Future Modular Housing in Urban Centers

Isla Intersections demonstrates how architecture can address homelessness, environmental pollution, and food access simultaneously. By blending modular construction, sustainable landscaping, community programs, and urban farming, LOHA sets a new standard for affordable housing in dense cities.

This project proves that even the most difficult parcels of urban land can become healthy, dignified living environments when design, ecology, and community needs align. 

All the photographs are works of Eric Staudenmaier