El Sereno Haven - V Trujillo
East Los Angeles College (ELAC)
Professor: Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter
El Sereno Haven is a project responding to the loss of 18 lives and displacement of community due to The Eaton Fire. My proposal attempts to reconnect people through a shared experience, indoor/outdoor living, and an exploration of spatial perspective.
The site itself is about 10 miles from Altadena and a result of decades of disruption, with Caltrans acquiring neighborhoods in Alhambra and El Sereno through eminent domain. In order to connect the 710 freeway from South Pasadena through El Sereno in the 1950s and 1960s, a project that was legally terminated in 2019 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. As a result, the current zoning has been zoned as Public Facilities, resulting in an unusual mix of commercial, industrial, and residential buildings nearby. On the North side of the site are train tracks, and to the East is a residential part of Alhambra.
El Sereno Haven centers on community resilience, and offers transitional housing as well as a community center for these under-resourced neighborhoods. Community is encouraged through shared resources. The project is a flexible trauma informed design proposal with various openings and shading for a comfortable stay in the transitional housing units. Perspective is explored through the trapezoidal prism being divided and reassembled into new spatial configurations, gaining stability through interconnectedness. The project is more than shelter: it attempts to bring people together after the Eaton Fire, responding to site conditions, climate, and shared spaces and resources during their transition.
The units are designed to explore the leaning qualities of a trapezoid, similar to those found amongst family, friends, and neighbors. Divided in two and paired together to assemble a composition that responds to the average Altadena 2.7 household, with particular consideration for people with disabilities, and working class professionals. A substantial amount of flexible opportunities are available at the lower levels of the clusters, for people with disabilities. The exploration between the two compositions promotes an expansive space of connection. The project also gives unique opportunities to indoor/outdoor living in both the lower and upper levels. This study showcases a simple shape transformed through rotation, alignment, and distancing in order to articulate perspectives that are dynamic, uplifting and comfortable for their transitional chapter after the Eaton Fire.
El Sereno Resilience Center is located on the northwest side of the site with primary access from Valley Blvd., and secondary access from Front Street. It works as a buffer from the noise. The pathways encourage access from the surrounding parts of the neighborhood to encourage community interaction and offering services such as kitchens, spaces for health care, education, public gatherings, and public showers and restrooms. The space opens and closes dynamically to respond to the warm climate in El Sereno and offers natural ventilation, lighting, and flexible ways to circulate throughout the center. Perspective is explored similarly to the transitional housing units by rotating, combining, and expanding elevations. The center stands as a beacon for survivors from the Eaton Fire, and a shared space of learning and renewal for residents from Alhambra and El Sereno. It is a space for people to learn, rebuild, and move forward together on a planet that constantly teaches us resilience.
