Moule Polyzoides

Granada Court interior

Submitted by Filmanowicz on Thu, 02/22/2007 - 8:11am. Tags for this image:
Of the more than 40 units at Granada Courts, no two are alike, allowing spaces to feel intentional not formulaic.
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Granada Court Site Plan

Submitted by Filmanowicz on Thu, 02/22/2007 - 5:00am. Tags for this image:
By request, here's the ground-floor site plan for Granada Court. The development features 31 units on about .6 of an acre. It faces Union Street and Oak Knoll Avenue and backs onto a small surface parking lot serving Colorado Boulevard retailers such as Vroman's independent bookstore.
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Granada Court 3

Submitted by Filmanowicz on Thu, 02/22/2007 - 3:31am. Tags for this image:
Here's how Granada Courts looks from Union Street, not quite as memorable as the interior courtyard spaces but the human-scaled doorways to individual units help it make a fine contribution to the urbanism of Pasadena.
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Granada Court 2

Submitted by Filmanowicz on Thu, 02/22/2007 - 3:17am. Tags for this image:
The delightful shared spaces in Granada Courts make densities of 50 units to the acre feel relaxed and livable. The fountain court and narrow staircases could fit naturally into a Mykonos hillside. Smart use of the courtyard allows what would otherwise be common-space hallways to be reborn as balconies and loggias.
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Granada Courts 1

Submitted by Filmanowicz on Thu, 02/22/2007 - 3:02am. Tags for this image:
This is state-of-the-art California courtyard housing designed by someone who knows the form well, Stefanos Polyzoides. It shows Los Angeles how to build densities in or near existing downtowns -- in this case 50 units to the acre within a block of Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard. Residents have a one-block walk to Target and about a 5-block walk to Metro's Gold Line. It also adds density gracefully, avoiding the bulkiness of nearby stacked-flats and using intimate-yet-airy European spaces to break up the space.
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