Innovative solutions to building Accessory Dwelling Units, facilitated by the LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design.
Join a panel of specialists in the field of architecture and urban planning for a discussion about Accessory Dwelling Units—also known as ADUs—and their role in increasing Los Angeles County’s affordable housing.
As LA County works to find sustainable solutions to the humanitarian crisis of homelessness, the Arts Commission, a partner in the Homeless Initiative’s Second Dwelling Units Pilot Program, has mobilized the community of architects, designers, and creative strategists to reimagine the potential of “granny flats” or ADUs in relieving housing pressure.
The event will include presentations from the architectural design competition Part of the Solution: YES to ADU, which offers a tangible index of possibilities that can help policy makers, architects, and home owners implement ADUs in their communities.
Participants include Elizabeth Timme, co-founder of LA Más; Linda Taalman, founder of IT HOUSE INC; Jon Sanabria, Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning; Liz Mahlow, NOUS Engineering; and Derek Leavitt, co-founder of Modative.
For more YES to ADU events please see https://www.lacountyarts.org/ADU
Aaron Vaden Youmans, moderator, is a director on the board of the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design, an independent nonprofit organization that instigates dialogues on design and the built environment through public programming, exhibitions, and publications.
Elizabeth Timme is the co-founder of LA-Más, a non-profit urban design organization that helps lower-income and undeserved communities shape their future through policy and architecture. Timme currently serves on the Zoning Advisory Committee of Re: Code LA, a city-led effort to transform the LA’s outdated zoning code and is working with the County Community Development Commission on the Homeless Initiative Pilot Program.
Linda Taalman is the founder of IT HOUSE INC., where she developed a design for prefabricated glass houses. Previously, Taalman founded OPENOFFICE to operate between architecture, art, and design on residential and retail projects, as well as projects for restaurants and cultural institutions. Her work is in such collections as MoMA and the Vitra Design Museum. An Associate Professor Woodbury University, Taalman conducted an undergraduate studio that incorporated the YES to ADU design competition as part of its curriculum.
Jon Sanabria is Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning. Prior to the Department of Regional Planning, he worked for several architectural firms in Los Angeles, including Gruen Associates. Sanabria holds a dual PhD. in Urban Planning and Public Administration and participated as a juror in the YES to ADU design competition.
Iris Anna Regn, moderator, is a Civic Arts Project Manager of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Civic Art Program, which provides leadership in the development of high quality civic spaces by integrating artists into the planning and design process at the earliest possible opportunity, encouraging innovative approaches to civic art, and providing access to artistic experiences of the highest caliber for the residents of Los Angeles County.
Elizabeth Mahlow is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), and the Association of Women in Architecture and Design (AWA+D). Her work focuses on high-rise concrete construction, seismic design, and special structures. Mahlow was project principal on the ADUs for the pilot program for the City of Los Angeles and served as an advisor on the YES to ADU design competition.
Derek Leavitt is co-founder of the architecture firm Modative, a leading expert in Los Angeles’ innovative residential small lot subdivision ordinance. Modative seeks to resolve the housing crisis in Los Angeles by exploring Accessory Dwelling Units as a means to increase residential density in responsible and meaningful ways.
This event is presented in partnership with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Civic Art Program and the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design.