Los Angeles Trade Technical College South Campus
Los Angeles, California, USA
Architect: MDA Johnson Favaro in collaboration with Gruen Associates

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The South Campus Project is the first phase of a multi-phase renovation of the Los Angeles Trade Technical College outlined in the 2002 Campus Plan created by the College in collaboration with MDA Johnson Favaro The project consists of 135,000 SF of classroom and office space as well as a one-stop student services center contained within two five-story buildings facing onto Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The project also includes a 700-car, two level subterranean parking structures on top of which are placed a multipurpose athletic/recreational field with training track, field event facilities, grandstands and lighting.

Enhancement of the stretch of Grand Avenue between Washington Boulevard and 23rd Street is a critical component of the project; its purpose is to incorporate Grand Avenue as a vital, working “vestibule” and “community room” for the campus. A new principal entry to campus is afforded via a generously scaled auto court accessed off of Grand Avenue, leading into the subterranean parking. This provides what the campus and the college most need: a clear, symbolically potent identity and dignified presence within downtown Los Angeles one of the most vibrant urban environments in Southern California.