Westside DIGS | Digital Edition Online

14 DIGS.NET | 3.19.2021 A R C H I T E C T U R E + D E S I G N P R O F I L E | B I S C U I T LO F T FASHIONED IN JAPANESE RYOKAN STYLE, BISCUIT LOFT IS MINIMALLY APPOINTED TO EMPHASIZE BEAUTY AND UTILITY. BIRCH WOOD IS A PRIMARY MATERIAL USED THROUGHOUT, FROM BUILT-IN CABINETRY TO THE INNOVATIVE STAIRCASE. I n 1925, the brick-and-steel headquarters for the National Biscuit Company was built in Los Angeles. Nearly a century on, Nabisco is a household name, and the building with a factory past is a household for many, as the live/work complex Biscuit Company Lofts. In the building's preexisting framework, one of strong industrial bones, L.A. architecture and design office OWIU—shorthand for "The Only Way Is Up"—seized the opportunity to aesthetically experiment and construct new interior elements for a minimal, space-effi- cient apartment within. Called Biscuit Loft, this bastion of light, warmth and elegant utility offers residential and spiritual amnesty from the urban engine of L.A.'s Downtown Arts District. Without waste or want, it's incredibly dignified, a place to take tea, enjoy friends and contemplate the day. "The feeling of the space is extremely peaceful and calming—qualities that are important in a residential project," says Amanda Gunawan, architect and founding principal of OWIU. "Nothing in particular stands out or is screaming for attention, and the energy of the house is one that is extremely passive, at least spatially, and it works harmo- niously with both the soft light that flows in and changes as the day progresses, as well as the harsh industrial backdrop of the Arts District." If light is a defining feature of the apartment, volume is its strongest physical characteristic; together, these factors are fundamental to the design. "The loft caught my attention in the beginning because it is a double-volume corner unit," Gunawan says. "This doesn't exist anywhere else in the building." Double the height, double the natural light, and the extravagance that pours in here is so reliable, and so profuse, that the 1,620-square-foot, open plan unit appears perpetually haloed. It also highlights an extravagance of Baltic Birch, whitewashed brick walls, concrete floors and exposed industrial elements, all in harmonious coexistence. Harmony is essential to the traditional Japanese ryokan ethos, which is the basis for Biscuit Loft. "I've always been highly inspired by Japanese residential and what their houses embody," Gunawan confesses. "Japanese houses absolutely take into consideration the user's lifestyle and the space very much accommodates that." While of a very different provenance than age-old Japan, Biscuit Loft is nonetheless at home in the ryokan's intentional, no-frills functionality; it's tasteful, essential, and precise. There is no space for space's sake here—to every exquisitely understated room there is a use, often more than one. In the guest room, for example, Gunawan designed a platform bed with storage for a futon, so that, when not accommodating guests, the piece also functions as a sitting platform (or, "in my case, a tea room," she says). Gunawan is insistent about the virtues of storage, calling it "the most underrated thing in a residential project," including this one. The commitment to visual continuity in the project shows great discipline; every part is of equal value and contribution to the overall design. But while not a space of showpieces, the sculptural staircase is not exactly incon- spicuous. As a replacement of the preexisting staircase—a mostly serviceable affair with a conventional stick-straight railing—the current version is the dose of architectural drama this loft deserves. Fashioned like a single piece of origami, with a striking set of folds, it does not

• Cover