3223 Wilshire Boulevard will serve as a gateway to Santa Monica, sitting along a significant east-west route at the city’s border with Los Angeles. The route was originally dictated by the base of hills whose transverse ridges were landmarks for shore-seeking travelers. Today, this mixed-use urban infill project recalls the elemental juxtaposition between land and ocean, stillness and movement, solidity and fluidity.

Like the mountains, the project’s mass is formally passive, with travertine tile rain screens wrapping the residential units — stone thrust upwards. Building corners, windows, and terraces mimic the geological phenomena of arêtes, ridge-like features carved by erosion that create dynamic shadows along rock faces. Painted metal sunshades and spandrel panels punctuated by building openings create similar deep shadows.

Like water, the proposed retail spaces, main lobby, building circulation, and balconies express a sense of dynamic motion and openness: their material expression glassy and fluid with undulating and fritted patterns. A feature stair in the southwest corner encourages residents to ascend its daylit steps, promoting healthy habits and lower energy use. Open-air corridors allow the mild coastal climate to further mitigate building energy demand. Active ground floor retail — a neighborhood amenity — behind a transparent facade anchors the corner at Wilshire Boulevard and Centinela Avenue while wrapping a mid-block retail plaza.