Orange Tree Plaza

Revitalization of the urban center of this older city by introducing housing to its core at the scale of the whole block is the urban goal of this project. The design of substantial urban buildings informed by a vivid historical context is developed to reflect the unique character of Riverside, its traditions, urban structure and climate.

The proposal responds to adjacent forms and activities. To the south, arcades and the general building mass compliment the Mission Inn. To the west the repetitive bay composition echoes the traditional Main Street commercial buildings, while the placement of shops and office entries on the ground floor enriches pedestrian street life. To the north and east the massing and character is of traditional urban residential complexes. Existing alleys within the site are transformed into a mid block passeo, with shops and a restaurant, connecting Main and Sixth Streets and serving pedestrians coming to and from parking, the Inn and the housing above.

Located on top of the existing parking structure, the housing is divided into five separate, distinct courtyard buildings. The variety of housing configurations combined with mixed use buildings not only reduces the overall scale of the project but also creates clusters of apartments around intimate shared courtyards. Orange Tree Plaza is intended to become a rich precinct of gardens on the parking which is rendered invisible by way of the wrap of commercial fronts and generous stairs cascading from the housing above down to the street level. These additions bring life back to the street.