Luma

Vision

Luma is a high-rise multifamily tower located right at the southern edge of Little Italy and bordering the Columbia neighborhood with close proximity to the San Diego Bay. The client enlisted Carrier Johnson + Culture to design a 24-story mixed-use tower that would fully capitalize on the site’s potential and maximize views of the water and city. As this was a dense urban site, the design team had to find playful formal solutions to create views that peak over and around the immediate surrounding context. Because of its prominent corner location, it was also important that this project represent Little Italy’s neighborhood identity and positively contribute to a bustling and artistic urban character.

Our team approached the design of Luma with multiple experiences in mind: that of the future user, pedestrian, neighbor, and distanced onlooker. The intent was to communicate the particular character of the surrounding neighborhoods in an abstract form with a unique exterior façade and massing design while achieving the client’s goal to offer residents unparalleled San Diego views and amenities.

To respond appropriately to its two adjacent neighborhoods, the massing of the tower was conceived as two interlocking elements: a proud glass jewel box anchors the corner of Ash and Columbia overlooking the downtown skyline and a second shorter mass relates closer to the Little Italy neighborhood with playful geometries and formal elements. The meeting of these two urban relationships would also be conveyed through the building’s articulated facade. The team developed a distinct architectural language to represent the major urban forces at play.

Project Meta

Client

Lennar Communities

Completion

2018

Size

442,000 SF

Construction Cost

$90,000,000

LEED Rating

Gold

Markets

Multifamily; Mixed-use

Project Types

Multifamily

Services

Architecture

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