Affordable housing complex designed in Los Angeles

Affordable housing made from shipping containers is being constructed in Los Angeles.

The Isla Intersections complex has been designed by American firm LOHA and is reserved for tenants who were formerly homeless.

With the accommodation set to open next year, shipping containers were decided to be the best way to construct the project due to the speed at which they can be put together.

A potentially significant next step for the future of housing in the city

The complex will be built in South LA, near "one of the world's busiest freeway interchanges."

16 “staggered towers” will be arranged to form a “green lung”, which will filter car emissions and other air pollution.

"The landscaping is site-specific, with trees, shrubs and vines chosen for their ability to clean the air and offer a respite from the sea of concrete enclosing the site," the studio said.

"Our aim was to create something that was compartmental but solid, strong enough to withstand the demands of the project's location but porous enough to engage the residents on a human scale with outdoor activities and places to work and socialise."

The development will also include storefront spaces for retail, incubation and job training and support services, as well as administrative offices. Plans for the development also include rooftop farms and edible gardens to provide fresh food for tenants.

"This project has the chance to become part of a larger network of urban farms in the area, whose mission is to preserve the tradition of farming in South Los Angeles, bringing affordable produce to what many consider a food desert," the team said.

"It is in this kind of liminal space, fraught with ambiguity, that we see opportunity, and a potentially significant next step for the future of housing in the city.”