Drawing inspiration from old world developments in Europe centered around internal courtyards, 821 Traction is conceived to add density to the permitter of the site, forming an open air living room at the center of the development. Set back from the bustling urban streets of the Arts District, the courtyard is the heart and lifeblood of the project.

In order to create the courtyard, Klein Agency added two new buildings to form a solid perimeter around the project site. Two open air corridors lead from the street to the courtyard. These passages are dramatic canyons offering public access to the internal, more private courtyard. As one approaches the central core, light pours in from a generous southern face, washing the newly planted gardens and Bottle tree. The retail and hospitality spaces all face and open out toward the courtyard.The ensemble of buildings built during different decades is brought together through the introduction of arched openings for the doors and windows. Regardless of construction or previous exterior facade, a smooth plaster finish is applied to all the buildings in pursuit of a new imagined continuity. The natural rawness of Greek flagstone, that lays broken and cemented through the courtyard, entrance corridors and further tracks into interior spaces on the ground level, adds in creation of connection and cohesiveness of the project as a whole.It is in this simplicity of exposed materials - ceiling wood beams, broken flagstone, supple plaster walls, custom bent metal arched doors - that Klein Agency’s ethos of grounded space making comes through.

The development is conceived to be home to a sensitive breed of retail and hospitality operators. The upper floor operates as an office campus of disparate spaces, connected by two catwalks, open air balconies the tenants can lounge in throughout the day. The connection to outdoor space is furthered by the creation of a roof deck on top of the newly added buildings. A bridge connects the two roof areas, offering unparalleled views of the Los Angeles Skyline.