West Edge

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

West Edge redefines transit-oriented living in West Los Angeles, weaving creative office, retail and residential space into one seamlessly connected urban neighborhood.

Location

Los Angeles, California

Client

Philena Properties

Expertise

[FPO] Mixed Use [FPO] Retail Centers [FPO] Mixed-Use & Retail Centers Mobility & Transportation

Opportunity

Los Angeles’s expanding Metro rail network opens a once-in-a-generation possibility to reimagine how people live, move, and connect across the city.

For decades, Los Angeles built itself around the car. But now, as the Metro rail network expands its route, linking downtown LA, Culver City and Santa Monica via the Expo Line, a new model of urban life becomes possible. The West Edge site, adjacent to the Expo/Bundy Metro Station, presented an extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate that density, mobility, and community vitality could coexist in one of the city’s most dynamic corridors. Transit-oriented development has the power to accelerate neighborhood transformation and set a new standard for how Los Angeles grows.

Why This Matters

01
Mobility at City Scale
West Edge proves that multimodal access – Metro, cycling, pedestrian, and bus – can meaningfully reduce car dependency and offer commuters a genuinely compelling alternative to driving.
02
Built With the Community
More than 150 stakeholder meetings over four years ensured that West Edge reflects the priorities, values, and aspirations of the people who live and work in West Los Angeles.
03
A Blueprint for What’s Next
As one of the first major mixed-use transit-oriented development projects along the Expo Line, West Edge establishes a replicable model across the broader Los Angeles region.

FPO Quote

Solution

The building form wraps a street-level paseo, uniting transit, housing, creative office, and retail into a single, walkable neighborhood hub at the heart of West LA.

The design centers on a continuous street-level paseo that works as an activated pedestrian spine, drawing residents, workers, and visitors through the site and directly to the Metro station. Terraced massing steps create pockets of outdoor space, shade, and visual relief, while a serrated glass facade reveals the animate streetscape outside. The office lobby opens directly onto the plaza through an interior paseo, dissolving the boundary between public and private. A Douglas Fir plywood ceiling undulates overhead, grounding the lobby in warmth and craft. Every mobility mode is fully integrated into the space.

From brief to build: West Edge evolved through four years of rigorous design, deep community engagement, and the complex integration of multiple uses on a single urban site.

The project demanded continuous collaboration across every phase. The design team worked alongside community members, city agencies, and transit authorities to shape a project that genuinely served its neighborhood. Resolving the massing — from terraced forms around a central paseo to a serrated glass façade with purposeful reveals, and a three-level subterranean parking structure — required careful coordination across architecture, landscape, and urban planning disciplines. The result is a project that earned broad community support and delivered on every dimension of its original ambition.

Welcoming by Design

In prioritizing community inclusion, the site design focused on a welcoming space accessible from public streets.

Impact

West Edge has become a thriving proof of concept for a transit-oriented neighborhood, reshaping how Los Angeles thinks about density, mobility, and community life.

The project delivered 150,000 square feet of fully leased creative office space and a vibrant retail district anchored by direct Metro access and a living public plaza.

What Changed Because of This

01
Mobility Reimagined
West Edge integrates Metro rail, 717 bike parking spaces, bus access, and pedestrian-first site planning to offer residents and workers a genuinely viable, car-light way of living and community in Los Angeles.
02
Community by Design
The open-air plaza hosts farmers’ markets, pop-up craft fairs, and ongoing community events, creating a neighborhood gathering place that activates the public realm well beyond the building’s edges.
03
A New Urban Standard
With LEED Platinum and creative offices at 100% leased, West Edge sets a high bar for sustainability, performance, and livability along the Expo Line corridor.

Recognition

01

AIA California

Awarded West Edge a 2024 Design Merit Award, citing it as a strong mixed-use project with innovative facade and form that integrates with the surrounding community.

02

Southern California Development Forum

Honored West Edge with the 2023 Southern California Development Forum Mixed-Use Award.

03

NAIOP

Received the 2024 Mixed-Use Project of the Year Award, noting the project’s seamless integration between the energy of city life and calm of suburban spaces, establishing a central hub for community engagement.

Team

Project Leadership

Duncan Paterson

Duncan is a Principal in Gensler's Los Angeles office and a global leader in the firm's Mixed Use and Retail Centers practice. For more than 30 years, he has shaped some of the world's most influential mixed-use, retail, entertainment, and hospitality destinations, creating places that blend commerce, culture, and community.

[FPO] Robert Hsin

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[FPO] Shailesh Virlley

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[FPO] Ricardo Vega

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FAQ

01

What is West Edge?

West Edge is a large-scale, mixed-use development in West Los Angeles that combines 516 residential units, 150,000 square feet of creative office space, and 90,000 square feet of retail amenities on a single site, adjacent to the Expo/Bundy Metro Station. It’s one of the first major transit-oriented developments along the Metro Expo line.

02

Where is West Edge located?

West Edge is located in West Los Angeles, California, directly adjacent to the Expo/Bundy Metro Station on the Metro Expo Line, which connects downtown Los Angeles, Culver City, and Santa Monica.

03

What sustainability certifications does West Edge hold?

West Edge is LEED Platinum, reflecting a commitment to both environmental performance and occupant health and well-being.

04

How does West Edge support transit and alternative transportation?

The project is designed around multimodal access. In addition to direct adjacency to the Expo/Bundy Metro Station, West Edge provides 717 bike parking spaces and integrates pedestrian, bus, and vehicular access throughout the site, making car-free and car-light living a practical reality for residents and workers.

05

How was the community involved in the design of West Edge?

Community engagement was central to the project’s development. The design team conducted more than 150 stakeholder meetings over four years, ensuring that the priorities and perspectives of West Los Angeles residents, businesses, and city agencies shaped the project at every stage.

06

What makes West Edge significant for Los Angeles?

West Edge is one of the first mixed-use transit-oriented developments along the Metro Expo Line, establishing a replicable model for how Los Angeles can grow with transit infrastructure. With 20% affordable housing, fully leased creative offices, an activated public plaza, and top-tier sustainability credentials, it demonstrates that density and livability are not in conflict. They are complimentary.

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Related Expertise

Mixed-Use Retail Centers Mixed-Use & Retail Centers Mobility & Transportation

West Edge redefines transit-oriented living in West Los Angeles, weaving creative office, retail and residential space into one seamlessly connected urban neighborhood.

Los Angeles’s expanding Metro rail network opens a once-in-a-generation possibility to reimagine how people live, move, and connect across the city.

Why This Matters

The building form wraps a street-level paseo, uniting transit, housing, creative office, and retail into a single, walkable neighborhood hub at the heart of West LA.

From brief to build: West Edge evolved through four years of rigorous design, deep community engagement, and the complex integration of multiple uses on a single urban site.

West Edge has become a thriving proof of concept for a transit-oriented neighborhood, reshaping how Los Angeles thinks about density, mobility, and community life.

What Changed Because of This