United Oil Gasoline Station reinterprets the most ubiquitous fixture of roadside culture: the gas station and drive-thru carwash.
Situated on the southwest corner of La Brea and Slauson avenues in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Ladera Heights, this project seeks to breathe new life into a commercial intersection left ignored and in need of more thoughtful design. The project includes a 2,000 sq ft glass-encased mini-market, a car wash, and a pocket park on an acre site.
The sinuous and curvilinear metal roof structure, supported by dynamically flared steel columns, is the most prominent design feature. Taking cues from Los Angeles?s most iconic urban infrastructure?the freeway?the canopy sweeps up to a point 30 feet above the pumps below while the station?s concrete car ramp flows up and over the rear of the mini-market and back down into the carwash at the far west end of the site.