Since founding Kadre Architects in 2022, Nerin Kadribegovic’s firm has garnered a reputation for doing a lot with a little. Case in point: standardized drawing sets for ADUs and an interim housing development wedged between highways. More recently, the Los Angeles practice transformed defunct storefront space in Compton into a social services hub. The Compton Community Center opened early this year. It offers case management services to individuals experiencing homelessness. Residents can go to the center for document procurement, connections to medical and behavioral health services, applications for vouchers, support for acclimating back to the job market, and other critical social services. A double-height vaulted space greets visitors upon entry. (Paul Vu) HOPICS is the service provider Kadre Architects worked with that now operates the 1,000-square-foot space. The space boasts vaulted ceilings, and bespoke wood creations that climb up the front facade, and hover above the backyard. The interiors are washed in natural light. The neo-postmodern architecture pulls from its context. To the community center’s left is a yellow apartment block and, to its right, a church with a pitched roof. The Compton Community Center was painted white and yellow, and the wooden lattice that’s attached to the front facade mimics the church’s slanted profile. The center is located between an apartment block and a church. (Paul Vu) The original storefront space had a modest 10-foot floor-to-ceiling height. After taking the commission, Kadre Architects uncovered concealed attics. The designers opened up the ceiling to create a double-height vaulted space with skylights. Asymmetric wooden desks staffed by HOPICS employees greet visitors upon entry. These bits were constructed out of laminated plywood, and mirror the geometric floor patterns. Custom shelving was also made of plywood. The interior palette makes generous use of bright white and yellow, a nod to the service provider’s brand colors, the adjoining buildings, and Kadre’s signature color-drenched spaces more broadly. The rear parking lot was converted into a courtyard garden and playground for visiting families. (Paul Vu) Aerial view of the rear courtyard, showing the heavy use of color. (Paul Vu) The lot Kadre Architects negotiated is long and narrow. The back was transformed into a vibrant, polychromatic courtyard employees and visitors can enjoy. Informal, outdoor meetings with case managers happen there. Playground equipment from a nearby housing project was installed in the courtyard garden for visiting families. Trees were planted, and slivers of existing asphalt were cut out and replaced with artificial turf, creating moments of green respite, the designers shared. This softens what was once a parking lot.