The RED Office Completes New Abpòpa Hillcrest Hotel in San Diego
The RED Office and faculty member Hector M. Perez with Ted Smith and Kate Meairs have completed Abpòpa Hillcrest, a boutique hotel with lofty microunits. As the team explains, Hillcrest is at the forefront of San Diego’s neighborhood revitalization, and Abpòpa Hillcrest is directly adjacent to the “Uptown Gateway” project, designed to densify and rejuvenate on a level to exceed that of any neighboring community.
Hillcrest is the future site of tall modern buildings, parks, and public gathering spaces, creating a real urban hub. Units are just seven and a half feet in width in a 20 foot wide structure, with ground floor retail and unheated common spaces on each upper floor. Hillcrest is centrally located, with Balboa Park, Downtown San Diego, Coronado Island, beaches are all easily accessed Via bus (there’s a stop directly in front), Uber, bike, or sidewalk. Mission Valley’s regional flagship shopping is a short ride away, making Hillcrest one of the most livable of San Diego’s neighborhoods.
Abpòpa Hillcrest is named in honor of the famed Russian cruiser launched in 1900, and currently preserved as a museum ship in St. Petersburg. The name was inspired from the project architects, developers, and operators that make up the RED Office. The stalwart RED Office team share the rewards of the hotel development endeavor equally among all who volunteered their time to make it happen. Abpòpa’s extra in-unit amenities of light, air, space, materiality, convenience, and split-level floor plans are provided in lieu of hotel-like extras such as pool and weight room. It incorporates a split-level section creating 12-foot ceilings in half the room. Fully furnished units add to the usability and atmosphere of the architecturally thoughtful spaces.
