The California Rebuilds Design Competition Winners Announced
The Passive House Network and Passive House California are honored to present the California Rebuilds Design Competition winners. These projects demonstrate excellence in high-performance building by utilizing the Passive House standard alongside considerations of fire resilience, cost, and age-in-place design. Each winner and runner-up reflects one of four aesthetic styles (Craftsman, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mid-Century Modern, and Contemporary), taking inspiration from the diverse designs found in the areas affected by the Los Angeles Wildfires.
Judges:
- Dragoș Arnăutu, Passive House Institute
- Heidi Erm, Building Decarbonization Coalition
- Greg D. Fisher, Greg D. Fisher, Architect
- Lisa Gralnek, iF Design
- Avideh Haghighi, ZEROHOUZ
- Megumi Hironaka, HED
- Chinmaya Misra, CHINCHIN Design and CHA:COL
- Cyril Petit, Passive House California
- DeShawn Samad, Altadena Recovery Team
- Eddy Voltaire, Design Construction & Sustainability Inc.
Spanish Colonial Revival
First Place
Casa Del Consuelo by mossArchitects & bldgtyp
“This is Spanish Colonial in a contemporary way. Clear flow, thoughtful fire barriers in courtyards, Passive House principles are addressed, and good presentation.” – Judges
From the Architects: Casa del Consuelo exceeds PHPP energy performance benchmarks, integrates wildfire resilience and defensible space requirements, and ensures comfort and long-term adaptability through aging-in-place design. By combining passive and active strategies, fire-resistant detailing, and durable, cost-effective construction, the project demonstrates how a culturally rooted architectural language can meet the challenges of climate, resilience, and sustainability in the Pacific Palisades.
Second Place
The Manzanita House by Artisans Group Architecture & Planning
“Prefabricated panel systems will help ease construction and speedy recovery.” “There’s a good balance of indoor and outdoor.” – Judges
From Architects: Inspired by the character of Altadena and Pacific Palisades neighborhoods, the 3 bedroom design embraces a smaller, smarter footprint. It takes advantage of Like-for-Like rebuilding rules to streamline permitting, while every detail—from the airtight envelope to solar panel placement—meets rigorous Passive House standards. Prefabrication is utilized for faster build and cost efficiency. Designed with aging in place in mind, it uses solar orientation, low-impact materials, and proven building science to deliver comfort, durability, and beauty.
Mid-Century Modern
First Place
Indoor Sanctuary, Outdoor Connection by PARAVANT Architects & Home Energy Services
“Moderate size with maximum advantage of indoor/outdoor living.” “This project is likely to have wide appeal.” – Judges
From the Architects: The project envisions a single-story, ±1,700 square foot single-family residence with an attached garage located in either Altadena or the Pacific Palisades. The design centers around a front courtyard that connects directly to the dining area through large, operable doors, encouraging natural light and cross ventilation. Similar expansive sliding doors extend from the living room and master suite to the backyard, supporting seamless indoor–outdoor living when weather permits. The rear yard is planned as a flexible outdoor space that could accommodate a swimming pool or remain as open landscaped area, depending on the owner’s preference. The attached garage is designed with adaptability in mind and can be converted into a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit (JADU) with an additional bathroom. This flexible space can serve as a home office, a private guest suite, or a long-term rental unit with a dedicated entrance from the side yard.
Second Place
A Mid-Century Modern Case Study by Greg Bishop Architecture Design
“Thoughtful Narrative.” “Covers all considerations: affordability, sustainability, and age-in-place.” – Judges
From the Architects: This project, taking inspiration from the LA Case Study houses and Japanese tatami courtyard houses (washitsu), aims to provide a single-family residential model which inspires families to return to these fire blighted neighborhoods with a renewed sense of hope and excitement. The modular layout is inspired by Japanese washitsu but is directed to taking advantage of offsite prefabricated Modular Prefab construction. The prefabricated wall and roof panels provide quality-controlled components that can be assembled on site in a period of days, providing for a quick weatherproof structure. On the other hand the lime-earth stucco exterior finish is a on-site labor-based process that will provide a fire-resistant finish that reflects the materiality and colors of the local soils and landscape.
Craftsman
First Place
“This project strikes a careful balance—preserving Altadena’s familiar scale and character while refining the form and details to meet the future climate needs and Passive House performance.” – Judges
From Architects: This ReCraftsman maintains many of the Craftsman style’s defining characteristics—human-scaled proportions and humble materials. However, the ReCraftsman uses fiber cement lap siding as a fire-resistant upgrade to traditional wood siding while maintaining similar proportions. Passive House strategies are integrated into the house, including deep overhangs and strategically placed windows to reduce solar heat gain while maintaining the style’s signature emphasis on indoor-outdoor connection with a generous front porch. The home’s massing reflects classic Craftsman proportions with contemporary considerations for wildfire defense. Lower-pitched roofs with ember-resistant materials and defensible landscaping zones create a protective envelope that enhances the architectural integrity as a solution to today’s challenges.
Second Place
Future Craftsman by MIST Architects
“Very handsome exterior.” “Feels very California.” – Judges
From the Architects: Set along East Altadena Drive in Altadena, CA, the Future Craftsman strives to embody the cherished craftsman aesthetic of Los Angeles while achieving the ambitious Passive House standards for energy and envelope performance. Checking all the craftsman detailing highlights with a modern colorful flair, the house’s simple form and attention to site orientation, windows, and shading set the home up for energy success.
Contemporary
First Place
Villa Vaga by OPAL
“Beautiful and practical.” “I appreciate the natural aesthetics and low embodied-carbon approach.” “I appreciate the interlocking diagram of open/closed space. “Gorgeous design. LOVE it.” – Judges
From the Architects: Designed for a typical small lot (48’X124’), the home creates and wraps around a series of partially enclosed outdoor spaces which include the carport (satisfying the parking requirement), a water garden, a generous patio adjacent to the primary living spaces, and a roof terrace. These spaces are sheltered by a system of weathering steel frames and perforated steel panels that provide privacy, shading, and durability as a non-combustible, recyclable material requiring no additional finish. The interior spaces are based on a functional 16’X16’ module that optimizes CLT panelization and allows for customization and adaptation.
Second Place
fab_01 by Feldman Architecture and Blend Projects
“Nice floorplan and massing.” “It’s a smart and flexible solution.” – Judges
From the Architects: The proposed design is a direct response to the urgent need to house the thousands of displaced families affected by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. This prototype is a cost-effective, prefabricated home that allows for expedited construction schedules and prioritizes fire resiliency. The building forms are simple yet articulated to work with the scale of the lots and neighborhoods. The interior volumes are modulated to create public areas that are vaulted & spacious, and private spaces that are intimate. The flexible system conceptually allows for an optional second story in the taller section to add more program as needed. The landscape design leans on defensible strategies by creating non-combustible buffer zones paired with fire-resistant planting and non combustible hardscape.
Students’ Choice Award
Altadena resident, and Awards Ceremony panelist, Aurora Barboza Flores, is a math teacher at nearby Glendale High School, and is in the process of rebuilding her destroyed home to the Passive House standard. Inspired to make this a learning opportunity for her students, Aurora teamed up with PHN to make a Student Jury from the school’s students. A Passive House workshop in September with PHN Community Coordinator Susie Harris and Executive Director Ken Levenson, further study, and an intensive jury meeting in October, assisted by Ms. Barboza Flores, Certified Passive House Consultant Rob Haw, and Ken Levenson, followed. The students grappled with the Passive House principles, issues of affordability, aging-in-place, architectural styles and the complex relationships that make successful building design. Examining submissions individually and then in larger and larger groupings, lively debates ensued, positions taken and challenged. In the end, in conversation with the Principal, Dr. Lynette Ohanian, the students built a consensus on the winning choice.
The Manzanita House by Artisans Group Architecture & Planning
“It meets all of the Passive House requirements.” “A great blend of historic and modern feeling, which is very appropriate for California.” “There is strong shading and use of outdoor space.” “The meaning of the Manzanita tree is powerful.” – Our Student Jury
From the Architects: The manzanita tree, with smooth red bark and sculptural silhouette, evolved over millennia to thrive in the face of fire. A bridge between what is and what will be, manzanita symbolizes rooted belonging and hard-won ecological wisdom. The Manzanita House draws from this spirit—a place-based response shaped by the elements, designed for longevity, and built to thrive amid a changing climate. With a nod to Spanish Colonial tradition and a wink to contemporary aesthetics, this Passive House balances warmth, efficiency, and deep respect for place.
Special Mention
This provocative entry tackles affordability and community resilience within the tight lot requirements, yet broke too many rules to be considered for placing in the Contemporary category, consequently the judges decided it warranted special recognition.
Four Neighbors, One Lot by PARAVANT Architects & Home Energy Services
“This project thinks about community to solve larger issues. The shared infrastructure is a proven design.” “Shading is elegantly incorporated.” “Beautiful.” – Judges
From the Architects: The design envisions the creation of micro-communities—places where neighbors know and care for one another. The buildings are carefully scaled to blend into a variety of neighborhoods without overpowering the surrounding residential character. Each unit is approximately 1,000 sq. ft., featuring two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, an in-unit washer and heat-pump dryer, and an open kitchen and living room layout that connects seamlessly to a private garden space. The all-electric homes are designed to meet the rigorous International Passive House Construction Standard, a globally recognized benchmark for energy-efficient building design.
