Preserving Architectural Diversity in the Wake of Disaster

In the aftermath of the devastating fires last year, the instinct to rebuild has often been both emotionally natural and financially necessary. Homes are the physical framework for our daily life, memory, ambitions, and belonging. In communities like the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the work of rebuilding must be paired with an equally important larger imperative: preserving the architectural diversity that gave these neighborhoods their identity.

The strength of these communities has never been rooted in uniformity. Instead, it lives in layered streetscapes where a range of architectural styles coexist. This stylistic plurality is not incidental — it is the built expression of decades of evolving cultural values, environmental responses, and personal narratives. Without thoughtful stewardship, post-disaster rebuilding efforts risk replacing this rich fabric with a more homogenized environment — one that erodes visual variety and cultural continuity.

As architects engaged in the rebuilding of these neighborhoods, we believe that recovery must extend beyond restoring square footage. It must include a commitment to honoring the diverse architectural traditions that have long coexisted in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and throughout Los Angeles.

Within our own portfolio of rebuilding efforts, we are engaged in projects that draw from a wide range of precedents, shared below (along with our most up-to-date rendering or elevation for each). Each responds not only to the needs of the individual family, but to the broader architectural lineage of its neighborhood — ensuring that the rebuilding process contributes to the continuity of place rather than its dilution.

TRADITIONAL

Designed by Principal Architect Katie, this two-story damaged Palisades home will be renovated and expanded into an approximately 4,000 sq. ft. residence, and the rear structure will be rebuilt as a new ADU. Inspired by traditional vernacular architecture and the original 1940s home, the design emphasizes natural light and ventilation. Fire safety guided key decisions, including increasing the distance to the ADU, relocating the trash enclosure out of Zone Zero (regulations that require an ember-resistant perimeter extending five feet around all structures), and selecting fire-resistant exterior materials, with additional fire-resistant features to be incorporated as the design progresses.

SPANISH COLONIAL REVIVAL

This project, designed by Project Manager Max, is TBA’s first “self-certified” project — allowing the team to verify code compliance in-house without a full County plan review. The primary goal for this Altadena home was retrieving the character and details of its 1928 predecessor while incorporating fire-resilient design and functional improvement. The team also utilized Walk Your Plans Los Angeles, an immersive full-scale design experience, to help the homeowners make key decisions.

NEIGHBORING SPANISH COLONIAL REVIVAL

Just down the street, Max is designing another rebuild taking a very different approach: transforming a former single-story home into a two-story residence with a completely new floor plan. In addition to fire resilience, the initial design objective is to create a distinctive exterior while reflecting Spanish Colonial Revival forms and details that relate to its neighborhood context.

SHINGLE STYLE

Designed by Project Manager Kyra, this Pacific Palisades rebuild design reimagines a family home around life, work, and play. Bedrooms are located on the second floor, with the basement as an entertaining space — featuring a screening room and game room. The pool is relocated to a more central area of the backyard, and a new wellness retreat/ADU includes a cold plunge and sauna. Shingle Style architecture features a nearly symmetrical gabled facade and a welcoming front porch, expressed in fire-hardened and sustainable materials.

REBUILDING A TBA HOME

This project recreates a beloved family home that was lost in the Palisades fire — designed by TBA over a decade ago. Kyra and team are updating the project’s previous plans to meet current structural and energy codes while preserving the original character. New walls are thicker and windows are dual-glazed for improved insulation and energy performance; and have a Zone Zero perimeter with fire-hardened materials enhances resilience.

COLONIAL REVIVAL

Designed by Principal Architect Ari, this Pacific Palisades home is being rebuilt under the City’s “Like for Like” requirements: similar in size and siting, but entirely new in performance and livability. The new design is slightly smaller than the former home and centers on spaces most important to the young family, including a large family room in place of a formal living room, a larger, more usable backyard. and a new pool and spa. Beyond fire resilience, the home is significantly more efficient, with improved insulation using non-combustible mineral wool, a high-performance VRF HVAC system, and PV solar panels with battery backup for emergency power.

CRAFTSMAN REVIVAL

In the Pacific Palisades, Project Manager Kevin is designing a rebuild that adds two bedrooms, an upstairs laundry room, and a basement with a game room, recording studio, and gym, while retaining the original program and layout. By incorporating a neighboring lot, a new southeast wing increases backyard privacy for the pool and spa. The stair hall includes a full-height glass wall, reminiscent of the original, leading out to the backyard. A three-story open stair connects the basement to the second floor. Texture and materiality define the exterior, combining brick, horizontal lap siding, and vertical T&G siding with large backyard-facing windows. Fire resilience includes layered sheathing, aluminum-clad openings, and a fully sealed attic.

ENGLISH ARTS & CRAFTS

Rooted in neighborhood context and developed collaboratively with homeowners and nearby friends/family, this Altadena rebuild — also designed by Kevin — integrates Tudor and English Arts & Crafts asymmetry, steep roofs, with expansive multi-lite windows. Essential spaces are on the ground floor for accessibility. Passive ventilation, a multizone VRF HVAC system, electric heat pump water heater, and efficient fixtures reduce environmental impact. Fire resilience includes DensGlass/DensDeck, EcoStar roofing, a sealed attic, aluminum-clad windows and doors, and fiber cement details. The project preserves a hand-built pergola and connects open-plan interiors with low-walled outdoor terraces, pervious hardscape, drought-resistant landscaping, and a small garden outbuilding, reinforcing the home’s role as a neighborhood anchor.

Each TBA rebuilt home balances homeowners’ needs with the neighborhood architecture traditions, thoughtfully integrating fire-resilient and energy-efficient design. By preserving stylistic details and respecting the surrounding context, these homes do more than replace what was lost — they strengthen the character and continuity of the community. In this way, every home reinforces the distinct identity of the neighborhood it helps to restore.