Design Competition

Rebuild LA

Key Dates

Registration deadline: July 16, 2025 6:59 AM

Submission deadline: July 17, 2025 6:59 AM

Winners announcement: August 16, 2025 6:59 AM

*All times are in UTC

Certificate

All winners and honorable mentions will receive complimentary Certificates of Achievement

Registration fees

This competition is free to enter. No registration fee is required.

The Fire

The Palisades Fire was a highly-destructive wildfire that began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, which grew to destroy large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu before it was fully contained after 24 days on January 31. It burned 23,707 acres (9,594 ha; 95.94 km2; 37.042 sq mi), killed 12 people, and destroyed 6,837 structures, making it the tenth-deadliest and third-most destructive California wildfire on record and the most destructive to occur in the history of the city of Los Angeles.

Design Brief

This international ideas competition seeks innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective housing solutions to support communities recovering from natural disasters. This year’s challenge focuses on Los Angeles, where a recent wildfire has devastated an entire neighborhood, displacing families and exacerbating the region’s ongoing housing crisis. Winners will be recognized for creative proposal that demonstrates how affordable, resilient housing that can be rapidly deployed to help affected residents rebuild their lives.

The challenge is to develop a single family home that not only withstands future disasters but also provides a sense of stability and community for those affected. Designs should incorporate climate-responsive architecture, wildfire-resistant materials, and sustainable building practices to create homes that are safe, durable, and affordable for returning residents.

Submission Requirements

The design must fall under standard residential zoning regulations. Entrant may draw up a hypothetical site under 5,000 square feet, with 0.68 FAR (floor area ratio).

Submissions should include architectural concept drawings including but not limited to:

a. Site plan showing building placement and access (parking not required)

b. Cross-sectional drawings

c. Elevations

d. Floor plans that depict unit size and configuration, the mix of studio, one-bedroom and larger units

Judging

This competition will recognize 10 winners - top 5 entries and 5 honorable mentions.

The winners of this competition will be decided through public voting. Anyone can participate in the voting, but each person is allowed to vote only once. Voting will begin after the submission deadline has passed, and once a vote is cast, it cannot be changed.

Once you register via this site, you or your teammates may log in and edit your competition entry as many times as you like until the deadline.