Healing the Heart of LA Design Competition

We recently participated in FORT LA’s “Healing the Heart of LA: Design for Memory, Resilience, and Recovery” Design Competition as a response to the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires. The competition called on designers to send a love letter to heal the heart of LA by reimagining landmarks in ways that would honor historical legacies while fostering community integration, and sustainable futures.

Rising From the Ashes

Our submission, “Phoenix” reimagined the Altadena Community Church tragically lost to the Eaton Fire. The ashes of Altadena Community Church, lost in the fires of 2025, are preserved in fossilized cast resin glass – solidifying memory into matter.

More than a place of worship, this space stands as a beacon of unity, resilience, and renewal. The absence left by tragedy is profound, but within this void lies the opportunity for rebirth – a new heart for Altadena, where exchange, care, inclusivity, and love flourish.

Altadena’s soul is rooted in its vibrant and diverse community. Once a cherished landmark, the church was a symbol of connectivity, lost to the Altadena fire, yet never forgotten. Our design is not about recreating what was, but envisioning what can be – a space of reflection for all. The structure rises like embers suspended in motion, capturing both the devastation and the renewal that follows. Delicate yet resilient, it echoes the very spirit of Altadena—undaunted, ever-evolving. Light filters through layered elements, shifting with the day, mirroring the rhythm of life and remembrance.

Fire consumes, but it also clears the way for new beginnings. What remains is not just ash and memory, but the enduring love of a community – an eternal ember waiting to ignite once more.