Recovery
A destroyed residence becomes an opportunity to rebuild with a contemporary architectural identity.
Malibu, California · Fire rebuild
Trancas
A residence lost in the Malibu fire, reimagined as modern architecture within 110 percent of the former building envelope.
Rebuilding without returning to the past
The former traditional house was completely destroyed in the Malibu fire. The rebuilding provision allowed a design within 110 percent of its established envelope, creating an opportunity to transform the residence rather than reproduce it.
The new design replaces the heavy historical language with a composition of concrete planes, warm wood and glass. Deep openings protect the interior while long views reconnect the house with the Pacific landscape.
Envelope
The proposal works within the 110 percent rebuilding envelope while reorganizing form, circulation and openness.
Access
Soil conditions and fire access were resolved through sustained technical coordination and multiple Fire Department meetings.
01
Before the fire
The envelope remains; the architecture changes
The principal challenges were not stylistic. The soil report and emergency access shaped what could be rebuilt and how the site could be served safely. Those constraints were addressed through technical study and repeated coordination with the Fire Department.
Within that framework, the design opens the house to light and ocean views while maintaining strong shaded edges and a clear relationship to the sloping ground.
02
A new exterior identity
03
Movement, light and the ocean
Memory · Constraint · Transformation
The right response to loss is not imitation—it is architecture that carries life forward.