GROUP–SINC.

Presentation + Research · Los Angeles · June 2025

Wildfire & Architecture

Rebuilding after fire as an opportunity to recover what was lost while creating architecture prepared for a changing climate.

Projects by Shahram Shokoufandeh, discussion on wildfire and architecture in Los Angeles

From loss to transformation

This research connects three fire-related projects in Malibu and Pacific Palisades. Each begins with an existing condition—an inherited structure, a damaged site or the memory of a former home—and asks how rebuilding can become an act of architectural renewal rather than mechanical reproduction.

Site geometry, coastal and hillside conditions, planning constraints, access, structure and fire-safety requirements become design generators. The resulting work joins resilience with light, landscape, movement and contemporary life.

01

Recover

Begin with the history, footprint and lived memory of each property.

02

Transform

Use rebuilding constraints to generate new spatial and architectural possibilities.

03

Prepare

Integrate fire safety, access, materials, energy and landscape into one design response.

01

Trancas · Malibu

Trancas Malibu case study title
Trancas existing and proposed building envelope diagrams
Trancas floor plan study
Trancas plan and site study
Trancas existing Mediterranean residence and proposed contemporary design
Trancas transformation from former house to proposed residence
Trancas evening and ocean-facing exterior views
Trancas entrance transformation
Trancas interior living and stair studies
Trancas interior framing of ocean views
02

Pacific Coast Highway · Malibu

Pacific Coast Highway Malibu case study title
Fire-damaged Malibu hillside site
Malibu hillside existing condition and rebuilt residence
Contemporary residence integrated into a steep Malibu hillside
Before and after study of the Malibu hillside residence
03

Oreo Place · Pacific Palisades

Oreo Place Pacific Palisades case study title
Former house and proposed contemporary residence at Oreo Place
Existing and proposed massing diagram
Oreo Place floor plans
Oreo Place lower-level plan
Oreo Place main-level plan
Oreo Place upper-level plan
Oreo Place site section
Oreo Place longitudinal section
Oreo Place building section
Oreo Place pool and hillside section
Oreo Place elevations and section
Oreo Place street perspective
Oreo Place street elevations
Oreo Place garden and pool perspective
Oreo Place aerial perspective
Oreo Place evening aerial perspective
Oreo Place roof and pool aerial perspective
Oreo Place outdoor living studies
Oreo Place kitchen and living room studies
Oreo Place panoramic interior studies
Oreo Place interior and terrace studies
Oreo Place rooms framing the Pacific view
04

Rebuilding framework

Los Angeles wildfire rebuilding options and code framework
Closing slide of the wildfire and architecture presentation

Continuing research

Rebuilding can honor the life that existed before the fire while bringing new architecture, greater resilience and renewed possibility to the city.
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