A Neighborhood Returns One Permit at a Time
Six months after the Palisades Fire swept through the coastal neighborhood of Sunset Mesa, the first permits are about to be approved. For many of the over 500 households affected—more than two-thirds of which were a complete loss—the long journey toward rebuilding is underway.
As insurance battles settle and architectural plans take shape, a number of architects and builders have stepped forward with approaches for how to restore the neighborhood. Some advocate for modular solutions, others for traditional wood-construction upgraded with fire-resistant coating and cladding.
One approach stands out, both for its material philosophy and its proximity to the problem. JTD Architects, Inc., a small Topanga-based studio, has quietly emerged as a leading force in the Sunset Mesa rebuild.
Their studio sits just a few miles up the canyon, and their team has worked closely with a growing number of homeowners—eighteen at last count—to develop a rebuild strategy that blends architectural continuity with fire-conscious innovation. The firm’s designs aren’t radical departures from the original Sunset Mesa homes. In fact, they’re deeply informed by them.
Back in the 1960s and ’70s, Sunset Mesa was developed in three phases, offering a handful of pre-designed home models that could be modestly adapted to each site.
These homes, ranging from 1,800 to 2,400 square feet, and one and two stories, were defined by their orientation to the views, consistent massing, and a shared architectural language. JTD has used those same models as case studies—updating their performance, but preserving their spirit. What is changed is the way they’re built.
JTD’s designs rely on ICCF (Insulated Composite Concrete Forms), a fire-resistant building system made from recycled EPS foam and concrete. These forms don’t burn, don’t feed flame, and don’t invite embers (learn more about this system here: https://theperfectblock.com/)
The idea is to create airtight, energy-efficient, and non-combustible homes—finished in stucco, stone or exposed concrete, considering a coherent neighborhood aesthetic. As the firm puts it: these homes are built “without fuel.”
Several factors support this approach. First, many residents are rebuilding within their original footprint—with an allowed 10 percent expansion, which qualifies them for faster permitting. Second, Sunset Mesa’s original uniformity makes it well-suited for repeatable, site-specific designs. And third, there’s a growing consensus among builders, insurers, and municipalities that traditional wood framing and traditional facades with eaves and overhangs are too vulnerable in fire-prone areas.
The JTD team is also thinking about logistics. They’ve explored locating a temporary mobile concrete batching plant near Pacific Coast Highway, reducing truck traffic and lowering the overall carbon footprint of the rebuild.
Sunset Mesa, like much of Southern California, is entering a new era of climate adaptation. Different architects will bring different solutions, but what binds them is a shared understanding that the stakes are higher now and that rebuilding must mean more than replacing what was lost.
In the case of JTD, that means returning to the roots of the neighborhood while asking new questions about material, process, and resilience. Those homeowners who have embraced this approach have become evangelists, talking to their neighbors, sharing ideas on neighborhood chats, even organizing block parties to share what they know. It’s an approach that’s drawing attention not just for how it looks, but for what it costs—in time, in resources, and in long-term resilience, and not just for what it builds, but for what it refuses to burn.
