Within this particular Californian region, where multiple religious buildings were lost in the wildfires in early 2025, the need for a new spiritual anchor takes on greater meaning.
In this unprecedented scenario, the possibility of building a new Christian church − open, contemporary and rooted in the landscape − holds both symbolic and practical value for Altadena’s spiritual and cultural recovery.
The competition invites participants to rethink sacred architecture as a sensory, symbolic and communal experience: one that can move, restore and connect. The aim is to envision a new place of worship for 400 people, where the mystical meets the social, and the liturgical engages with the everyday life.
PRIZES
• 1st Prize: 7.000$
• 2nd Prize: 2.000$
• 3rd Prize: 1.000$
• 5 Golden Mentions: coupon for a free membership
• 10 Honorable Mentions: coupon for a free competition • 30 Finalists: published on Terraviva channels
GUIDELINES
Rising from Ashes challenges designers to envision a new place of worship for 400 people, where the mystical meets the social and the liturgical engages with the everyday. The project may be organized as a compact volume, a constellation of separate pavilions or a combination of both.
Participants are encouraged to focus also on transitional spaces − galleries, patios, pergolas, terraces − with the aim of linking interior and exterior environments, offering shade, rest and moments of reflection. The use of water and vegetation − as symbolic, climatic or compositional elements − may enrich the project, reinforcing the connection between architecture, nature and spirituality.
REQUESTED MATERIAL
Two A1 panels (59,4 x 84,1 cm - horizontal) and a brief text describing the proposal (250-500 words).
JURY
• Martina Rosati (London, UK) | Zaha Hadid Architects
• Nicolas Campodonico (Rosario, Argentina) | Nicolas Campodonico Arquitecto
• Amanda Iglesias (New York, United States) | The Architecture of Prayer
• Jordi Espinet (Barcelona, Spain) | Mesura
• Ingo Krapf (Cologne, Germany) | IKID
• Laura Mucciolo (Rome, Italy) | La Sapienza
• Rean Yan Zhuo (Sydney, Australia) | Arkee Studio
• Amparo Dominguez Soler (Valencia, Spain) | Open House Valencia
SCHEDULE
• Competition Opening: July 29th
• 79 € “Early” Registrations: July 29th - October 3rd
• 99 € “Standard” Registrations October 3rd - November 7th
• 129 € “Late” Registrations: November 7th - December 8th
• Submission Deadline: December 8th
• Winners Announcement: January 19th
