Resurgence 教堂 by Zehua Zhang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 铜奖 in 建筑与结构设计 Competition Category.

铜建筑· 2026

Resurgence 教堂

by Zehua Zhang

Client: Zehua Zhang

A' Design Award 铜奖 Winner in 建筑 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #180908

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Resurgence 教堂

"复兴"是位于阿尔塔迪纳的一座新教堂,回应野火灾后重建的需求。设计以垂直而富有雕塑感的形体呼应周边山峦。混凝土、玻璃与景观庭院共同界定室内空间,引入自然采光,营造宁静氛围。项目将礼拜空间与社区设施相融合,既为灵性实践提供场所,也促进社会交往。它在契合在地文脉的同时,容纳多元的社区活动。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铜奖

Resurgence 教堂是 A' Design Award 铜奖得主，这是授予以创造力、独创性和敏锐见长的杰出设计的极具声望的认可。铜奖得主是技艺娴熟、创意惊人的作品，印证了其设计师丰富的经验、想象力与机智。预计Resurgence 教堂将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的物品，兼具显著的专业性与创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铜奖的设计融入艺术、科学、设计和技术领域的最佳实践，并因注重细节而出类拔萃。Resurgence 教堂出色地满足需求，触动渴望，迷住情感，并吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Resurgence is a contemporary church in Altadena, conceived as a spiritual and cultural catalyst after the wildfire. Inspired by surrounding mountain ridges, its sculpted concrete form rises vertically toward light-filled skylights, expressing renewal. A skylight atrium and courtyard weave nature, light, and community together, uniting sacred worship and civic life in a resilient beacon of collective healing and hope.
Dimensions & Packaging: Single story building with overall dimensions of 45 meters in width, 45 meters in depth, and 18 meters in height.
Tags: Community renewal, cultural architecture, fluid form, concrete and light interplay, atrium with skylight, courtyard garden
Production Technology: Materiality and light shape the design. Concrete as the primary material, conveys weight and dignity while its smooth surfaces create a clean, harmonious space. A skylight courtyard and meditation garden establish a quiet dialogue between architecture and nature. Glass curtain walls guide daylight into the interior, forming a sacred, serene atmosphere. As light moves through the vertical spaces, it brings a continuous sense of ceremony and spiritual tension.
Design Challenge: The project faced the challenge of balancing spiritual, social, and cultural needs after wildfire loss. Internally, it required understanding Altadena’s history, community trauma, and collective memory. Externally, constraints included building codes, material limits, daylighting technology, and construction feasibility. Overcoming these involved iterative modeling, community feedback, and innovative use of concrete and glass to create a resilient, meaningful, and functional design.
Research: Type of Research: Applied architectural and social research. Objectives: Explore architecture’s role in post-wildfire community renewal. Methodology: Community engagement, iterative modeling. Tools: Site analysis, surveys, models, 3D simulations. Participants: Residents, church leaders, community groups. Results and Insights: Mountain-inspired forms, light, and open spaces foster spiritual and social connection. Impact: Strengthens cohesion, cultural life, and human-centered design practices.
Inspiration: The design was inspired by Altadena’s post-wildfire recovery and the site’s mountainous landscape. I studied topography, light behavior, and community rebuilding models to shape a form that abstracts surrounding ridges into a vertical, light-filled sanctuary. Research into trauma-informed spaces and passive daylighting informed the atrium, courtyard, and concrete massing, creating a resilient structure that fosters healing, unity, and spiritual renewal.
Project Duration: The project started in August 2025 and was completed in December 2025
Operation Flow: This project operates through spatial flow and light manipulation. Its atrium and skylights transform daylight into dynamic patterns, guiding movement and fostering contemplation. Interaction occurs as visitors move between worship, community, and meditation spaces, experiencing shifts in scale, light, and material. Key frames include entrance, atrium, courtyard, and sanctuary. By harmonizing architecture, light, and landscape, it enhances spiritual and social engagement.
Team Members: Zehua Zhang