The Blueprint for Rebuilding

Los Angeles County has just published its Blueprint for Rebuilding—a clear and much-needed plan to help communities recover after the Palisades and Eaton wildfires. This document sets a new tone for recovery by focusing on what people need right now: financial clarity, fast permitting, reliable builders, and a pathway home that feels manageable.

WHAT IS INSIDE THE BLUEPRINT?

Here’s a quick overview of what the County is doing—and why it’s a positive step for fire-impacted families:

1. Faster Permitting + Inspections

• The County is rolling out a pre-approved design catalog, AI-assisted permit reviews, and self-inspection options for licensed professionals.

2. Support For Rebuilding Costs

• Up to $20,000 in permit fees may be refunded or waived, and there are efforts to provide bridge funding and access to more affordable financing.

3. Clear Protections For Property Taxes

• Rebuilding your home does not have to mean higher taxes. The County outlines how families can maintain pre-fire tax rates.

4. More Builders, Better Coordination

• Plans are in place to scale up construction capacity and coordinate material deliveries to reduce costs and delays.

5. Restoring Services + Infrastructure

• These specialty coatings expand when exposed to high temperatures, forming a thick, insulating char layer that slows heat transfer and ignition.

WHY A•SQUARED CREATED 'THE EMBER NETWORK'

We built The Ember Network to align with this exact moment. 

The Ember Network is a guided architectural process that brings families together in small, supportive groups to share design costs, streamline building, and rebuild with purpose.

Our initiative is now officially live on our website, and we’re actively setting up in-person presentation events to meet with homeowners face-to-face, answer questions, and introduce the program.

HOW THE EMBER NETWORK FITS IN?

Over the last 20 years we have developed a  studio Vision for A•SQUARED, which is to provide a high value architectural experience through Collaboration, Continuity, and Consciousness.  These are the same values we have embedded in The Ember Network. We built The Ember Network to align with this exact moment. Through thoughtful design, trusted teams, and our signature A•SQUARED Method, As a regenerative building initiative, The Ember Network is redefining what it means to rebuild.

The Ember Network began with one simple question in mind:

What if you could team up with neighbors who share your rebuilding goals - For example a 3 bedroom 4 bath home - allowing you to share the architectural design investment between you, streamline your permitting efforts, and create a coordinated building process that allows multiple homes to be constructed in tandem or in sequence by one general contractor?  

With the Ember Network you can....and this is how:

1. Complete The Ember Intake + join a thread

• Fill out our simple webform to provide us with the information we need to group you into a "THREAD" with like minded neighbors that have similar goals

2. Develop a collaborative design

• Led by A•SQUARED and in coordination with your "THREAD", design a bespoke home that meets your thread's needs

3. Share the investment for upfront savings

• The total value of the soft costs will be divided by the number of families in a thread

4. Streamline the permitting process

• Designing one home for multiple families means one set of permit drawings for multiple submittals, minimizing jurisdictional comments and corrections, and expediting permit issuance

5. Create uncompromising quality with coordinated building

• With one general contractor managing the construction of all of the homes in one thread, timelines, budgets, and schedules will have optimized resource utilization and consistent quality control

If you are already inspired to become a thread member, you will find The Ember Intake on our website - just follow the banner and "Discover The Ember Network". There you will find our full presentation videos for both Altadena and The Pacific Palisades, and The Ember Intake Form below the video players.

We will also be holding a number of in-person salons, where we will provide an in-depth account of how the Ember Network is uniting communities in shared investments and coordinated building to rebuild neighborhoods with uncompromising quality. We will be posting meeting dates and requesting RSVP's on our website.

We look forward to helping you take the next step!