Container-Based Community Center by Shigeru Ban Takes Shape in Altadena

A community center designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is currently under construction in Altadena, Los Angeles, serving as a relief and recovery space following the 2025 wildfires. The project is built using two linked shipping containers sheltered by a timber structural roof, combining rapid deployment with material efficiency.

Led by non-profit CORE – Community Organized Relief Effort, the center aims to restore a much-needed gathering space in a neighborhood that lost significant public infrastructure after nearly 16,000 buildings were destroyed across the city.

A Tested Humanitarian Architecture Model, Locally Adapted

The design is based on a humanitarian prototype developed by Shigeru Ban in 2011, featuring a flexible central space beneath a spanning roof. The model has been deployed globally in post-disaster contexts, with each iteration locally adapted to available materials and budgets, ensuring cost efficiency and swift construction.

An interior view of a bright, minimalist hall featuring a high, vaulted wooden ceiling with exposed plywood beams. The side walls are made of white corrugated shipping containers with integrated doors, and a large glass wall at the far end overlooks a sunny street. — The interior of the Altadena CORE Community Center showcases Shigeru Ban’s innovative use of shipping containers as structural walls, paired with a warm, gabled timber roof that creates a spacious and light-filled assembly area.

Flexible Program for Community Use

The shipping containers house offices, a meeting room, and bathrooms, while the central space accommodates up to 70 people. Planned uses include mental health services, educational workshops, and community events, supporting long-term social recovery.

From Emergency Response to Permanent Structure

Construction began in January 2026, with completion expected by summer 2026. Unlike many temporary relief buildings, the center is intended as a permanent fixture, contributing to ongoing discussions around post-wildfire rebuilding strategies in Los Angeles.

A Forward Look for Architects

The project highlights the potential of modular architecture, resource efficiency, and social resilience in disaster-prone contexts. For architects, it underscores how rapid-response designs can evolve into durable, community-centered architecture, an increasingly vital approach as climate-related disasters intensify.

Shigeru Ban: Simple Architecture with Paper

Container City – Designing a modular lifestyle

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Altadena community center by Shigeru Ban represents a clear continuation of Humanitarian Architecture rooted in modular and adaptive design strategies. Composed of two repurposed shipping containers unified beneath a timber roof, the project prioritises speed, material efficiency, and spatial flexibility while responding directly to post-wildfire recovery needs. Its central covered void functions as a communal heart, reinforcing social cohesion through adaptable programming. However, the reliance on a globally tested prototype raises questions about long-term contextual integration within Altadena’s urban fabric and whether modular permanence can fully address local identity and evolving community needs. While the project succeeds in functional resilience and rapid delivery, its architectural ambition lies more in ethical responsiveness than formal innovation. Ultimately, it positions disaster architecture not as a temporary fix, but as a durable civic framework capable of supporting collective recovery in climate-vulnerable cities.