Solutions to LA housing crisis honored at Small Lots, Big Impacts competition

By Niall Patrick Walsh|

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Shared Steps by WORD and SSK. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

The Small Lots, Big Impacts design competition has unveiled its winners, seeking to gather "ideas for designing and building a type of housing that is sorely needed in Los Angeles today: new starter homes for the 21st century." The competition was organized by cityLAB-UCLA, LA4LA, and the City of Los Angeles, while winners were recognized in two categories: Gentle Density and Shared Future.

"The last time the housing industry produced small, compact homes that were attainable for everyday people was just following WWII," organizers noted. "In this competition, the submissions update that old approach by re-introducing smaller, affordable homes but doing so on infill lots that utilize recent legislation to hold multiple units, make better use of our limited urban land, and still fit into their residential surroundings."

Below, we have rounded up the winning entries from the competition, spread across four project sites. More information can be found on the competition's official website here.

Growing Together by Outpost Office. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Gentle Density

Site A: Professional

Accordion House by SNDBOX
Growing Together by Outpost Office
Little Sister by Studio Even Odd Architecture
Porous Infill Habitat by TEAM Mixⁿ

Porous Infill Habitat by TEAM Mixⁿ. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Shared Steps by WORD and SSK
Twin Court by wowowoworkshop
Citation: Mini Tower Collective by Ginzok Architecture P.C. and Studio B.A.D

4x4x4 by Light and Air. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Site B: Professional

4x4x4 by Light and Air
Households by Spinagu
Overwalk by West of West

Soft Infill by AUYON BACHAR - ABLA. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Share A Lot by Figure; MAZi Architects; and Temporary Office
Soft Infill by AUYON BACHAR - ABLA
Citation: Front Row by DOMM

Common Grounds by Austin Sandy Architects. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Shared Future

Site C: Professional

2B1B by Po-Yu Chung - Solo Practitioner
Common Grounds by Austin Sandy Architects
Ladderblock by West of West

Terrace Ways by Jonah Coe-Scharff and Kaitlin Faherty. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Lotful by Studio One Eleven
Terrace Ways by Jonah Coe-Scharff and Kaitlin Faherty

Small Lots Big Hangout by Olson Kundig. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Site D: Professional

Living Together in the Plains of Id by Only If
Small Lots Big Hangout by Olson Kundig
High Lots by Fah Vangtook and Peak Bamroongsuk - Solo Practitioners

Core to Commons by Leonardo Haglmueller and Ruben Mahler. Image courtesy of the design team and cityLAB-UCLA

Student Winners

First Place: Core to Commons by Leonardo Haglmueller and Ruben Mahler
Second Place: Infill Village by Connor Kramer
Third Place: Lots to Locales by Brandt Rentel, Sydney Patterson, Remi Messier, Hollis Potts, and Ames Cassell Loji