A Harmonious Blend of Cultures CAZA Architects (Cazarch Inc.), under the direction of lead architect Carlos Arnaiz, has been recognized by the Future House Awards and featured on Global Design News for their exceptional work on the LA Hills House. Located in Chino Hills, California, this two-story single-family residence strikes a deliberate and elegant balance between traditional Asian aesthetics and classic American residential design. At the heart of this stylistic harmony is the thoughtful incorporation of the pitched roof—a prominent architectural feature shared by both cultures that allows the house to seamlessly contextualize and integrate with the surrounding neighborhood.
Dynamic Volumes and Natural Light Rather than imposing a singular, monolithic structure onto the suburban landscape, CAZA designed the LA Hills House by breaking down the overall massing into a series of scaled, interconnected volumes. Through a deliberate interplay of shifting planes and varying heights, the architecture creates poetic moments throughout the residence. This dynamic layout not only provides visual interest from the exterior but also works purposefully to welcome abundant natural light deep into the home’s interior spaces.
Sustainable Innovation and Contextual Materials Showcasing a commitment to sustainable building practices, the LA Hills House is constructed entirely from Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT). Inside, the exposed structural wooden beams orchestrate a captivating daily dance of light and shadow, highlighting the home’s organic warmth. To ground the residence within its specific context, the exterior utilizes a rich palette of brick shingles, sandstone, and wood battens. These carefully selected materials ensure that the modern home enriches, rather than disrupts, the existing architectural fabric of the Chino Hills neighborhood.
CAZA Architects (Cazarch, Inc.), led by principal architect Carlos Arnaiz, has received prestigious international recognition for their latest residential masterpiece, the Niseko House. The 780-square-meter sanctuary, located in the legendary winter landscape of Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan, has officially been named a winner of the Future House Award and is prominently featured on Global Design News. Rather than imposing a generic structure on the mountainside, CAZA’s three-story home redefines alpine luxury by serving as both a modern shelter and a lens through which to experience the surrounding wilderness.
Parametric Design for Extreme Climates
To manage Hokkaido’s extreme winter climate, CAZA utilized advanced parametric design and contemporary geometry. By digitally simulating snow loads and solar trajectories, the team optimized the home’s overall massing and complex wooden roof angles to safely shed heavy snowfall. This algorithmic approach also dictated the precise placement of vast, floor-to-ceiling windows. These highly insulated modern panes maximize passive solar heating during the short winter days while perfectly framing breathtaking views of the surrounding alpine forest.
A Dual-Natured Material Palette
The strategic form of the Niseko House is complemented by a bold material palette that balances rawness with refinement. At its foundation, a robust concrete base anchors the home, elevating the upper levels to prevent moisture damage and providing vital structural strength against deep snowpack. In stark contrast to this heavy foundation, the upper volumes are wrapped in dark, charred timber. This homage to the traditional Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban allows the structure to visually recede into the shadows of the surrounding trees, perfectly blending the architecture with its specific environmental context.
Immersive Living and Wellness
Inside, the Niseko House is designed to dissolve the visual boundaries between the warm interior and the crisp alpine air. An expansive, open-plan living area seamlessly flows onto a spacious outdoor deck, offering the absolute thermal comfort of a modern fortress while inviting the landscape deep into the heart of the home. Situated directly on the threshold of this untamed wilderness is a private, traditional Onsen. Fulfilling the home’s commitment to a serene, health-oriented lifestyle, the Onsen creates a heightened state of sensory awareness through the striking contrast of restorative hot waters and the freezing visual landscape.
Ultimately, Niseko House operates at the intersection of modern luxury and traditional material practices, proving exactly why it has captured the attention of Global Design News and the Future House Awards.
The Australian Built Environment Channel (BEC) Design Atlas highlights global architectural projects on their digital platform and a national network of 190 screens located in architecture and design studios across Australia. With a catalog of over 30,000 works, the atlas adds Santuario De La Salle—a community-grounding church in Biñan, Philippines, devised by CAZA and constructed in 2022—to its library. The design is centered around the concept of boundaries, as the church establishes a sacred sanctuary enveloped within a populous university setting (a piece of a broader masterplan that CAZA also designed for De La Salle University).
Broadcast Feature and Archival Availability
Santuario De La Salle will be prominently featured across BEC’s studio screen network and in the “Now Playing” section of DesignAtlas from September 21 to September 23, 2026. Following this broadcast period, the project’s full set of raw images will remain indefinitely accessible in the Projects section of the DesignAtlas archive.
A Shared Vision for Design and Innovation
BEC Design Atlas works to connect, inspire, and inform design professionals by sharing a digital network of architecture. Likewise, CAZA creates architecture that centers the built environment as a tool for observing the natural environment. To do so, CAZA continuously innovates and iterates, drawing from real-world and architectural inspiration. BEC Design Atlas showcasing Santuario De La Salle acknowledges CAZA’s contribution to the collaborative architectural process.
Shenzhen Position Spatial Cultural Development Co. is an independent, research-based architectural institution founded in 2013 that curates and publishes media. The group now features Santuario De La Salle, a community-grounding church in Biñan, Philippines, devised by CAZA and constructed in 2022 within their catalog. The feature is titled “A Philippine Temple-Style Church, Exploring an Inclusive Spiritual Space / CAZA Architects” and written by Liu Lija. The design is centered around the concept of boundaries as the church establishes a sacred sanctuary envelopped within a populous university setting (a piece of a broader masterplan that CAZA also designed for De La Salle University).
Position fosters both community and discourse in architecture to promote continued innovation within the field. Equally, they promote social engagement within the profession to connect ideas across global architecture. CAZA creates architecture that centers the built environment as a tool for observing the natural environment, a universal goal. CAZA’s contribution to the collaborative architectural process is amplified by Position featuring Santuario De La Salle, spreading our work within the global architectural network.
Learn more about our project here or view the Position article here
Recently, prominent online architectural site, ArchDaily, featured CAZA’s project, Santuario De La Salle, curated by Susanna Moreira. Coined “the voice” of the discipline shaping the built environment, ArchDaily’s acknowledgement of CAZA’s project highlights its significance.
Santuario De La Salle is an inclusive, community-grounding church in Biñan, Philippines, devised by CAZA, constructed in 2022. The design is centered around the concept of boundaries as the church establishes a sacred sanctuary envelopped within a populous university setting (a piece of a broader masterplan that CAZA also designed for De La Salle University). ArchDaily comments that CAZA created a “radically minimalist and amorphous structure” to deliver the space.
The project is rooted in modular built solutions and parametric design, creating a non-traditional form and spatial identity for a church. The assembly of intersecting shapes creates a metaphor for the community bound together by the church itself. Utilizing parametric software, a sweeping skin of vertical slats achieves outer permeability while also constructing a boundary between the church and surroundings. This division is emphasized by materiality, where raw and stark transitions to soft wood and brass from exterior to interior. Once this threshold is crossed, spatial language continues to ground faith and community in the structure. Circular modular rooms bridge functions and differing degrees of formality as columns guide circulation to the core. A double-height congregation space concludes the journey at the heart of this sanctuary, centering faith and the religious community.
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Altogether, the borders and features of Santuario De La Salle emphasize the themes of the project. CAZA weaves culture with ecology as the space transitions from the surrounding bustle to inner serenity. The project has also been celebrated as a Winner of the Architizer A+Award in the Religious Buildings & Memorials typology.
Learn more about our project here or view the ArchDaily article here.
In 2026, the global architectural community turned its spotlight on the Philippines as CAZA Architects secured the prestigious title of “Best Luxury Public Services Architecture” at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards for their groundbreaking work on the new Camsur Capitol. The Luxury Lifestyle Awards is an esteemed international recognition program with nearly two decades of experience, evaluating over 5,000 goods, services, and architectural projects across more than 100 countries to honor the absolute pinnacle of quality, exclusivity, and innovation. Securing this global accolade positions the Camsur Capitol on an elite international stage, validating province’s vision of building the impossible. The award highlights CAZA’s profound achievement in proving that civic architecture in the Philippines can transcend basic administrative functions to rival the world’s most sophisticated and expertly crafted luxury developments.
Camsur Capitol
In the context of the Philippines, the Camsur Capitol redefines the concept of “luxury” in public service by shifting away from mere opulence and focusing instead on world-class design, cultural resonance, and high-tech resilience. Moving past the utilitarian, concrete-heavy designs typical of traditional government infrastructure, the Capitol features an ultra-modern, spiraling silhouette inspired by the native pili nut husk, elevating a civic space into a breathtaking, globally recognized landmark. Furthermore, true modern luxury encompasses unmatched safety and sustainability; the building acts as a resilient “machine for survival” equipped with a state-of-the-art mega evacuation and crisis management center. By offering Camsureños a space that is both an architectural marvel and an impregnable sanctuary during natural disasters, CAZA has successfully demonstrated that the highest standards of beauty, comfort, and safety rightfully belong to the public.
In episode 152 of ARCAT’s Detailed podcast, host Cherise Lakeside sits down with Carlos Arnaiz, the founder and Principal of the Brooklyn-based architecture firm CAZA, to unpack the ambitious vision behind The Shore-Side at Nawin. Set against the rugged cliffs of Nasugbu Bay in Batangas, Philippines, this massive landscape and urban development project is designed to completely redefine the relationship between land and sea. During the interview, Arnaiz details how the CAZA team approached transforming a formerly industrial shoreline into a dynamic, contemporary port town. The conversation highlights the complexities of cliffside development, showcasing an architectural approach that is deeply rooted in both the region’s dramatic topography and its coastal traditions, seamlessly weaving hospitality, culture, and coastal ecology into a highly walkable, layered environment.
The feature heavily explores the specific programmatic and design elements that make the Nawin Marina such a transformative endeavor. Drawing inspiration from historic harbor precedents ranging from Antigua to Villefranche-sur-Mer, Arnaiz explains how the master plan integrates a diverse mix of building typologies, facades, and natural materials across a heavily sloped platform. At the project’s heart is Marina Town, a bustling hub combining residential villas, hillside residences, and commercial spaces anchored by a striking yacht club composed of five pyramidal volumes. The discussion also highlights the project’s playful Waterfront Pavilions—arranged like an orchestra of water lilies—which provide shaded promenades and public gathering spaces, ultimately reviving the bay as a vibrant and beloved waterfront destination.
Iconic Capitol Building, continues to be constructed in the heart of CamSur
The news feature on the Camsur Capitol highlights the provincial government’s ambitious move to redefine civic architecture in the Philippines through a sustainable and culturally resonant landmark. Designed by CAZA, the building is presented as a “spiraling assembly of pili nut-shaped husks,” a direct homage to Camarines Sur’s agricultural heritage and the silhouette of Mt. Isarog. The narrative in the feature emphasizes that the Capitol is more than just a house for governance; it is an “iconic” and “Instagrammable” public symbol intended to boost local pride and tourism. By utilizing metal sun-screens and a modular, parametric design, the structure provides shaded roof terraces and an open-air atrium, blending modern technological efficiency with the region’s natural landscape.
Beyond its striking aesthetic, the news coverage spotlights the Capitol’s role as a resilient sanctuary and a “machine for survival.” A key feature mentioned is the integrated crisis management center on the first floor, designed to remain operational and provide essential services during the natural disasters frequent to the Bicol region. This aligns with CAZA’s philosophy of Metabolic Architecture, where the building acts as a living organism—harvesting solar energy, facilitating natural ventilation, and adapting to environmental shifts. The feature portrays the Capitol as a forward-looking prototype, demonstrating how Philippine architecture can bridge the gap between indigenous identity and high-tech urban resilience.
In a compelling video commentary by MGS Global, the spotlight turned to CAZA’s design for the Camsur Capitol, an architectural marvel that redefines civic identity in the Philippines. The commentary highlights how the structure serves as more than just a government hub; it is a “metabolic” landmark that breathes with its environment. MGS Global emphasizes the building’s striking silhouette—a spiraling assembly of pili nut-shaped husks that mimics the natural contours of the nearby Mt. Isarog. By integrating solar-harvesting metal skins and a radial, open-air atrium, the design is praised for its ability to modulate the tropical heat while remaining deeply rooted in the province’s agricultural heritage.
The narrative further explores the Capitol’s dual role as a beacon of modern governance and a resilient sanctuary. MGS Global points out that beneath its iconic, “starburst” exterior lies a highly functional crisis management center, designed to protect and support thousands during the region’s frequent typhoons. Through this feature, the video underscores CAZA’s vision of “atavistic transformation”—taking ancient, organic forms and elevating them into high-tech instruments of survival. By showcasing the building’s public terraces and helicoid ramps, the commentary celebrates a future where Philippine architecture doesn’t just withstand nature, but thrives in constant dialogue with it.
CAZA’s FR House built in the Philippines’ scenic Punta Fuego peninsula was published in Monocle (Issue 168). This cast-in-place concrete house is perched on a bluff overlooking the South China Sea and takes the form of a cluster of volumes organized around a ground-floor garden. Each volume defines a different room in the house and has a single window that frames a particular view of the ocean, landscape, or sky.
CAZA’s award-winning church and community building at De La Salle University campus in the Philippines’ Biñan City was recently covered by several outlets including Architizer, BauNetz, Elle Decor, e-architect, and ÅVONTUURA. Santuario de La Salle is an inclusive religious space designed by CAZA, nestled within a larger campus masterplan the studio also created for De La Salle University in Biñan City. It is composed of a series of circular-shaped volumes wrapped by an outer skin made up of vertical slats that breaks up the massive volume of the building, endowing the elevational treatment with lightness and permeability.
