Dear Editor,
I read with growing frustration The Malibu Times’ recent multi-part interview with architect Luis Tena. While I understand these features aim to highlight local voices, this particular interview read more like a press release for Mr. Tena’s firm than balanced journalism.
What’s missing from the glowing profile is context – specifically, how some of Mr. Tena’s projects have impacted Malibu residents. I live next door to one of his designs. After the original one-story home on that lot was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire, the elderly owner was unable to rebuild and sold the property. The new owner, encouraged by Mr. Tena, pursued a much larger, two-story design. After much back-and-forth with planning authorities, the house was sunk four feet into the ground to meet the 18 ft. legal height limit. But the second story still obstructs what was once an open ocean view from our home. I even offered to support a full-height second story, provided it aligned with the neighboring house on the other side and didn’t encroach on our view. That offer was dismissed.
Worse, the structure now presents an 18-foot, windowless concrete wall directly facing our property – designed with no regard for the neighboring home or the visual character of the area. Its stark, monolithic presence is reminiscent of the WWII bunkers I grew up seeing in Germany: imposing, defensive, and completely indifferent to its surroundings. Based on my experience, Mr. Tena’s priorities seem to lie more with maximizing buildout than maintaining Malibu’s spirit. He claims to support preserving Malibu’s rural, coastal identity, but that’s hard to reconcile with what’s being built under his direction: bigger, taller homes catering to wealth, not community.
I’ve lived in Malibu for seven years — not a lifetime, but long enough to understand how precarious the balance is between thoughtful development and unchecked growth. While I appreciate the value of technology, I’m skeptical that “AI” and digital streamlining are the silver bullets Mr. Tena makes them out to be. The problem with Malibu’s permitting isn’t just slow processes — it’s the tension between money, influence, and preserving what’s left of this place.
Architects shape more than just buildings; they shape communities. Future profiles should include the perspectives of those who live with the results, not just the self-promotion.
Robert Brinkmann, Malibu