ADU’s Delivered to Two Families Displaced by LA Fires, 500 Units Shipped, & BuiltWorlds Recognition
A lot has happened at Model/Z in the first quarter of 2026. Two families in Altadena got their land back with a home on it, our factory hit 500 units shipped, and BuiltWorlds recognized our founder Martin Muoto as a 2026 Maverick. Here's what's been going on.
This month, two families displaced by the LA fires got something back: their land, and a home on it.
Model/Z designed and manufactured two ADUs that were installed on properties in Altadena as part of The SoLa Foundation's Restore and Rebuild Initiative. These homes were provided at no cost to the homeowners and arrived fully built. Watching a home arrive in one piece and land on a foundation in a matter of hours is a direct demonstration of how quickly families can return to their land while rebuilding continues.
The installation was covered by:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently approved $3.8 million to support ADU construction as part of disaster recovery. This policy alignment reflects what's possible when public resources, private innovation, and community partnerships take action in the face of disaster.More to come as we bring these families home.
500 Units Shipped. 600+ Are Next.
Earlier this month, Model/Z shipped its 500th unit, a significant milestone reached in less than two years.Throughout this journey, we have reduced the weight of our first prototype by 6,000 lbs, developed 383 quality checkpoints for each unit, introduced 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom configurations, and made significant improvements to our manufacturing process.
We will soon release several LIHTC-compliant 1, 2, and 3-bedroom modules, designed in collaboration with leading affordable housing developers and architects. With 600+ modular units scheduled for erection in the next 12 to 18 months.
BuiltWorlds Named Martin Muoto a 2026 Maverick
Lastly, Model/Z founder Martin Muoto was recognized by BuiltWorlds for the Maverick Award! As he puts it, the work isn’t glamorous. It’s about rolling up your sleeves and questioning why the status quo isn’t working. In housing, that means asking why we still can’t deliver quality homes to the people who need them most, more cost-effectively.
Over the last 3+ years, the SoLa Impact and Model/Z teams have designed, entitled, built, and delivered 24 buildings with 1,300 new units across Southern California for an average well under $300k per door. Several more are in construction or in entitlement.
We're excited to see prefabricated, modular construction getting mainstream attention, support from policymakers, and watch a growing ecosystem of consultants, architects, contractors, and subs beginning to support this model.
This is what Q1 looked like, and we're just getting started.
The 4S's — Steel, Standardization, Systems, and Software are what make this work repeatable and scalable. If you're a developer, municipality, or partner organization working on housing that needs to move fast and pencil at scale, we'd welcome the conversation.
To start a conversation, reach out at info@model-z.com.