A team of Burlingame High School students earned the top high school honor in AIA California's 13th annual Architecture at Zero Competition, a statewide zero-carbon design challenge that also draws professional firms and university teams from around the world.

The students won a Merit Award for their project "El Santuario," the American Institute of Architects California announced Thursday, July 23. The competition challenged entrants to design a year-round educational and cultural venue called "La Plaza" for California's Antelope Valley, one that could double as an Emergency Operations Center during regional emergencies.

Burlingame High's team entered a competition whose $25,000 total prize pool also attracted professional architecture firms including Perkins & Will and Stantec, both based in Houston, and university teams from UC Berkeley, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Hanoi Architectural University.

"An understanding of strategies that achieve resilience continues to grow more critical," AIA California President Ginger Thompson said in the announcement.

In the professional category, Perkins & Will earned a Merit Award for "La Plaza Viva," while Stantec received a Citation Award for "Carapace." Among university entries, a team from the National Autonomous University of Mexico won the top Honor Award for "Oasis for Resilience," and UC Berkeley earned a Citation Award for "Casa del Viento."

Two other high school teams were recognized: Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego received a Citation Award for "Desert Willow Center," and Admiral Farragut Academy in Tianjin, China, earned a Special Recognition Award for "Sombrero Big."

The award follows two other sustainability recognitions for Burlingame High this year. The school earned two Standout Winner honors in the 2026 San Mateo County Office of Education Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools Challenge for separate projects called "Project Stack" and "CanYa Wag," according to the county education office.

A panel of national experts judged the Architecture at Zero entries, including Paul Torcellini of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Scott Gaudineer of Flewelling & Moody Inc. The program is funded by California utility customers and administered by Southern California Edison, SoCal Gas, and PG&E under the California Public Utilities Commission.

AIA California, which represents more than 11,000 architects and allied professionals statewide, has run the competition since 2014 in support of California's zero-net-energy construction goals. No public ceremony or exhibition date for this year's winners has been announced.