How a passive house survived the LA fires, despite the neighboring houses burning down
The California wildfires are still ravaging the Los Angeles area a week after they started.The stories of residents who live in the area and have lost everything are heartbreaking.Against this catastrophic backdrop, a lucky few houses were spared; for one reason or another, these residents’ homes are miraculously still intact.But how can that be? Sure, there is advice on how to fireproof your home, with experts recommending everything from landscaping tips to the benefits of sprinklers.However, some architects in the know recommend investing in what’s called a “passive home.” Though still a fairly new trend on the market, these types of homes are designed to be incredibly eco-friendly—and benefit from having some protection against fire damage.The latest stats out of California project that over 40,000 acres have been scorched as of Jan.
14.The initial blaze in Pacific Palisades stands at 17% containment, with nearly 24,000 acres decimated.A week after the fires started, winds were predicted to return with a force, which “could cause extreme fire behavior in the blazes or turn any new spark into a raging inferno,” according to CNN.Greg Chasen’s house in Pacific Palisades, which he built in 2024, still stands while the neighboring homes burned down.
The house on Iliff Street is the “single one” that “remains intact,” Mansion Global reported.“If it weren’t for several fire-resilient design strategies, the home would have been destroyed,” Bloomberg reported.Chasen, an architect who designed the house, said the home he built “for a dear friend” boasts several fire-proofing features.Several of these follow the principles of passive home design.To qualify officially as a passive house, a home must meet certain criteria set by the International Passive House Association.
The dwelling must consume 86% less energy for heating and 46% less for cooling compared with other code-compliant buildings in the same climate.To reduce or even elimin...