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House designed on Passive House principles survives Cali wildfire

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Re: House designed on Passive House principles survives Cali wildfire

#7

Post by armchairhacker »

> “Passive House is considered the most rigorous voluntary energy-based standard in the design and construction industry today. Consuming up to 90% less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings, and applicable to almost any building type or design, the Passive House high-performance building standard is the only internationally recognized, proven, science-based energy standard in construction delivering this level of performance. Fundamental to the energy efficiency of these buildings, the following five principles are central to Passive House design and construction: 1) superinsulated envelopes, 2) airtight construction, 3) high-performance glazing, 4) thermal-bridge-free detailing, and 5) heat recovery ventilation.“ - Nickelsass

So it’s not just resistant to fire, it’s also much more energy-efficient and preserves temperature better.

Would the insulation also make it sound-proof?

And it looks nice. The only problem is I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s very expensive and/or difficult to build.

EDIT: People are saying it’s technically If energy prices increase and climate change become a concern, and as new architects who are taught new techniques come around, I can see these being widespread in the future. But for now, probably the only people getting these are people who care enough to sacrifice some money/time/flexibility.

Re: House designed on Passive House principles survives Cali wildfire

#8

Post by dredmorbius »

codingdave wrote: post #6
dredmorbius wrote: post #4

Something more substantive than an unsourced and undocumented photo would be more useful.

The OP did share this link in the comments: https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/building-forwar...

That would be a far superior submission.

It also provides a basis for substantive criticism. E.g., there are many claims advanced without any evidence or testing of those claims.

There are full-size structure tests under wildfire / WUI (wildland/urban interface) conditions. These are nontrivial and expensive. Findings are often nonintuitive.

I'd found some good videos previously, those aren't turning up for me presently, though this is a detailed discussion of the phenomenon:

https://yewtu.be/watch?v=NRpVPhjGscA>

I'd be quite wary of either coincidental anecdotes (as Reddit discussion notes, there are several other surviving structures, apparently not Passivhaus designs), or speculative discussion of how a design might perform under actual wildfire conditions.

One example from the current fires is the Pasadena Jewish Center, which at first blush looks fairly robust: stucco or concrete construction, clay tile roof. But that structure burnt completely in the Eaton fire.

Story of the destruction here: https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2025-01-08/pasadena-...>

I've found a few images of the structure previously, though those don't show much detail. The vulnerability of that specific building was surprising to me.

Re: House designed on Passive House principles survives Cali wildfire

#9

Post by grumbelbart »

armchairhacker wrote: post #7

> “Passive House is considered the most rigorous voluntary energy-based standard in the design and construction industry today. Consuming up to 90% less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings, and applicable to almost any building type or design, the Passive House high-performance building standard is the only internationally recognized, proven, science-based energy standard in construction delivering…

> Would the insulation also make it sound-proof?

Not necessarily. Thermal insulation uses light materials, sound insulation requires heavy materials.

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