Fire Smart Building
Wildfire Resilience with Passive House
The qualities that make homes more energy efficient, healthy, and comfortable can also provide a better defense against future devastating wildfires and the damaging smoke they produce. The Passive House standard is the most robust way to deliver on these qualities. Several basic building design and construction elements drive Passive House performance while creating a stronger defense against wildfires:
A Simple Form – Passive House recognizes that a simpler building form with fewer enclosure junctions, such as the ins and outs of dormers, eaves, overhangs, rooflines, and floorplans, drives energy efficiency while denying burning embers the opportunity to lodge in the building construction.
Coastal Residence, Opal Architecture, Maine
Continuous Insulation – Passive House requires robust continuous exterior insulation to be installed like a protective blanket around the entire structure or can be dense-packed within the framing, filling all voids and making the building efficient like a thermos. Non-combustible insulation shields the building’s structure from fire and denies the fire fuel. (Note: Foam insulation is combustible and toxic and should be avoided when addressing fire safety).
Airtightness – Passive House demands an exceptionally airtight enclosure to keep out air pollution and drafts that degrade occupant comfort. Air leaks present opportunities for wind-driven burning embers to penetrate the building. Airtightness prevents internal smoke damage and supports sheltering in place for houses affected by wildfire smoke outside of evacuation zones.
Wrapped in insulation & airtightness
High-Performance Windows with a Purpose – Passive House requires that windows have a purpose—daylight, views, natural ventilation—while performing so well thermally that perimeter heating and cooling are not typically required. To accomplish this, the home is not over-glazed. Windows are surrounded by robust frames and often have three panes of glass. Broken windows can result in destruction as the burning embers pour in, so the risk is minimized by not over-glazing, and the triple-pane window construction can provide two sacrificial panes. Temper the exterior pane for even greater protection.
Robust glazing & frames
High-Performance Ventilation System – Passive House demands a ventilation system to maintain excellent indoor air quality in all weather conditions by providing continuous filtered fresh air while exhausting the stale air. The filtered fresh air can keep your home comfortable if you are far from the fire but dealing with its smoke, especially for those with more health risks.
Fresh, filtered, continuous air
No Fossil Fuels – Passive House encourages all-electric buildings through the methodology used to calculate total energy use. Removing fossil fuels from our buildings also promotes healthier homes. Go all-electric.
Non-Combustible Enclosure – Passive House performance can be as easily met with non-combustible materials as with combustible ones. So, in addition to non-combustible insulation, ensure the siding, trim, and roofs are noncombustible, too.
Landscaping – Passive House is focused, with regards to landscaping, primarily on its role in shaping the buildings’ sun exposure, yet fire-conscious landscaping is a crucial aspect of protecting your home. To complete your fire-smart home, surround it with fire-smart landscaping.
Designing and building to the Passive House standard will make a healthy, comfortable, and resilient home. It will be a home where you can be safe in extreme cold and heat weather events and help protect your property from fire and smoke damage. Given the awesome power of wildfires, there is no such thing as a fireproof building, but in many ways, your Passive House will be as future-proof an investment as can be provided today.
The Passive House Network has published a new two-page informational flyer on Passive House and wildfire resilience. You can download the flyer below.
