Session · Climate and resilience · Designers and consultants · Builders and trades

Passive House x Fire Hardened: A Shared Ethos

Marcos Santa Ana, Alloi Architecture + Construction · June 16, 2026 · Chapter · PHCA (Passive House California)

The airtight envelopes, sealed penetrations, and continuous insulation of Passive House also do the work of fire hardening, traced through a Pacific Palisades retrofit underway during the January 2025 fires and prototypes for Altadena rebuilds.

Key points

• Why ember intrusion drives most structure loss in California wildfires, and the details that resist it.
• How Passive House detailing aligns with fire-hardening requirements.
• Roof, wall, glazing, vent, and crawl space specifications that resist embers.
• Active layers such as perimeter sprinklers, filtration, and backup power.