PHCA Community Meeting | Passive House x Fire Hardened

By Passive House California , May 4, 2026 - Community Meeting, Featured Articles

The building industry is conducting two parallel conversations—Passive House and fire hardening, using different vocabularies to describe a fundamentally shared ethos. This talk argues that airtight envelopes, sealed penetrations, and continuous insulation architects have long detailed for Passive House performance are simultaneously accomplishing the work of fire hardening. Drawing on a retrofit underway in Pacific Palisades during the January 2025 fires and on new-construction prototypes developed for Altadena rebuilds, Marcos…

PHCA Community Meeting | Complexities in Selecting Passive House Windows

By Passive House California , April 15, 2026 -

The California energy code has very simple requirements that windows have to meet in order for a project to comply with the energy code. Certified Passive House buildings, on the other hand, have a much more nuanced approach to analyzing and specifying windows. This can present some difficulties for designers, architects, energy modelers, and builders. This presentation aims to demystify these requirements and provide clear guidance as to the best…

PHCA Community Meeting | Passive House x Fire Hardened

By Passive House California , February 17, 2026 -

The building industry is conducting two parallel conversations—Passive House and fire hardening, using different vocabularies to describe a fundamentally shared ethos. This talk argues that airtight envelopes, sealed penetrations, and continuous insulation architects have long detailed for Passive House performance are simultaneously accomplishing the work of fire hardening. Drawing on a retrofit underway in Pacific Palisades during the January 2025 fires and on new-construction prototypes developed for Altadena rebuilds, Marcos…

PHCA Community Meeting | Hidden Impacts of Plastic Building Products

By Passive House California , February 17, 2026 -

Plastics are almost entirely derived from fossil fuels and generate pollution throughout their life cycle, including greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, toxic chemicals and microplastics that impact human health and the environment, and waste that lasts for centuries on land and in waterways. Many individuals and organizations are becoming increasingly concerned about plastic pollution, but most people don’t realize that the building and construction sector is the second…

PHCA Community Meeting | Rebuilding Incentives for Sustainable Electric Homes: How this new program works with homeowners and builders to help those who need it most

By Passive House California , February 17, 2026 -

Passive House California has a new partner in our effort to create a carbon-neutral, all renewable energy future! RISE Homes is a program mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission and funded by the state’s six investor-owned electric utilities to incentivize all-electric home rebuilding after natural disasters. Join us for our next Community Meeting, Tuesday, April 21st from noon-1 p.m. to learn about RISE Homes, a $50 million program designed to…

What’s in a name? History and precedents to PassivHaus

By Passive House California , December 9, 2025 -

Have you ever encountered confusion when discussing PassivHaus? Or is it Passive House? And what about Passive Solar – what does that have to do with it?   What does a German Standard have to do with building in California? Let’s look back in history at the ideas and case studies that influenced the creation of the first Passive House standard.   Considering the American and Canadian context, we’ll untangle trends and…

PHCA Community Meeting | “Fire-Wise Property Hardening: Life Safety, Insurance, and Passive Building Design”

By Passive House California , November 18, 2025 -

"Fire-Wise Property Hardening: Life Safety, Insurance, and Passive Building Design" Description Wildfire risk in the built environment is rapidly increasing, bringing serious implications for life safety, property protection, insurance availability, and modern building standards. Architects, designers, and building professionals can’t afford to wing it—evidence-based strategies are essential for reducing vulnerability at both the building and community scale. Learn how to spot and shut down critical ignition pathways. Understand how Predicted Fire…

PHCA Community Meeting | TRAUMA-INFORMED REBUILDING AND PASSIVE HOUSE FIRE RESILIENCE

By Passive House California , July 1, 2025 - Community Meeting

Joubert Homes rebuilt several homes in the Denver, Colorado area following the devastating Marshall Fire that occurred on December 30th, 2021. Working with these clients, Joubert discovered that the recent trauma of losing their homes informed an entirely different way of client interaction, and informed best practices that Joubert has brought to rebuilding efforts in Southern California. Applying the latest tools to create the safest and most resilient homes available,…

PHCA Community Meeting | Design the Future: 2025 Passive House Competition Winners Unveiled

By Passive House California , February 20, 2025 -

Description With the awards ceremony concluded on November 4th, we’ll take a closer look at the winning submissions, the near misses, and entries that qualify for the competition catalog. We’ll hear from competition participants, jurors, and others who contributed to the competition. The ultimate focus will be on the next steps: how can we leverage these great efforts and make Passive House resilience a reality in the Los Angeles rebuilding…