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…
Verdant Building Products is introducing a new generation of carbon-storing building materials. In this webinar, Anthony Dente will discuss his work in code and design development of bio-based building systems that have enabled broader adoption of materials such as straw-insulated panels. The presentation will feature a patented structural insulated panel with a straw-based insulation matrix that stores carbon while meeting the cost, thermal performance, and wall-thickness requirements of energy-efficient, conventional wood construction. The use of straw supports local, circular supply…
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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 October 21, 2025: This presentation provides an overview of certifying a Passive House building with the Passive House Institute. The process isn’t as complicated as you might think. However, there are essential requirements that must be met. This presentation covers those requirements and includes suggestions for making the process run as smoothly as possible. Learning Points the benefits of certification the client/architect/consultant/builder/certifier relationships the certification timeline certification…
Fantastic News about Passive House in California! California Assembly bill AB368 has passed the legislature and is now on the way to the Governor's desk. Another step toward bringing high quality buildings to all Californians. Thanks to the office of Christopher Ward for sponsoring the bill and to Climate Action California for championing it through the process. FIND OUT MORE
The recent devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires challenges us, not just to rebuild, but also to innovate. Consequently, the Passive House Network with Passive House California is launching a design competition to develop a groundbreaking catalog of high-performance homes to inspire and inform the rebuilding efforts in the Altadena and Pacific Palisades communities. We invite architects and designers to showcase the power of Passive House in creating sustainable, healthy,…
Passive House California (PHCA) and the Passive House Network (PHN) shared a joint booth at the 2025 California Green Building Conference, hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council California (USGBC-CA) in San Francisco on May 22, 2025. Throughout the event, various PHCA members presented their Passive House projects, showcasing innovative designs and high-performance building strategies aligned with the Passive House standard. [caption id="attachment_6495" align="alignnone" width="259"] Brian Pearson and Susie Harris at the PHCA and PHN booth[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6494"…
Explore a small-scale urban infill single-family residence in West Los Angeles, designed under California’s SB9 regulation—a recent law aimed at increasing residential density to help address the housing shortage in Los Angeles. Designed by PARAVANT Architects, this home was recently certified as a Passive House Classic by the International Passive House Institute (PHI). You’ll also have the opportunity to observe the ongoing renovation of an existing home, which is being…
Explore a small-scale urban infill single-family residence in West Los Angeles, designed under California’s SB9 regulation—a recent law aimed at increasing residential density to help address the housing shortage in Los Angeles. Designed by PARAVANT Architects, this home was recently certified as a Passive House by the International Passive House Institute (PHI). You’ll also have the opportunity to observe the ongoing renovation of an existing home, which is being upgraded…
