Growing wildfire devastation demands better-protected buildings – better protected by building design and better design of their surrounding landscape. Yet, after fire events, like in Los Angeles, there is a need to rebuild quickly. Just build it back, the thinking goes, but we can do better. Let’s build forward with fire-safe strategies integrated with Passive House building design to drive down our dependence on fossil fuels, protect people’s health, and adapt to the ever-growing threats of extreme weather. Join us as we investigate integrated approaches with Passive House, how they’ve been implemented following other wildfires, and the possibilities they demonstrate for building forward.

A continuous fresh air ventilation system supplies 24 hours a day fresh outdoor air into your PASSIVE HOUSE.

USGBC LA, U.S. Green Building Council Chapter Los Angeles

The Icebox Challenge is a contest and It will be comprised of two small structures (5’x5’ – h: 11’), one built to the Title-24 California Building Code, and the other, built to the PASSIVE HOUSE Standard optimized for the local climate. Each Ice Box contains 500 pounds of ice. The Ice Boxes will be left outside for 7 days (between September 6th & September 13th), and then opened, measuring the amount of ice left in each box. How much ice is left will indicate how well each Ice Box keeps out the summer heat. High-performance buildings are reliable, affordable, comfortable buildings that keep the indoors in and the outdoors out. They stay comfortable and quiet throughout the year, including through summer heat waves, winter storms and power outages.