phn california builds

LA Rebuilding Supported by Passive House Community

By Mary James

When the Eaton and Palisades fires swept through Los Angeles starting in early January of this year, more than 16,000 structures burned. In addition to the devastating personal and economic losses that these burned-out buildings represent, each pile of charred remains is a reminder of the tons of carbon emissions and toxic chemicals that each structure releases. The quest to rebuild with an eye to creating fire-resistant homes has never been more urgent. 

With that goal in mind, the Passive House Network (PHN), in collaboration with Passive House California, has launched a new design competition intended to create a catalog of Passive House homes that are fire resilient. The network is looking to inspire the design community to showcase how Passive House can be instrumental in creating sustainable, healthy, and fire-resilient structures, in a variety of styles that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles aesthetics.  

Get Articles Like This Delivered to Your Inbox Subscribe Now

Among other competition requirements, PHN is asking the submissions to reflect one of the following styles that were common in the neighborhoods that burned: Craftsman (Arts & Crafts), Spanish Colonial Revival, Mid-Century Modern, Ranch Style, or Contemporary. A winner will be selected in each category, and all entries have to be received by September 30th. The competition is being sponsored by Rockwool

Kim Ravold, communications manager at PHN, explains that the idea for the competition arose from PHN’s climate disaster subcommittee, which was started just after the Los Angeles fires. Susie Harris, PHN’s community coordinator who lives in Southern California, was actively involved in the competition’s development.  

“When it comes to wildfires, you have the tragedies of the houses that did burn down, but you also have the safety of all the communities in the area who maybe couldn't shelter in place because their houses aren't airtight or smoke tight,” Ravold points out, discussing just how broad the impacts of building back better can be. She explains that the competition has multiple goals: “We can really raise awareness for Passive House and hopefully give community members options to rebuild that are in their budget and that fit their lot sizes. And, a large focus that we have in this competition is, how do we also make sure that we preserve what was unique about these areas?” 

Don't Go It Alone. Join Our Community.

The Reimagine Buildings Collective brings together building professionals stepping up to tackle climate change.

The competition was just formally announced, but already Ravold has been fielding enquiries about it, including one from a Cuban resident asking if entrants have to live in the United States. Her response: “Everybody is welcome. We're really excited to see what everyone around the world can bring to this competition.” PHN is working to promote the competition with a number of partnership organizations. 

B.PUBLIC CEO and co-founder Edie Dillman attempts to speak over mariachi music. Photo courtesy of Bronwyn Barry.
B.PUBLIC CEO and co-founder Edie Dillman attempts to speak over mariachi music. Photo courtesy of Bronwyn Barry.

There was an early unveiling of the competition in San Francisco at a pre-USGBC California event co-hosted by B.PUBLIC Prefab, 475 Supply, and Passive House BB. Although briefly challenged by mariachi music from a neighboring venue, Edie Dillman, CEO and co-creator of B.PUBLIC, spoke about the firm and introduced Bronwyn Barry and Passive House BB, as the newest Collab partner. Passive House BB joins Shape Architecture and Hereabout as collaborators in offering pre-designed home plans optimized to work with B.PUBLIC’s prefab panels.  

Speaking of her initial design for this partnership, SustAIN HAUS, Barry shared its background story as an homage to architect Gregory Ain. "Ain was a mid-twentieth century architect who never received the recognition he deserved. I chose Ain because he was an activist-architect who worked primarily in Los Angeles, including Altadena,” Barry explains, adding, “He actively campaigned for social justice causes and was blacklisted by the FBI because of his socialist views. He also strove to make modern design both accessible and more broadly affordable, which is what we're aiming to do with SustAIN HAUS." By combining prefabrication and Passive House performance, the aim is to give LA homeowners an efficient pathway to a home that is resilient, comfortable, and high performance. 

Asked if she plans to enter her design into the PHN competition, Barry replied, “Sure. The competition overlaps well with what I’ve started to do with my business. I’m trying to make Passive House design accessible and scalable, so it becomes normalized in California.”


Published: May 30, 2025
Author: Mary James
Categories: Article, Resilience