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Thursday, January 16, 2025

L.A. County Land-Grab Fears Ignite: "They're Going To Turn Altadena Into One Big Apartment Complex"

 Fears of a land grab have erupted across fire-ravaged areas of Los Angeles County, as local and state officials have already begun discussing plans for "LA 2.0." One user on X commented, "Tell me this was a planned demolition without telling me this was a planned demolition." 

"They are going to turn Altadena into one gigantic apartment complex," X user Bay Area State OF Mind said, referring to local officials who want to change zoning in the Altadena area from single-family to multi-family. In other words, some officials want to usher in the construction of apartment buildings and so-called 'smart cities.'

Altadena (and other areas in L.A. County) could serve as a proof-of-concept for how the Democratic Party transforms single-family neighborhoods into apartment buildings in a world where citizens own nothing and will be happy. 

The cause of the fire remains undetermined at this point. However, the rapid spread was caused by high wind gusts, and "Incompetence in the limit is indistinguishable from sabotage," Elon Musk wrote on X. 

The question of sabotage is a key topic on X, mainly because the main reservoir in the Palisades, which would've likely suppressed the fire in the early days, was completely drained. 

On Monday, Palisades homeowners sued the city of Los Angeles' electric and water utility for not supplying enough water to firefighters. The plaintiffs claim that a reservoir in the area was drained, causing low pressure in fire hydrants.

As of Thursday morning, the Palisades and Eaton Fires continue to rage, leaving dozens dead (and counting), ten-plus thousand structures destroyed, thousands of households displaced, and entire communities leveled. Meanwhile, Democrats are already pushing the conversation to rezone some areas to accommodate high-density, Communist-style apartment blocks. 

As one X user noted, "Tell me this was a planned demolition without telling me this was a planned demolition."

All right before the L.A. 2028 Olympics... Makes you wonder. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/la-county-land-grab-fears-theyre-going-turn-altadena-one-big-apartment-complex

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'Passive house’ survived the LA fires, despite the neighboring houses burning down

 The California wildfires are still ravaging the Los Angeles area a week after they started. The stories of residents who live in the area and have lost everything are heartbreaking.

Against this catastrophic backdrop, a lucky few houses were spared; for one reason or another, these residents’ homes are miraculously still intact.

But how can that be? Sure, there is advice on how to fireproof your home, with experts recommending everything from landscaping tips to the benefits of sprinklers.

However, some architects in the know recommend investing in what’s called a “passive home.” Though still a fairly new trend on the market, these types of homes are designed to be incredibly eco-friendly—and benefit from having some protection against fire damage.

‘Passive house’ survives California fire

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The latest stats out of California project that over 40,000 acres have been scorched as of Jan. 14. The initial blaze in Pacific Palisades stands at 17% containment, with nearly 24,000 acres decimated.

A passive home in California that survived a wildfire, with a car parked in front of it
This ‘passive home’ was able to survive the wildfires.g chasen/ X

A week after the fires started, winds were predicted to return with a force, which “could cause extreme fire behavior in the blazes or turn any new spark into a raging inferno,” according to CNN.

Greg Chasen’s house in Pacific Palisades, which he built in 2024, still stands while the neighboring homes burned down. The house on Iliff Street is the “single one” that “remains intact,” Mansion Global reported.

“If it weren’t for several fire-resilient design strategies, the home would have been destroyed,” Bloomberg reported.

Chasen, an architect who designed the house, said the home he built “for a dear friend” boasts several fire-proofing features. Several of these follow the principles of passive home design.

Aerial view of homes destroyed by wildfires in Pacific Palisades, California on January 13, 2025
Thousands of structures have been destroyed due to the wildfires.Getty Images

How a passive house is built

To qualify officially as a passive house, a home must meet certain criteria set by the International Passive House Association. The dwelling must consume 86% less energy for heating and 46% less for cooling compared with other code-compliant buildings in the same climate.

To reduce or even eliminate the need for heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, a passive house is built airtight, using strong exterior insulation, triple-pane windows, and construction methods that ensure no heat is transferred across the exterior of the building. No outdoor air seeps in, and no indoor air escapes.

Modern eco-friendly house with attic skylights, insulation, solar panels, and a solar water heater system.
To qualify officially as a passive house, a home must meet certain criteria set by the International Passive House Association.bildlove – stock.adobe.com

This airtight construction is one of the reasons the house could withstand a blaze.

As Bloomberg reported, the house does not have eaves, overhangs, or attic vents “to allow sparks to get inside the roof, which is metal, with a fire-resistant underlayment.”

In addition, Chasen’s fire-proofing choices include “a protected area free of vegetation, fenced off by cast-in-place concrete garden walls.”  

A fire-resistant house with airtight construction, equipped with solar panels and a parked car
The airtight construction of the homes is one of the reasons they can survive a fire.4th Life Photography – stock.adobe.com

What are the passive house principles?

While nothing is entirely fireproof, there are several ways to protect a house.

For instance, following the five passive house principles—needed for a certification—can help. According to Passive House Accelerator, these are the principles:

  • Superinsulated envelopes
  • Airtight construction
  • High-performance glazing
  • Thermal-bridge-free detailing
  • Heat recovery ventilation

Zachary Semke, director at Passive House Accelerator, tells Realtor.com® that many essential principles of passive house design help make buildings resilient to fire and smoke.

“Airtight construction helps stop embers from being sucked into building envelopes,” says Semke. “Simpler forms (fewer zigs and zags, bump-outs, etc.) mean fewer nooks and crannies for embers to take hold, plus less overall surface area exposed to fire risk.”

Ignacio Rodriguez, CEO of IR Architects, designed nine houses currently in the Palisades-Malibu fire’s path, eight of which were still standing at press time. He says several passive strategies are now part of California’s Title 24 energy code, and his firm embeds these practices in its residential designs.

Rodriguez, who was forced to evacuate his own home during the Hurst fire, explains that tighter envelopes are the passive practice most relevant for fire resistance.

“The primary intent is energy efficiency to prevent heating and cooling loss from the home, but tight sealing also elevates fire resilience,” he says. 

In addition, he says that windows are “keys to fire success.” While a structure might withstand flames, heat and wind can blow out windows.

Firefighter walking past homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, with a burned area complete with trees and a road.
Rodriguez designed nine houses currently in the Palisades-Malibu fire’s path, eight of which were still standing at press time.Getty Images

“We’ve found that aluminum-framed windows are more resilient than vinyl frames,” he adds. 

In addition, Rodriguez notes that his firm encourages clients to install one-hour fire membranes behind structural wood and treat exterior wood trim with a fire-retardant coating. 

Finally, as Semke notes, these structures also feature energy recovery ventilation systems (HRVs and ERVs), which can be fitted with filters to remove smoke particulates and odors. This protects the health and well-being of occupants and building interiors from smoke damage. 

Passive house cost

States such as New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania have been early adopters of passive houses. As of 2023, “16,000 units of Passive House multifamily housing (apartments or townhomes) were built or are in the process of construction nationwide,” according to the Passive House Network.

There are currently 12 million square feet of passive house-certified buildings in the U.S., according to Semke. They’re a combination of single-family and multifamily buildings. Those projects are certified by one of two independent certifying bodies: Phius (based in Chicago) and Passive House Institute (based in Darmstadt, Germany).

Yet, one of the most significant drawbacks of these structures is their up-front costs. 

According to Semke, these single-family homes are typically 5% to 10% more expensive when designed with cost optimization in mind. However, the upfront investment brings ongoing savings in utility bills.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/15/real-estate/passive-house-survives-fire-in-california-how-it-avoided-total-destruction/

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