Name
Building Climate Resilience in Practice: Integrating Passive House, Prefabrication, and Multi-Hazard Design
Date & Time
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
James Croft AC Johnson Tim Sweeney
Description

As climate risks intensify across California and the western United States, communities face growing pressure to rebuild and construct housing that is both low-carbon and resilient to wildfire, earthquakes, and extreme weather. This session presents a practical case study of how integrated design and delivery approaches can translate climate goals into buildable, repeatable solutions. Drawing from two active residential projects—a post-wildfire rebuild in California and a high-risk prototype home in the western U.S.—the session explores how Passive House design principles, prefabricated magnesium oxide (MgO) structural insulated panels, and multi-hazard design strategies can be combined to create durable, energy-efficient, and rapidly constructed homes. Rather than focusing on theory alone, the presentation emphasizes implementation: what worked, what required adaptation, and what lessons emerged through collaboration among architects, builders, engineers, manufacturers, and homeowners. Presenters will discuss how prefabrication and high-performance envelopes can shorten construction timelines, reduce material waste, and lower both embodied and operational carbon, while improving fire resistance and long-term durability. The session also addresses seismic resilience as part of a holistic approach to climate adaptation, demonstrating how energy efficiency and life-safety goals can be addressed together. A central theme of the session is partnership. Attendees will gain insight into how cross-disciplinary collaboration and homeowner participation can strengthen outcomes, surface risks earlier, and improve decision-making in complex projects. Designed for architects, builders, developers, sustainability professionals, and public-sector stakeholders, this session offers actionable lessons that can be applied from individual homes to repeatable community models—supporting a more resilient, connected built environment.

Session Type
Session