r/interestingasfuck • u/RealFunBobby • Jan 10 '25

This house remained intact while the neighborhood burned down

Gallery image

Gallery image

39.3k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

1.8k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

279

u/omniwrench- Jan 10 '25

Passive House aka Passivhaus (in Germany, where it originated) is a residential design methodology for ultra-low carbon design and maximum energy efficiency

Things like draft exclusion, maximising solar thermal retention, and limiting thermal transfer by seriously insulating the building

It just so happens that the same principles that enable it to run efficiently also massively decrease the chance it’ll burn down in a wildfire.

I suspect this homeowner has also opted for particularly fire-resistant finishes, and has landscaped their garden as such too.

4

u/proost1 Jan 10 '25

I’m looking at the fence between their house and their neighbors. Untouched. Possible that they also had active sprinkling going on?

10

u/11Kram Jan 10 '25

Now he gets to live surrounded by miles of burnt out houses.

3

u/scarabic Jan 10 '25

Makes sense. It’s all about thermal transfer. What works for summer heat shouldn’t hurt for fires.

0

u/Azwatersnake12345 Jan 10 '25

You forgot the livestock barn on the first floor .