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The wildfires that swept through Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other communities in the Los Angeles area in early 2025 caused an unprecedented disaster. If there is an upside to such a catastrophe, it may be the opportunity to explore how homes, commercial buildings and infrastructure can be rebuilt in a different way to prevent a future disaster.
“The challenge is not just to get people back into their homes, but to help them make informed, forward-looking decisions that reduce risk in the long term,” said Wes Bolsen, CEO of CitroTech, manufacturer of EPA Safer Choice-recognized fire inhibitor and other science-based fire inhibitors for homeowners and municipalities.
“That requires a shift in mindset from reactive solutions to preventative design, treating fire resistance as a core construction principle rather than as an add-on.”
A similar claim is made by Ken Calligar, founder and CEO of RSG 3-D, a home construction design increasingly used in areas prone to natural disasters.
His company’s RS 3D method of building homes uses the patented Resilient Panel Building System, which produces a non-flammable, high-strength shell that can withstand the most extreme conditions. Calligar’s hope is that rebuilding will not involve a return to the materials and processes that failed in the catastrophic fires. “What are we trying to recover to?” he asks.
“Every Angeleno should demand that they never have to experience this again. I wish Los Angeles could use this moment to become a global leader in resilience, sustainability, a truly future-proof city with neighborhoods built for the future. If we can embrace resilience, sustainability and long-term affordability as guiding principles, we can break the cycle of destroy, rebuild and destroy.”
One of the many companies involved in rebuilding Palisades is Ghost Factory, a company that works with area contractors to provide cold-formed steel framing for homes, ensuring faster, fire-safe construction methods. The hope of Spencer Padgett, co-founder of Ghost Factory, is that rebuilding will provide those who have lost their homes with a level of certainty in terms of structure, timeline and sustainability for generations.
Cold-formed steel is non-flammable, dimensionally stable and does not burn, warp, rot or attract vermin. The frame is not a fuel source and adheres to its tolerances. “That stability is important in fire zones, high wind conditions and seismic areas because performance depends on the building remaining true to its design loads and connections,” he says.
A must have
Disaster-proof construction was once a specialty. Now it is a necessity, says Zoltan Pali, who as founder and design director at SPF: architects is deeply involved in the reconstruction process in Southern California. Building with resilience in mind should be priority number one in environments already prone to natural disasters.
“I believe we will see a major shift toward proactive design, integrating resilience from the beginning rather than building it in later,” Pali says. “The goal is to create buildings that are inherently sustainable, safe and adaptable, not only compliant with code, but also responsive to the realities of a changing climate.”
Assisting will be SHAWOOD, the premium homebuilding brand of Sekisui House, which as a new member of the Los Angeles Builders Alliance is bringing its well-documented fire-resistant engineering to the region’s community rebuilding efforts. Based in Japan, Sekisui House has decades of experience creating homes that can withstand floods, typhoons and earthquakes.
During a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan in 2011, none of the nearly 180,000 Sekisui House-built homes in the affected area were partially or completely destroyed. While the threats in LA are not exactly the same as in Japan, it is hoped that SHAWOOD joining the Builders Alliance will ensure that the rebuilding initiative will deliver smarter, safer and more sustainable homes.
Move consciously
Dylan Hart, a partner at Village Rebuild, founded with Conor O’Donovan to facilitate rebuilding efforts in Pacific Palisades, emphasizes the importance of taking the time to rebuild the luxury community. “Our focus at Village Rebuild is to move with purpose and consistency,” he says. “Our goal is to rebuild approximately five to 10 homes per year, with each project typically taking two to three years from start to finish. It’s not about speed for speed’s sake; it’s about doing it right, protecting homeowners and ensuring these homes are built to last.”
If the rebuilding efforts help shift the dialogue from reactive recovery to proactive prevention, the outcome will be seen as consequential, Polsen says.
“Not just for this community, but for other regions facing the same growing risks, where the question is not whether rebuilding will happen, but whether it will happen in a way that makes communities stronger over time.”
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