Remained almost unscathed: architects explained why some buildings in Los Angeles withstood the fire. Photos and videos

Out of more than 12,000 buildings in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu neighborhoods of Los Angeles, USA, at least five remained intact. Even the builders consider it a miracle: among the thousands of buildings that have stood for decades but were destroyed by the fire, only a few remain – built recently. But the architects say there is no miracle, as their houses were designed to withstand fires.

The photo above shows a brand new house in Pacific Palisades. It was designed by architect Greg Chasen in the summer of 2024, Bloomberg reports. None of the other houses next to it survived.

According to Mr. Chasen, this house was "saved by a fire-resistant design strategy." He explains that modern design should be adapted to the climate – in this case, the climate of California, where the weather is the main cause of large-scale wildfires.

In particular, as you can see in the photos and video below, the courtyard of the architect's intact building is a secluded area, free of vegetation, fenced off by concrete garden walls.

"It's a pity that the neighbor parked his car near the house. You can see molten aluminum in the picture, it was 1200 degrees. But the wall of the yard prevented a lot of heat from reaching the house," explained Mr. Chasen.

Other design factors are more subtle, the publication notes. For example, there are no eaves or overhangs along the house that could create whirlwinds and trap embers carried and blown by strong winds. The house has no attic vents to allow sparks to get inside the roof, which is metal with a fireproof coating.

The gable house is not without several roof lines, dormers, or other projections. They are vulnerable sections during a fire.

Other elements of the "fire-resistant design strategy" are no less important (and some are even critical). It's hard to believe, but the walls and floors of a house are made of wood! This is good in case of an earthquake. But Class A wood is as resistant to fire as concrete or steel. Tempered glass protects the interior. The front of the house is finished with heat-treated wood.

The publication also cites other buildings and, accordingly, examples of "fire-resistant design" by other architects. All of them are united in their "simplicity" – no extra walls, decor, etc. Climate-adaptive design is characterized by "a super-compact form, something like a Monopoly house," the publication quotes another author of a fireproof house.

It is believed that such fire-proof buildings are 30-50% more expensive than conventional housing. But this is not the case. On the contrary, the construction of such buildings is quite a bit cheaper, by 1-5%.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the root cause of the wildfires in Southern California, which are still raging there, is people in 85% of cases. But the scale of the disaster, its timing, and spread are caused by other factors, including weather and a number of other phenomena, including global climate change.

By the way, the information and even the video of how the fire burned down the famous Hollywood Hills memorial, the HOLLYWOOD inscription, is fake.

But the story of how an actor with cerebral palsy died in the Los Angeles fires, begging his mother to escape without him, is unfortunately true.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!