An Amazon package arrived at my door a few days after the Eaton and Palisades fires ignited. It contained a small air purifier, sent by friends who were worried about the city’s air quality. It underlined that, despite my Miracle Mile address, I was not impervious to the fire’s consequences. Even if I couldn’t see or smell them, microscopic particles were being blown across the state by robust winds that would enable the fires to burn through 38,000 acres, incinerating 16,000 structures alongside their contents — Hoka Bondis, Tesla car batteries, Magna tiles, Vitamix blenders, iPads, Stanley cups, High Sport pants — the stuff of life in the 21st century. That air purifier is still on, every filter change a reminder that nothing about the device, designed to keep me safe, is recyclable. It’s a microcosm of the dilemma facing homeowners as rebuilding slowly begins to take shape throughout the city. How do we weigh sustainability against personal safety, durability against the future of the planet, comfort against conscientiousness? As interior designer Oliver Furth wonders, “Isn’t the most sustainable option the one that survives?”

Architect Dustin Brammel, a founder of Case Study: Adapt, a program created in response to the fires, weighs in. His own rebuild employs RSG-3D, fabricated from layers of wire-reinforced foam sandwiched between wire mesh with a sprayed-on concrete exterior. I’m surprised by the inclusion of concrete, commonly understood to have a harmful impact on the atmosphere. “It’s a balancing act,” Brammel acknowledges. “While concrete does have marginally higher levels of embodied carbon initially, building with it ensures that our house will be noncombustible, earthquake-resistant and energy-efficient, allowing the embodied carbon to be amortized over centuries, not decades.”

How long a project will take to construct and how much waste it will generate also influences a homeowner’s decision. Construction company Bevyhouse attempts to address these concerns by rethinking the entire building process, marrying the efficiency of factory construction (aka prefab construction) to the beauty of a custom home. Founder Bryan Henson compares it to children’s building blocks. “We manufacture the interiors, the boxes that make up a home’s rooms, in the factory while the foundation is being poured on-site. We deliver them, drop them in place and finish the build on-site, adding decks, garages and details.” Yellowstone’s Josh Lucas, who watched as his own home was installed, was impressed. “Seeing the pieces perfectly fit together, already wired with plumbing and insulation, puts you five months ahead of a conventional build.”

Henson’s experience with the Santa Barbara, Montecito and Malibu fires and his background in sustainability (he’s taught classes at UC Santa Barbara) impact his approach to construction: ventless attics and crawl spaces — which protect a home against flying embers — are standard. Clients are encouraged to add energy recovery ventilators, which swap stale air with fresh, filtered air, reducing the load on the HVAC system. And, instead of wood, the homes are constructed from fiber cement board. The multipurpose material — a mix of cement, sand and cellulose fibers that are noncombustible, fire-resistant and considered sustainable because of its longevity and low maintenance — also has won over architect Barbara Bestor, whose client list includes such heavyweights as LACMA CEO Michael Govan and Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson. Bestor admires its versatility: “You can do lap siding, you can do modern, you can do storybook.” Both Bestor and architect Tim Barber, who counts Matt Duffer and Ramin Djawadi as clients, employ Densdeck Roof Boards and Densinglas sheeting, a fiberglass-matt gypsum panel considered sustainable because of its durability and recycled content, in their work. “It also adds extra invisible layers of fire protection,” Barber notes.

Some architects, including William Hefner, have swapped out wood framing in favor of steel, which is fire-resilient, recyclable and durable. “My clients want to live and build in more energy-efficient and conscientious ways,” Hefner stresses. While the bans on gas appliances have been lifted for homes that are being rebuilt, he’s preparing for the future by installing solar panels and electric systems: heat pumps that, despite their name, also cool the air, water heaters, dryers and induction stoves. Interior finishes also have undergone a recalibration with interior designers and clients focused on B-Corp brands (companies certified by the independent, nonprofit B-Corp Lab to meet its high standards for environmental and social responsibility) like Alkemis’ single-coat mineral paints, Fireclay’s domestically made tiles, Armadillo’s natural fiber rugs and Parachute bedding. Laun’s Rachel Bullock points out that even small moves, like multipane windows, can make a big difference in both a home’s energy-efficiency and its fire-resilience.

“My vision isn’t just to rebuild structures; it’s to bring our communities back for another century,” says architect May Sung, articulating the sentiment that underlines every conversations about rebuilding. And isn’t that the sustainability we’re all after?

This story appears in The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 Sustainability Issue. Click here to read more.