CEO criticizes wood framing for Los Angeles wildfire rebuilding

Ken Calligar, CEO of building technology company RSG-3D, has publicly criticized the reliance on wood framing in Los Angeles County rebuilding efforts following the 2025 Palisades and Altadena wildfires. Calligar, a former Wall Street investment banker, contends that the current construction practices are leaving communities vulnerable to future disasters.

According to Calligar, approximately 99% of the homes being rebuilt in the affected areas utilize wood framing. He argues that this approach is outdated and that new residential structures are often being built larger and closer together, which increases the risk of fire spreading between properties. He characterized the continued use of wood as designing for the next disaster.

Calligar advocates for the use of alternative, disaster-resilient materials, specifically framing panels made of steel wire and expanded polystyrene encased in concrete. He maintains that these materials are cost-competitive and offer superior protection against wildfires, earthquakes, and hurricanes compared to traditional methods. He rejected the notion that incorporating such resiliency into residential design makes homes unaffordable.

The executive is currently involved in approximately a dozen building projects in Los Angeles, with plans to triple that number in the coming year. He stated that the U.S. residential building industry has failed to evolve its technology over the last half century, arguing that the current approach to construction is a significant oversight in fire-prone regions.