Many of the homes lost to the Los Angeles wildfires have two things going against them… location in a fire hazard zone and a design that is completely at odds with that location. This begs the question, why is building fire resistant homes not a key focus of popular American architecture and construction? Some new homes are created without the physical features that make older homes susceptible to fire, from combustible materials to tinderbox landscaping. Of course, there is beauty and intrigue in vintage home designs – but in the case of Los Angeles – we may need to reconsider building like it’s 1965.
Building for the modern era of climate change in Southern California means building for fire safety. While there’s no such thing as a fireproof house, there are ways to design homes to resist fire. For the designers and architects called upon to help rebuild in Los Angeles, building fire resistant homes is a pressing matter. What are the top design features of fire resistant homes that could withstand the next big fire? We’re breaking it down here.
Materials
The materials used are the first thing to consider when it comes to building fire resistant homes. Experts recommend
specific material upgrades that can improve a building’s resistance. Fire-rated materials that can withstand flames for hours can provide a buffer for a house to remain standing until firefighters are able to respond. In a desert region prone to fire such as Los Angeles, clients are encouraged to spend that extra money (often just a few percent more) to go fire-resistant. Things like concrete, stone, aluminum panels and fiberglass are increasingly more available in a much wider variety than ever before. We now have the luxury of more aesthetically pleasing fire-resistant materials that don’t compromise the design of the home. And of course, the additional costs pale in comparison to losing a home to fire.
Shape
During a wildfire, the shape of a building can increase its risk of going up in flames. For example, common residential design elements like overhanging roofs and eaves are essentially targets for flying embers to land on. Many of the homes that burned in the Palisades and Eaton fires were farmhouses completely clad in wood. Simply designing those types of roofs out of a build can eliminate a major culprit in many home fires. Instead, opting for perpendicular wall and rooflines can eliminate those dangerous crevices altogether.
Landscaping
In the case of a wildfire, homes tend to catch fire from what’s close to them, whether it’s another burning home, or highly combustible landscaping. Designers in fire prone regions encourage their clients to reconsider landscaping
that comes right up to the home, and instead implement a buffer zone, known as defensible space. While this may not sound as attractive as fruit trees and shrubbery, there are creative ways to landscape for safety. A beautifully paved patio or a pool, for example, can end up being the choices that save a house from flames. Additionally, while all plants will burn, planting native varieties will be more resistant to fire. Examples in Southern California would include California buckwheat, coffeeberry, coyote brush and laurel sumac. Keep your plants hydrated for extra protection!
Ventilation
Preventing the risk of fire can be as simple as tracking the direction of prevailing winds that would carry embers in the event of an inferno. Most building codes require a certain amount of air vents on building exteriors, which can act as traps for flying embers. Homes often burn not from the outside, but from the inside when an ember from a nearby fire enters that vent. Placing a vent on the side of a building opposite to the direction of the prevailing winds therefore hugely reduces that risk.
The above design approaches are becoming commonplace among some architects – especially those working in fire-affected regions. However, many elements of fire resistant homes are not required by building codes and are still voluntary choices. Part of the issue when it comes to rebuilding is that people just don’t know better and hire contractors to replicate the previous design. With such widespread destruction witnessed in the recent wildfires, there should be more interest in fire-resistant architecture alternatives moving forward.
One silver lining in the recent tragedy in California is the opportunity to learn better practices for the future. America’s greatest architects, designers, contractors and engineers can now step in and build with purpose. With any hope, fire-resistant designs will not be so outnumbered by status quo buildings that don’t account for the area’s risk. Our hearts are with the families in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California who have lost their homes.