Architecture News and Editorial Desk
Now known as the "Black Summer", Australia's bushfire season from 2109 to 2020 is the worst on record. Quite simply, the fire is unprecedented. As of March 2020, 18.6 million hectares of land had been burned. Not only buildings (including 2,779 houses) were burnt down. The most tragic thing was that 34 people lost their lives. In addition, there are nearly 3 billion animals, including threatened or endangered species, either killed or displaced.
Considering Australia’s love of our native jungle and our tendency to build houses as close as possible to it, the number of 2,779 houses destroyed may be even higher. If there is a glimmer of hope from fire, it is that in recent years, we have begun to better understand how to build fire-resistant houses.
How do you know if your house (or the land where you want to build it) is in a bush fire zone? The relevant planning regulations vary from state to state (for example, in New South Wales, you need to contact the New South Wales Rural Fire Department, while in Victoria, you need to contact the relevant authority VicPlan).
If it turns out that you are in a bushfire zone, if you wish to carry out any construction or renovation work, you need to conduct a bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment. This is to determine the appropriate measures to be taken to ensure that the house is protected from potential bushfires. For example, the BAL 40 building requirements are more stringent than the BAL 12.5 building requirements.
The evaluation level of a house measures the severity of its exposure to embers, radiant heat, and direct flame exposure. BAL is measured by radiant heat (kW/m²).
These are the relevant BAL ratings:
Although there is no such thing as a flame zone kit, through careful selection of materials, specifiers can greatly improve their expertise in the design of bush fire protection houses.
Cladding-In terms of outer cladding, corrugated iron is ideal for fireproof houses, as is certain types of fiber cement paneling.
Wood-Be careful when using wood for decoration, etc. Refractory woods include turpentine, red iron sheet, ebony, merbau, and red river gum. It is recommended to use spotted glue and silver top ash in the design of houses in bush fire areas.
Windows and glass-It is a good idea to install external metal shutters on all windows. In terms of window frame materials, the use of aluminum and metal to reinforce PVC is restarted.
Steel frames-Steel frames are a good choice because they are very durable and fireproof.
Appearance-In addition, it is also important to consider gardens and landscapes. Always make sure that there is a 5m gap between the house and the garden, and keep the house away from local trees as much as possible, and make sure to clean the drain fuel regularly.
Install sprinkler system-an important feature of fire-resistant houses is the sprinkler system. These should be sprayed with water, usually at a pressure of 300kpa.
Among those who are unfamiliar with their architecture, there are several myths and misunderstandings about bush fire houses. One of the most popular is that the fireproof house always looks like a bushfire bunker in the end. In fact, unless they are in the most dangerous location, they look a lot like standard houses. Even if you live in a small town like Kinglake that was destroyed by the 2009 Black Saturday fire, you can still build a bushfire safe house.
Durimbul Bushfire Resistant House is located on the Wick Wye River and was designed by Matt Goodman Architects to replace houses destroyed in the 2015 bushfires. Although it is located on a hillside, it is fireproof.
Steendijk Architects is located in Killarney (Killarney) in the heart of Queensland's Gold Coast, combining a strong fortress exterior with beautiful light-filled interior spaces. Its most striking element is its fire-resistant roof.
This single-story, three-bedroom weekend house was designed by Urban Poss to deal with potential bushfires. For example, instead of having a few windows, there are several three-meter-high revolving tempered double-glazed doors.
Designed by Field Office Architecture, Mt Macedon House is located in the Macedon Mountains of Victoria, using non-combustible materials and meticulous details. For example, it is coated with Corten cladding.
Ian Weir’s house is located on a property in BAL 40. It is built on stilts and has a variety of fire protection features, such as hollow masonry walls, concrete slabs and blinds on the windows to eliminate the effects of heat and flames. .
H House, also designed by Ian Weir Architects, aims to be self-sufficient (without any human assistance) during bushfires. Led by research architect and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) lecturer Dr. Ian Weir, H House presented a model that can harmonize bushfires and diversity with daily life. H House is located in a bushfire-prone biodiversity landscape in Cape Henry, Washington.
Designed by architect Clare Cousins, this house is located in the town of Vic in Christmas Hill and replaces a house destroyed in the infamous Black Saturday fire. It meets the requirements of BAL-29, which is the second highest level of bushfire attack.
The Ball-Eastaway house is located in Glenorie, a suburb of northwestern Sydney, New South Wales. It was designed by Glenn Murcutt in 1980, a pioneer of bushfire resistance. Its features include an innovative deciduous gutter design, black tiles that reflect radiant heat, a sprinkler system and a water feature on the roof.
10. Compress the Earth's jungle fireproof house
This house by Baldwin O'Bryan Architects was the winner of the 2015 Best Design Concept Innovation Award by the Australian Bushfire Architectural Council, and received the FZ-Flame Zone certification, which is the highest level of bushfire attack in Australia. It combines a low-cost building block scheme based on stable compressed soil blocks, which was proposed by the architect. The system is not only highly sustainable, but also much cheaper than reinforced concrete.
Discover products that suit your style and create a list of your favorite or most wanted items.
Search our latest projects and articles to find inspiration for your next project
Join the community to learn more about projects and news
Subscribe to get all news, opinions, resources, comments and opinions about architecture and design, delivered directly to your inbox.