Why simple is often the solution with bushfire design
Posted on : Friday, 19 March 2021
Simple, but well-considered designs are often the most
effective options for housing in bushfire-prone
areas.
An Australian Institute of Architects paper has recently
been released which provides straight-forward ideas that might help
to reduce bushfire risk through the design, building, and
occupation of homes.
The note, titled
Site planning and design for bushfire, looks at the
design of residential buildings using case studies and
methodologies of assessing bushfire attacks, to provide guidance on
the siting, landscaping, and construction of homes in areas at
risk.
This includes looking at the issues of active defence and
emergency shelter to ensure the safety of residents.
As the National Construction Code now calls up bushfire
standards and codes in its deemed-to-satisfy provisions, and there
is an increasing focus on planning and construction requirements,
design that is sensitive to the risks is even more
important.
With changes in bushfire frequency, severity, and
unpredictability there is a higher risk that impacts can spread
from rural and urban-bushland interface into towns and cities.
Solutions don't need to be complicated or cutting edge to be
effective - often keeping it simple results in a more protected
home, when implemented as part of a well-informed, considered and
collaborative design approach.
To read the paper, click
here.