Architecture: Innovative Fire-resistant homes

I found this article on Apartment Therapy via the SF Chronicle. The California wildfires have been out of control and many have lost their homes. This article highlighted what architects have done to help battle the wildfires with fire-resistant materials. Read the article here. Below are a few photos of my favorite highlighted homes.

Berkeley architect David Stark Wilson designed this 2007 house, which Metropolitan Home magazine featured in a large spread in June, naming it one of the top 100 houses of the year. Photo by David S. Wilson

Berkeley architect Regan Bice designed the house for this property, but his client, a famous actor, didn't build it. The property changed hands repeatedly until Jean-Dou van der Werf bought it and built Bice's design fairly faithfully in 2006. With stucco walls, aluminum fasciae and windows, prominent bolts in the fasciae and an absence of vegetation, the house comes across as harsh, industrial and even heavy. But when you stand directly in front of it, you can see right through to the three-bridge view. This transparency simultaneously makes the house seem fragile, creating an intriguing paradox. Chronicle photo by Eric Luse

Berkeley architect David Stark Wilson designed this 2007 house, which Metropolitan Home magazine featured in a large spread in June, naming it one of the top 100 houses of the year. Photo by David S. Wilson