a home among the gum trees
Protecting Detached Houses Against Ember Attack in New South Wales
Click here to read the thesis.
The 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season demonstrated the increased risk of severe bushfire as the climate changes. Future architects should create buildings that better respond to the challenges this creates.
This research project aimed to determine which design priorities should be recommended most widely to architects building detached houses within regional areas of New South Wales that are subject to significant bushfire risks.
Semi-structured interviews with 15 participants (10 design professionals and 5 bushfire professionals) were undertaken. Their opinions on the relative importance of different site factors and building features were examined, and these opinions were analysed using content analysis methodology.
The participant groups’ motivations and concerns showed that the most important architectural priorities were determined by whether the house could and would be defended in the case of bushfire, and by whom. This choice was driven by the specific bushfire risks of locational factors. The three cases of the undefended house, the owner-defended house, and the house defended by fire brigade have differing requirements for architectural design priorities.
Settlement of the property defence strategy and formulation of a supporting plan by architects and their clients early in the design process would create a home that can most effectively survive bushfire within the limitations of the site and the client’s emergency plan.
