Living with Fire: Designing Homes in Wildfire-Prone Areas

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Each year, wildfires pose a greater threat to homes across California. As architects, this reality is reshaping how we design for clients living in fire-prone areas. The challenge is twofold: creating structures that are fire-resilient and fireproof while also being beautiful and functional. Our approach marries technical requirements with thoughtful design, resulting in spaces that are not only enduring but also uphold our standards of design excellence.

Designing for Resilience from the Start

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Wildfire safety can be achieved in two ways: by integrating resilience from the beginning of the design process, and by retrofitting or fire-hardening existing homes. Both approaches are valuable, but the greatest protection comes when safety is considered as early as possible.

Legislation and building codes provide an important framework, yet the true test of architecture is translating those requirements into homes that feel welcoming.

In California, two key measures guide this work. AB-38 requires home sellers in wildfire zones to disclose risk and, in some cases, demonstrate defensible space compliance. By designing buffer zones and thoughtful landscaping from the outset, homes meet these requirements naturally while blending into the site. WUI Standards (Wildland-Urban Interface) outline construction practices and materials that reduce vulnerability to fire. Rather than limiting creativity, these standards allow us to explore innovative materials and methods that safeguard homes while still honoring aesthetics, function, and place.

At Fuse, this exploration often begins with the material palette — selecting elements that provide strength and safety while enhancing the beauty and character of the home.

Our Fire-Resilient Material Palette

The strength of fire-resilient, fireproof home design lies in its material choices. Every element is selected with intention, balancing durability, maintenance, and design character.

• Concrete anchors homes solidly to the landscape while providing unmatched non-combustible strength.
  
  
• Corten Steel develops a protective patina over time, offering modern warmth alongside resilience.
  
  
• Swiss Pearl Fiber Cement Board pairs refined elegance with proven fire resistance and low maintenance.
  
  

When combined with careful siting, ember-resistant detailing, and defensible landscaping, these materials create homes that not only resist fire but also recover quickly.

Bringing Principles to Life

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Across the Central Coast, Fuse has applied these principles in diverse settings, proving that resilience can be both functional and beautiful:

• The Cube – A concrete-and-steel residence that demonstrates how resilience can feel sculptural and livable.
  
  
• Woodpecker – A hillside retreat that merges Corten steel siding and defensible landscaping with its natural surroundings.
  
  
• Fern Flat – Designed specifically for a wildfire-prone setting, featuring concrete walls and ember-resistant detailing.
  
  
• Gull – A coastal home fortified with fiber cement panels and steel framing, showing resilience doesn’t compromise openness and light.
  
  
• Davila Barn – A barn conversion that preserves rural heritage while strengthening protection with concrete and steel.
  

• Las Cumbras – Finished with Swiss Pearl cladding, showcasing how material innovation can achieve durability with elegance.

Resilience Proven in the Field

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One of our fire-resilient and fire-hardened designs was tested in the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire, which swept through the Santa Cruz Mountains and over the structures. Our designed bathrooms were the only structures that remained at this camp—they were unharmed, with even the toilet paper intact.

Read more in our Lehi project feature.

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