Bruce Damonte
This California home is sustainable, stylish, and built to survive wildfires
Mork-Ulnes Architects has designed a fire-resistant green home with a simple two-story concrete structure.
By Eva Morell
Atop a hill in California's Sonoma County, a family in San Francisco found the perfect spot to build their home. In 2016, their dream was complete but then the following year one of the state's infamous wildfires completely destroyed their house. With the new normal of climate change in the mind, they hired the architects at Mork-Ulnes Architects to design a home better suited to survive future fires.
That was the original idea that inspired this family retreat, which dominates the surrounding landscape and is a reinterpretation of modernist and 1950s American architecture. The result is a building that seamlessly connects its interior with the sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. All of the materials used in the building are fire-resistant or fire-proof. In place of the former home, the architects proposed a simple two-storey concrete structure modelled on a series of grids. At the same time, it is grounded in its natural environment with 360-degree views in every direction.
The structure's grid consists of different modules that form its walls and windows. It's an approach influenced by the architecture of the 1940s and specifically the Case Study Houses that began to appear in California in the middle of the 20th century. The design's modernist character gets a little touch of country, thanks to the use of wood inspired by rural cabins. The choice of finishes emphasizes the house's connection between the indoors and outdoors, with every room open to the exterior. At the same time a central open staircase that connects all those rooms provides an organising structure while an open-plan environment creates a functional, flexible, and light-filled space that connects the living room, kitchen, and dining room.
The use of fireproof materials was a prerequisite, but the architects also wanted to assure that the house had a feeling of warmth and a proximity to nature. This was achieved, in part, by cladding the concrete frame of the structure in red cedar, a nod to the vernacular architecture of Sonoma which had the added plus of softening the visual impact of the house. All the elements of the building, including the windows and the walls which are clad in metal, were chosen because they can withstand fire and high temperatures. There are also indoor and outdoor sprinkler systems and an emergency water pump.
Sustainable and Fire-Resistant Too
The home has a passive house system to control the indoor temperature and adapt to the living conditions of the space. The numerous windows flood its room with natural light while strategic cantilevered overhangs provide shade at strategic spots. The modernist modular design also allows for ample cross-ventilation and, along with radiant heating, helps to maintain a constant temperature throughout the year. There is also a photovoltaic system with batteries ready to be activated during a blackout, and an autonomous fire safety system.
The landscape design for the garden and the pool area include native plants and flowers, helping the land to recover after the destruction of wildfires. Species that require little water, including ferns, coffee berry plants, and California manzanitas create an inviting habitat for birds and insects, including a number of protected species endemic to this region.
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TopicsCaliforniaCalifornia homessustainability
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