The forest fires they are a problem that must be taken into account when planning to implement them houses, cabins and chalets in natural spaces. For this reason many architectural firms have focused their attention on this type of problem, without neglecting good quality materials and aesthetic and elegant finishes. A great example of this is found in a natural area in the city of Healdsburgin California.
An isolated house
The project, which took the name of Fire Country Lookoutis a rural refuge located in Healdsburg, a town of approximately 10,000 inhabitants located in the northern state of California. The design was carried out by the local architecture firm Studio VARA, and responds to a Mountain retreat wrapped in a protective metal shell and with all the equipment necessary to be disconnected from the electricity grid.
Fire Country Lookout it sits atop a secluded hill dotted with live oaks. To access the house, in fact, it is necessary to travel along a long and winding dirt road, designed for a couple with three small children looking for a remote refuge. The influence of this experience of isolation is given by the period in which the husband lived in Johannesburg, South Africa.
During that time, his father ran a construction company and nurtured his love of life in nature. For this reason the house project was a response to childhood nostalgia. According to the study, “this legacy was first on the couple’s minds when they visited the seemingly undisturbed lands of Healdsburg, which served as a reminder of the rolling hills of their childhood.”
The design process involved a deep dive into the six-hectare plot, where the architectural team hiked and camped to understand the patterns of everything surrounding the future home’s environment. The studio explains that “by observing solar and wind patterns and the daily habits of local fauna, data and first-hand experiences were collected that would be useful for the project,” explain the architects.
Fireproof coating
There residence of 362 m2 it extends from east to west along a ridge, divided into two volumes connected by a corridor. Its prismatic shape twists at the center to maximize the panoramic view. To the north are an infinity pool, a pool house and a garage.
With a concrete base it’s a laminated wood structurethe house is lined with zinc panels Seamed to withstand the natural elements, including the threat of fire. Inside the house the distribution is fluid, with a corridor that separates the common areas from the private ones. The west area houses an open kitchen, a dining room and a living room, with high ceilings and wooden beams that help create a feeling of spaciousness. Four bedrooms and a master suite are located in the east area, arranged along a single-load corridor.
The design is complemented by covered terraces lined with vertical cedar slat screens, which provide shade and privacy. The house is designed to function autonomously, with a photovoltaic system to generate energy, solar panels to heat water and a septic system, water well and propane gas supply.
