Building for Resilience: Insights from the 2023 Bushfire Conference

In September 2023, the annual Building Bushfire Conference brought together survivors, experts, and advocates to share vital information on building resilience in the face of bushfires. The conference featured innovative solutions and practical advice for retrofitting homes, enhancing personal safety, and reducing environmental impact. Here are some of the key takeaways:

1. A Resilience App for Safer Homes

A game-changer for those in bushfire-prone areas, the "Bushfire Resilience Rating Home Self-Assessment" app offers recommendations on retrofitting options. The app's impact goes beyond safety—it's backed by National Australia Bank (NAB), which is willing to offer loan discounts to those with higher ratings. Lower interest rates and insurance premiums are enticing incentives. Download the app to start fortifying your home.

2. The Power of Bushfire Shutters

Imagine a media room with the ability to block out natural light, offering the perfect cinematic experience. Bushfire shutters not only enhance safety but also provide everyday benefits like light control and privacy. They're a valuable addition to any home.

3. Remembering the 2019 Bushfires

The motivation to retrofit your home is clear: protecting your property, lowering interest rates, reducing insurance premiums, and preventing the spread of fires to your neighbors' homes. The memories of the 2019 bushfires are a compelling reminder of the importance of preparedness.

4. Understanding Human Behavior in Bushfires

Duncan Scott Lawson shed light on the human behavior side of living through a fire experience. People often need a trigger to act, which might involve seeing, hearing, or smelling fire. Surprisingly, many individuals tend to trust their neighbors over expert Rural Fire Service (RFS) advice. Understanding the basics, such as the fact that fires run faster uphill and that grass fuels fire more than forests, is crucial. The Flame Zone BAL rating signifies ember risk, not just flame contact. Importantly, while many focus on protecting their assets, adequate evacuation route planning is often overlooked.

5. The Value of Non-Combustible Paths

Graham Douglas, an industry expert and veteran, delivered a blunt but crucial piece of advice: "STOP the urge to plant a garden bed next to your house." Instead, plan a non-combustible path around your home. This simple change can significantly enhance your property's safety.

6. Retrofitting for Bushfire and Energy Efficiency

Dr. Green emphasized the correlation between retrofitting for bushfires and energy efficiency. Remarkably, bushfire retrofits can significantly reduce carbon emissions. The top three energy efficiency upgrades with the most impact on carbon emissions are replacing your hot water system with a heat pump, upgrading aging windows to high-performance double or triple glazed ones, and considering significant insulation upgrades when replacing cladding on your house.

7. Effective Sprinkler Design

Research conducted at the University of Wollongong highlighted the most effective sprinkler design for achieving bushfire protection for external walls—flat fan sprinklers mounted on eaves facing towards the wall. This efficient design can enhance your home's fire resilience.

The 2023 Building Bushfire Conference provided valuable insights and practical solutions for homeowners looking to build resilient properties, enhance safety, and reduce their environmental impact. These lessons are not just for surviving bushfires but also for creating more sustainable and efficient homes. By taking these recommendations to heart, you can better protect your loved ones and your property, all while making environmentally conscious choices.

Steps to rebuilding after a bushfire

The design phase is crucial to lock in your budget and ensure bushfire legislation compliance.

Bushfire Appropriate Design Steps

Step 1 - Engage a certified Bushfire Planning & Design Practitioner (Did you know that a level 3 practitioner is the best qualified person to assess your property and provide design guidance if you live in a BAL-40 and BAL-Flame zone area?)

o   Find a certified Bushfire consultant here:

Fire Protection Association Australia http://www.fpaa.com.au/bpad.aspx

Step 2 – Research whether your Building Designer has knowledge and experience in designing in bush fire zones? (Ask “How many houses have you designed and were built in bushfire prone areas?”)

o   Find a local building designer here:

Building Designers Association of Australia  

https://findadesigner.com.au/

Step 3 – Do you want to rebuild better? Often people are scared to design sustainably as they think it will be more expensive. You will be surprised that it is often more economical to build back sustainably as the initial construction cost soon pales into insignificance to the decades of maintenance, cost of running and disposal costs afterwards. If you want the best for your family’s health long term sustainable design also reduces the likelihood of asthma and will give you a thermally comfortable house all year round. If you engage an architect or building designer experienced in sustainable design you will be able to control your initial construction costs, reduce your house’s ongoing maintenance and running costs and contribute towards a better future. (Ask your designer how to economically include passive solar design principles or passive house design principles in your new house.)

o   Learn more about reducing your ongoing costs https://www.yourhome.gov.au/housing/affordability

o   Learn more about the additional construction costs for each BAL rating here: https://www.aami.com.au/home-insurance/bushfire-prevention.html

Step 4 – Request a section 10.7 certificate from your local council or with your title deed documents to see if you can apply for a Complying Development (CDC) or a Development Application (DA).

Step 5- Work with your building designer and certified bushfire consultant to design your house according to the relevant planning rules. Learn more by calling your local council and asking them what rules apply to your property.

Step 6 – Interview builders with bushfire appropriate experience. Engage the builder that has a reputation among previous clients and suppliers as someone who values a good relationship. They will provide you with accurate estimates before submitting the drawings for DA or CDC approval. (Beware of builders who are known for dodgy pricing tactics, swapping out for inferior products or that don’t provide an itemised estimate)

Step 7 – Once ready submit your house plans to your local council or PCA. Your building designer will be able to advise you whether you need to go through council or a PCA (Did you know that if your house was destroyed in the recent bushfires you will be eligible for a fee waiver for your BASIX certificate?) During the DA assessment Council and possibly the RFS will assess the design and give feedback as required.

Step 8 – If you had to go through the Council for planning approval you now need to work with your building designer or architect to complete your house plans to get legal permission to build. This is called a construction certificate. Otherwise if you have applied for a CDC once it is approved your builder can start construction.

Step 9 – Construction implementation phase. Time to bring to life the bushfire appropriate design.

Step 10 – Once your certifier is satisfied that your house is complete in accordance with the approved plans, the building code (NCC) and bushfire legislation they will issue you with a Occupation certificate. This is a very important document that ensures that you can legally inhabit the building and can sell it in the future if required.

Find out more about bushfire appropriate design here:

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/building-in-a-bush-fire-area/building-after-bush-fire

https://www.architecture.com.au/about/national-bushfire-response

and

https://bdaa.com.au/?s=bushfire

NSW government planning changes to facilitate rebuilding houses: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Policy-and-Legislation/Bushfires-recovery

RFS rebuilding BAL-capping

https://bdaa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BAL_40_Capping.pdf

https://hia.com.au/Publications/InformationSheets/plan-20-41-streamlining-the-bushfire-effort-nsw#

Behind the design trend: Shou Sugi Ban

Have you ever wondered where the design trend of vertical cladding using burnt or charred timber originated from? Why did it become so popular? Have modern interpretations of the trend strayed too far from the original?

THE ORIGIN of this trend comes from japan where traditional builders have for years burnt the top layer of Japanese cedar or Japanese red cedar. Walking around my wife’s village on the outskirts of Okayama most buildings use this type of cladding.

Why did it become popular among the Japanese?

BURNING the outer face of the timber closes the cells of the timber which makes it more resistant to termites, more resistant to fire (If you’ve ever tried to rekindle a campfire using burnt logs, you get the idea.) and effectively extending the longevity of the cladding to last up to 80 years.

How did it become popular among architects?

ALTHOUGH THESE practical aspects appeal to contemporary builders, the deeper roots of the trend no doubt lie in our current collective hunger for all things artisanal — for creations that aren’t sleek and mass-produced but contain the visible, sometimes-raw, but always original touch of the human hand. Like industrial lighting or reclaimed wood, shou sugi ban has a certain rustic, homemade appeal. The desire for this aesthetic has led, over the past decade, to a general return to treating materials in traditional ways and, more specifically, to an adoption of principles that have long been fundamental to Japanese architecture: simplicity, the use of natural materials and a sensitivity to the surrounding environment.

Have modern adaptions of the trend strayed too far from the original?

AS WITH many design trends that get copied and copied many trends lose the authenticity of the original design concept like a bad photocopy.

Today you will see people trying to achieve the aesthetic of shou sugi ban with aluminium and fibre cement cladding.

The traditional detail was similar to a ship lap cladding where the carpenter would use a smaller piece of timber to seal the cladding.

La Roche emerges from a hillside in Montreal.  Photo by Adrien Williams via Dezeen

Will I still be thermally comfortable in my home if it is clad in shou sugi ban?

All designers know that black attracts and retains heat better than any other colour.

Therefore the use of shou sugi ban in hot dry climates should be carefully considered to avoid heat issues for the occupants.

Siting of the building within the solar context of the site, review of the overshadowing elements, vegetation, climate and localized winds should all be considered before specifying Shou Sugi Ban.

What are your thoughts about shou sugi ban? Love it or hate it?

Can my next house be Sustainable, Stylish, and Bush fire Compliant?

Building your ideal house in the bush, surrounded by towering gumtrees, the sounds of native birds and the fresh air, is a lifestyle many people dream of having.

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It also comes with risk. More than 1,300 homes were lost during the devastating 2019-20 Australian bush fire season. There’s no doubt that bush fire design needs to be at the forefront of your mind when building on bush fire prone land.

Fire is a natural part of the Australian landscape. We need to learn how to live with it while also keeping our families safe; our homes comfortable and sustainable.

Building your home from concept to completion can be an exciting and overwhelming task. It’s one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make. There are hundreds of decisions to be made from choosing the right designer, builder, materials, style and design of the interior and exterior. You also want to ensure your design reflects your family’s lifestyle and values.

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If you’re building your home in a bush fire zone you will also need to grapple with the latest bush fire regulations in housing design. The Bush Fire Attack Level (BAL) of your land determines many elements of your design – everything from flame zone windows, ember guards on gutters, concrete wall panels, and fire-retardant decking.

It can be overwhelming. It’s certainly not something you want to wade through on your own.

What do I need to consider if I want to build on bush fire prone land?

1. Visit your state’s bush fire service website. In NSW, visit the RFS – Building in a bush fire area page which will inform you on whether the land you intend to build on is bush fire prone land. It also provides step by step instructions on planning and preparing to build in a bush fire prone area.

2. Speak to the experts. Hire an experienced building designer to work with you to design your home. Together you can choose the best bush fire resilient materials to suit your budget. They will also ensure your home meets all of the BAL requirements.

3. Choose a Builder who has had experience building in bush fire zones, having previously built homes to BAL-FZ or BAL-40 regulations. This requires a particular skill set and expertise. Your building designer will most likely recommend someone.

4. Join our exclusive Sustainable, Stylish and Bush fire compliant webinar. You will discover how your house design can be contemporary, innovative, sustainable and reasonably priced, while also complying with BAL requirements. The webinar also includes an ‘All Access Pass’ to one of the hottest minimalist houses on the market – all built to meet the highest bush fire regulations.

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This exclusive webinar has been created to inspire and inform you. You will:

• Find out how designing your home to meet BAL requirements will create a better and more sustainable house design.

• Learn how to retain functionality and balance the costs.

• Have an opportunity to ask questions.

• Learn from the experts in bush fire design and building

• Check out the latest technologies available to the Australian building market.

• Understand how the BAL requirements will affect the design of your house.

You might ask, can homes designed with bush fire protection still be built sustainably?

Yes, of course! Even more so. Homes designed with bush fire protection in mind are often more sustainable than the average home because of the materials used. In our webinar, we will share with you some of the different products available.

We’ll also explain how we work with the natural environment surrounding the home to incorporate biophilic design. This simply means that we aim to create a connectivity between the natural environment and the home. When a home is designed with this in mind, it creates a healthier and more stress-free living space.

Homes designed to be bush fire compliant are even more connected to their surrounding environment yet also protected from any adverse fire events. It’s a beautiful synergy that we can achieve.

Do I have to sacrifice design aesthetics for a bush fire compliant home?

No, not at all! It can sometimes be a challenge but one we will happily meet. You can put any images of a drab concrete bunker to rest. We will work with you to achieve your dream home that’s bushfire compliant and stylish. One way to do this is to build a house that is still open, airy and light while also incorporating fire resistant shutters that can be used in the event of a bush fire. We can also find ways to incorporate the materials you want to use, such as timber - used as fire-resistant treated hardwood timber.

Hear from the following experts in bush fire building design and construction.

Cory Webb Design Founder – Cory Webb is your bush fire house design specialist. With 18 years experience in building design his expertise lies in improving the quality and health of a home through sustainable and biophilic design.

Split Building Founder - Damir Jurkovic will walk you through a recently built stunning minimalist house design, built to BAL-FZ. He will also explain how you can keep your budget under control when building in bush fire rated areas.

Home by BELLE Interior Designer - Shilpa Mohan is Passionate, award-winning interior designer, speaker and design judge with experience across the board. She will impart some of her understanding of how to style and design with sustainable materials.

Control Line Consulting Founder – Craig Burley will share: What is the BAL rating system? How does the slope, vegetation type and distance effect the BAL rating? What should I consider when looking to purchase a new property to build on?

Kingspan Water tanks - Steve Potgieter will introduce you to a range of our recommended bush fire building products from Kingspan.

We can’t wait to reveal how designing and building a bush fire compliant home need not be overwhelming. With the right information and expert advice, you can feel empowered to make clearer decisions and take the first steps to building your dream home.