“No words really, just a horror show. Some of the design
choices we made here helped, but we were also very lucky,” Santa Monica-based
architect Greg Chasen shared in a now viral post on X.
The home, located on Iliff Street, remained standing while
every other property on the street was completely destroyed.
He explained
the decisions he made to make sure the home would survive a fire, including:
keeping the
perimeter of the house clear of brush,
planting
fire safe plants,
having
fire-rated walls, tempered glass windows, metal roof,
building
envelope fully insulated with no vents so heat and smoke didn’t get into the
attic, and a concrete perimeter.
The home
also didn’t have eaves, allowing better protection against the fire.
Chasen said he hopes building codes are tightened, including
having a fully insulated envelope versus roof vents, so it’s easier to seal the
building. He also recommends fire-rated walls to be required, saying
prefabricated roof trusses seemed to perform poorly during the recent wildfires
outbreak.
Beyond the replacement of a couple of glass panels, and
minor ash residue on the interior, Chasen claims that the home is otherwise
fine.
“Totally livable,” Chasen wrote. “Hung out in there today.”
Chasen said he learned a lot from the wildfires and he plans on being more
diligent about clearing brush around his own home."
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