Bushfire Specific Design

Any development on land that is designated as bush fire prone (as referenced via LGA maps or Section 149 Certificate) has a legal obligation to consider the potential threat of bush fire and meet the requirements prescribed within Planning for Bush Fire Protection 2006 and AS3959 – 2009 Building in Bushfire Prone Areas.  

For many in the community and our clients, the recent (and potential) bushfire events within New South Wales has meant that designing a single residential dwelling , medium density development or community facility within a bush fire prone area has become increasingly challenging.

Urbanistica has many years of experience developing bush fire specific design solutions for residential housing, including those within the most extreme (BAL-FZ) bush fire prone land classification.

Unlike other types of residential development with common design principles, bush fire specific design must first address each site on its own unique characteristics and threats such as;

  • Bush fire attack levels / classification type (e.g. BAL-FZ)
  • Vegetation type (e.g. Forest)
  • Slope (e.g. <10%)
  • Building materials
  • Passive bush fire protection measures

Rather than viewing Bush Fire Specific design requirements as a constraint on creative design expression; we take the view of the legislative constraints as exciting challenge in the exploration of creative site specific design solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but are bushfire sensitive. 

Bushfire Specific