A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

في يناير 05, 2011

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

<i>By Barbara Thornburg</i><br />

<br />

Architects Nick Roberts and Cory Buckner crafted a 700-square-foot weekend home in the hills above Malibu with the dual goals of not only creating a sustainable design but also making it fire resistant. Exterior colors blend with the landscape, and recycled and renewable materials minimize the home's carbon footprint. Perhaps more important to the couple -- victims of not one but two wildfires in 1993 -- is the structure's noncombustible shell, deep-set fire-resistant windows and other features evident at every turn.

( Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times ) By Barbara Thornburg

Architects Nick Roberts and Cory Buckner crafted a 700-square-foot weekend home in the hills above Malibu with the dual goals of not only creating a sustainable design but also making it fire resistant. Exterior colors blend with the landscape, and recycled and renewable materials minimize the home's carbon footprint. Perhaps more important to the couple -- victims of not one but two wildfires in 1993 -- is the structure's noncombustible shell, deep-set fire-resistant windows and other features evident at every turn.

It's a 2.5-mile drive up a sinuous Malibu canyon to Roberts and Buckner's home. Deer graze on the hillside covered with sumac, scrub and a scattering of oaks. Come night, coyotes make their plaintive cries under a sky filled with more stars than you can count. The rugged hillside provides a spectacular view, but it comes with the ever-present danger of wildfire. "It's always a possibility," Roberts says. "It's more about when the next one will come rather than if."

He and his wife should know. In 1993 the Green Meadow brush fire, which began in Thousand Oaks and burned 44,000 acres, rushed up the north canyon hillside and consumed their 4,000-square-foot home here. They were able to remove three carloads of possessions to Buckner's parents' home in Las Flores Canyon 30 minutes away, but a week later another fire burned her parents' home to the ground.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

It's a 2.5-mile drive up a sinuous Malibu canyon to Roberts and Buckner's home. Deer graze on the hillside covered with sumac, scrub and a scattering of oaks. Come night, coyotes make their plaintive cries under a sky filled with more stars than you can count. The rugged hillside provides a spectacular view, but it comes with the ever-present danger of wildfire. "It's always a possibility," Roberts says. "It's more about when the next one will come rather than if."

He and his wife should know. In 1993 the Green Meadow brush fire, which began in Thousand Oaks and burned 44,000 acres, rushed up the north canyon hillside and consumed their 4,000-square-foot home here. They were able to remove three carloads of possessions to Buckner's parents' home in Las Flores Canyon 30 minutes away, but a week later another fire burned her parents' home to the ground.

Although their main residence is a restored A. Quincy Jones house in the Crestwood Hills area of Los Angeles, in 1995 the couple rebuilt their Malibu hills house, which they rent out. Three years later they purchased the 1.5-acre lot directly below the Malibu house and constructed this intimate weekend retreat. They were determined that the home would be as fire resistant as possible, and that the dwelling would sit lightly on the land.

The structure is clad in interlocking corrugated Rheinzink panels, which are made of a noncombustible zinc alloy in the same deep sage color as the hills, so from a distance the home practically disappears into the rugged hillside. Underneath the metal finish lies a fire-resistant gypsum board, as well as eco-friendly cellulose insulation that's made from recycled newsprint yet nonflammable. A fire-rated composition roof tops the house.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

Although their main residence is a restored A. Quincy Jones house in the Crestwood Hills area of Los Angeles, in 1995 the couple rebuilt their Malibu hills house, which they rent out. Three years later they purchased the 1.5-acre lot directly below the Malibu house and constructed this intimate weekend retreat. They were determined that the home would be as fire resistant as possible, and that the dwelling would sit lightly on the land.

The structure is clad in interlocking corrugated Rheinzink panels, which are made of a noncombustible zinc alloy in the same deep sage color as the hills, so from a distance the home practically disappears into the rugged hillside. Underneath the metal finish lies a fire-resistant gypsum board, as well as eco-friendly cellulose insulation that's made from recycled newsprint yet nonflammable. A fire-rated composition roof tops the house.

An open plan and the 16-foot tall living room makes the 700-square-foot home feel spacious. The glass walls of the living room slide open to connect the interior with the exterior landscape.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

An open plan and the 16-foot tall living room makes the 700-square-foot home feel spacious. The glass walls of the living room slide open to connect the interior with the exterior landscape.

A perforated steel screen, left of the fireplace, slips over the sliding glass door to reduce glare and summer heat. It also is meant to protect the home from radiant heat in the event of a wildfire.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

A perforated steel screen, left of the fireplace, slips over the sliding glass door to reduce glare and summer heat. It also is meant to protect the home from radiant heat in the event of a wildfire.

Built-in sectional sofas made of oriented strand board offer a place to sit and sleep -- as well as much needed storage.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

Built-in sectional sofas made of oriented strand board offer a place to sit and sleep -- as well as much needed storage.

Behind the built-ins lies a sunken work space.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

Behind the built-ins lies a sunken work space.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

From the living room fireplace, in the distance, steps lead down to a dining table that the couple fashioned from a birch door. The eating area is buried two feet into the earth to keep the vertical profile of the home lower on the hillside.

A plastic and stainless steel modular railing system encloses the loft bedroom. On clear days, it has views of the ocean. Other days it is enclosed in a curtain of fog and seems to float in the clouds.

A Malibu retreat that is modern, fresh and fire resistant

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

A plastic and stainless steel modular railing system encloses the loft bedroom. On clear days, it has views of the ocean. Other days it is enclosed in a curtain of fog and seems to float in the clouds

http://www.latimes.com/features/la-hm-buckner-sept09-pictures,0,3332349.photogallery

Dr. EMAD H. ISMAEEL

Dept. of Architecture E-mail: emadhanee@yahoo.com

University of Mosul

Mosul - Iraq

emadhanee@gmail.com

Web Site: http://sites.google.com/site/emadhanee/

http://emadhani.blogspot.com/

Tel : +964 (0)770 164 93 74

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