ShareBuilding in bushfire prone areas: A 2024 update
Better design planning against the threat of bushfires is an urgent issue in Australia due to the growing density and sprawl of the built environment and the beginning of longer-lasting and more intense fire seasons. Although a building's survival from a fire in extreme conditions is never guaranteed, there are a range of design measures that will increase its chances.
The natural beauty of living in Australia's outback often coexists with its vulnerability to bushfires. Due to the increasing density and spread of the built environment, as well as the onset of longer lasting and more intense fire seasons, Australia needs to improve its design planning in order to combat the threat of bushfires.
Building in bushfire prone areas: A 2024 update surveys the current landscape of bushfire design including the relevant building codes, standards and regulations. Fire-resistant strategies must be implemented even before the design stage to give a building a fighting chance of surviving a bushfire. In this paper, we highlight the link between bushfire-resilient design and Passive House design principles and discuss the requirements of AS 3959 “Construction of building in bushfire-prone areas”.
Weather Defence™ by Siniat is a rigid air barrier most commonly used in ventilated facades or rainscreens to provide a pressure-equalised air cavity. Weather Defence is also used in bushfire applications in residential buildings, specifically in the roof system, where it provides BAL-FZ protection to residential builds in bushfire prone areas.
Download this whitepaper for a survey of the current landscape of bushfire design in Australia.
Building in bushfire prone areas: A 2024 update
Download this whitepaper for a survey of the current landscape of bushfire design in Australia.
- Popular Articles
