PhD research helps rebuild homes post-fires

A former Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC PhD student was given the opportunity to present at a seminar held by the Australian Institute of Architects in Sydney in late February.

Dr Douglas Brown’s PhD, completed in 2018 with the University of Sydney, explored householders’ perceptions of bushfire risk and whether perceptions change when different building materials, or design and architectural features, are applied. He is currently involved in the process of rebuilding homes lost during the 2019/20 bushfire season.

The Australian Institute of Architects held an all-day seminar called Building Back Better, inviting experts to speak to their members, as well as members of the Planning Institute and Landscape Architects Institute, about building and designing in bushfire-prone areas.

The program was split into three sections: bushfire ecology and impact; bushfire design; and bushfire planning, building, rebuilding and landscaping essentials.

Dr Brown was involved in the design section of the program and gave two presentations to an audience of more than 300 people. He spoke about what bushfires mean for buildings in terms of embers, radiant heat, flame contact and erratic winds, explaining that bushfires may create their own weather patterns. He also talked about bushfire ignition points, describing the proven weak-points prone to building ignition and what this means for architects, planners and landscapers.

Dr Brown is a regular contributor to The Conversation, runs his own consultancy, Bushfire Architecture, teaches in the bushfire protection and construction management courses at Western Sydney University, and is currently working on a research grant with the University of Sydney.