Fire is an essential tool allowing Homo sapiens to occupy much of the land area of the earth.  The hearth is at the very root of our sense of dwelling and has enabled us to colonize inhospitable regions in comfort.  There is however, an ancient contradiction in dwelling that reaches back to the earliest human habitations – a shelter is built of largely flammable materials and then a fire is set inside. Fire presents a major threat to the things we build since the lightweight materials we favor for building are also fuel for combustion.  Over the years we have developed methods for surrounding the fire with inflammable materials but the contradiction, and the danger, is still there. Fire is also increasingly a threat from the world outside your home as global warming and long term fire suppression have increased the intensity of wildfires in some regions.

The Fire House highlights this conflict with a lightweight wood structure cantilevered from a central concrete trunk that accommodates the heating system, the vertical circulation, electrical supply and plumbing runs of the dwelling. The house is heated with wood burning fireplaces and every room except the kitchen has its own central hearth.

The house references a tree in its basic form with the trunk conveying life supporting elements up to the living spaces above and providing access to those spaces as well. The glassy rooms branching out to passively collect the sun’s energy echo a tree’s leafy canopy.  Solar collectors on the roof help power the structure.

Mimicking a Sequoia tree, the house considers regional fire events by avoiding materials that burn at the ground level. In this way the site can be selectively burned to avoid major fires that would threaten the structure above.  If the house should burn, a significant portion of the structure will remain, forming an armature upon which the house can be restored.

The lowest level of the house is an exposed poured concrete trunk with hollows that provide access, fireproof storage for wood and a central lift for bringing wood as well as other items to the levels above.  The principal living spaces are located on the second level including spaces for living, dining and working.  A powder room is located in the trunk. The third level has three bedrooms and a common sitting room.  Bathrooms are located adjacent to the core to minimize plumbing runs within the wood portion of the structure.

This house is intended to be built on a site with sufficient woodland to supply the fireplaces through selective culling.  A continuous tree planting effort would renew the woodland and absorb the carbon dioxide released through wood burning.