In California’s fire country, it is all about the elements
It was all about the elements when Bruce Falck, Lauren Weitzman and their architect, Christopher Roach, set out to create Fire Country Lookout in the Sonoma County Hills in California. While wildfires were a real threat to the project, and actually shut it down temporarily in 2020, the priority was to keep the family safe while embracing the stunning location, sunlight, winds and sustainability of the home.
Falck, whose South African father loved “being out in the bush,” and Weitzman, passionate about sustainability, were engaged in the creation of the home from the beginning. Weitzman says, “I was very involved with what went into the design, but when it came to the exterior, it mirrors Chris’ original drawing when he camped on the site on summer solstice.”
Yes, Roach from Studio VARA in San Francisco, did exactly that. “I really wanted to understand where the sun would actually rise and set on the hilly horizon, not just rely on a generic sun diagram. I concocted a sundial out of a rod and a small pipe foundation I found at the top of the site, and marked the location of the sunrise and sunset, as well as its position at every hour.”
Roach also monitored the direction of the winds and how they shifted throughout the day.
Of the owners, he says, “Once we started construction, Bruce was on site every week, and would often come up at a moment’s notice to witness a concrete pour or erection of structural frames. Lauren was intimately involved with the furniture and finishes selection.”
In keeping with very real concerns about fire in the area, the five-bedroom, 3,896-square-foot home, with a pool house, has a fire resilience plan. With two roads running out of the property, the building’s location is relatively clear from trees, with branches trimmed back and underbrush managed. The home also has interior and exterior sprinklers.
Roach says “The basic form of the building is a simple volume, without a lot of ins and outs or corners that could collect embers or create eddies of hot wind.
“Like the hardened shell of an insect, a rugged metal wrapper envelops (the) simple elongated form, forming a protective and noncombustible skin around both indoor and outdoor spaces.”
All of which goes to make it a beautiful and safe paradise.
Says Weitzman: “When you are at the property, you feel like you are in a remote forest hilltop a million miles from everything.”