The Art of Hardening

Fire hardening can help save structures, or greatly reduce or delay fire damage. Architect Dan Brunn has implemented measures meant to protect his own L.A. home, Bridge House, including using Corten steel fencing. While steel does melt at above 2,500 degrees, it is “a superior alternative to wood for a fire barrier,” says Brunn, who also created a cement-based terrazzo paver with Concrete Collaborative, which adds texture and hardiness around his home.

AAHA Studio principals Harper Halprin and Aaron Leshtz designed a stucco slab-on-grade house in Pacific Palisades that survived the January fire possibly due to its standing-seam steel roof, asphalt roof shingles, sealed flush eaves, stone cladding and concrete hardscaping.