Architects Join Discussion Of Materials In Post-Fire Rebuilding

By The Jefferson Exchange Team

Published December 9, 2020 at 10:42 AM PST

This aerial image taken with a drone shows homes leveled by the Almeda Fire line at Bear Lake Estates in Phoenix, Ore., on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020.

Many homes will be built in the region in the next few years. That was probably true, anyway, but now there's a backlog of homes to RE-build, because thousands were destroyed in the September fires.

AIA, the American Institute of Architects, is weighing in on the rebuilding process. Southern Oregon AIA takes note of discussions on building materials that can make homes more fire-resisant than the dwellings they replace. There are quite a few choices to weigh.

We are joined by Curt Wilson, AIA Oregon Executive Vice President; Andrew Owen, Director of AIA Southern Oregon, and Mark Chubb from Code Unlimited, a partner of AIA Oregon.

Links to the entities mentioned in the interview:

City of Medford – Building an Ignition-Resistant Home

http://www.ci.medford.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=4340

State of California – Office of the State Fire Marshal, Building Materials Listings

https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/divisions/fire-engineering-and-investigations/building-materials-listing/bml-search-building-materials-listing/