Wildfires have long been a reality for homeowners in the wildland-urban interface, but increasingly we’re seeing fires in more populated areas that aren’t traditionally considered at risk. During summers, smoke from distant fires now blankets urban areas causing smoke damage and indoor air quality issues. Fire seasons are now lasting longer. The National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise program is a great baseline for building in fire country, and CAST architecture regularly goes beyond designing residences resistant to climate change.

The Berm House in Washington’s Methow Valley uses hardscape to create a defensible perimeter, plus the majority of the exterior of the home is treated with flame-resistant shou sugi ban technique.

Defensible Site planning
The first layer of fire protection begins with the site itself. Design landscapes with defensible zones, creating clear, well-maintained spaces between the home and surrounding vegetation. Using fire-resistant plants, non-combustible materials like gravel or stone, and strategic placement of trees is pivotal to slow the spread of fire toward the house. The goal is fuel reduction—limiting the amount of flammable materials and vegetation around the home.

The selected materials and finishes at Bear Creek Base Camp in the Methow Valley include weathering steel panels which are highly durable, minimize maintenance, and are fire-resistant.

Fire-resistant envelope (roof, walls, eaves)
Choosing flame-retardant materials that can withstand high heat and resist ignition is essential. Specify exterior cladding like fiber cement panels, stucco, or brick, and opt for roofing materials such as metal, tile, or composite shingles. A simple, low-maintenance roof can be important. Windows can be designed with double or triple-pane tempered glass, which can withstand substantially higher temperatures than standard glass.

Icicle Creek Retreat (left) in the Wenatchee Forest has a concrete base set above the average snowfall line to protect siding and wood framing from the freeze-thaw zone. There is no exposed wood on the exterior to aid in fire protection.
The exterior of Isabella Ridge Escape (center) is clad in weathering steel panels that are durable, require almost no maintenance, and add a layer of fire protection.
The exterior of Wolf Creek Retreat (right) has a concrete base and pre-rusted weathering steel panels to aid in fire protection.

Minimizing venting
Make it airtight. Vents and openings are often weak points in fire-resistant design. Incorporating ember-resistant vent covers and tightly sealing gaps around eaves, doors, and windows can prevent embers from entering the home. Design a fire-resistant attic and crawlspace access points.

Buffer = Hardscape, not decks
Wind-blown embers generated during wildfires are the single biggest hazard. Use hardscaping around the home to create a defensible perimeter. This can include non-flammable elements like stone or brick pavers, retaining walls, concrete or metal planters, gravel paths, and water features.

Mechanical air filtration
As wildfires generate large amounts of smoke, ash, and fine particulates, incorporating air filtration into the home helps improve indoor air quality during wildfires. Ensure ductwork is properly sealed to prevent unfiltered air from entering the system.

Sprinklering
Integrating exterior fire suppression systems, such as eave misters, roof sprayers, perimeter sprinklers, water storage, redundant power, and remote control systems can add additional layers of protection.

Designing homes with layered fire protection is not just a consideration for rural areas—it is an essential strategy for resilience in an era of increasing wildfire risks. Thoughtful design may not only help protect individual homes but also contribute to the broader effort of creating safer, more resilient communities.

Central to the name, identification and restoration of wetland habitat was central to the Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands. The location of all site improvements, including agricultural fields, buildings, roads, parking, and other farm infrastructure, was dictated by the need to not only avoid riparian zones, but to facilitate their enhancement. Rather than treating this as a limitation, our team of Landscape Architects, Architects, and Civil and Environmental Engineers used the wetlands at the center of the site as an organizing principle that strengthened the project.

Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetland

complex sites

Finding the right place to build the Icicle Creek Retreat within a 22-acre private inholding in the Wenatchee National Forest required a careful and deliberate process. CAST worked closely with a wetland biologist and a geotechnical engineer to identify a buildable site, triangulating between several types of stream and wetland buffers, geological hazard areas, location of access roads, and forest fire safety concerns. The project required both SEPA review and Conditional Use Permit approval through the Chelan County Hearings Examiner.

Icicle Creek Retreat in the Wenatchee Forest, Washington

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Hatchery Building is located on the beach in a known archaeological site. CAST worked closely with the Tribe’s Cultural Resources team to develop an amendment to the Tribe’s Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) permit and to incorporate the resultant Monitoring and Discovery Plan (MDP) into the project specifications. Located in the intertidal zone, the design required close coordination with Structural and Geo-Technical engineers to ensure that the building will be resistant to higher tide levels predicted to occur with rising sea levels.

Rendering of Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Beach Shelter and Hatchery Building in the distance

A new hatchery & beach shelter for the Port Gamble S’Klallams

On the beach at Point Julia where their village once stood, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Hatchery and Beach Shelter combines pragmatic uses with symbolic content. Salmon fishing is central to both the Tribe’s traditional identity and its contemporary outlook. This project recognizes the cultural importance of both the place and the program, while providing solutions for these activities to flourish in the 21st century.

Components:

• Two-story salmon hatchery

• Open-air structure shared by Tribal fishermen and the community

• Landscape restoration along the beach between structures

• Reorganization of the hatchery’s water intake system in the adjacent ravine

Point Julia is a prominent spit that protects Port Gamble Bay. This project area falls within a designated archaeological site that is both a busy workplace for the Tribe’s commercial fisherman and a popular recreation area. It is also the burial ground of their ancestors. Within this sensitive zone, we have limited the building footprint to areas already disturbed by prior construction.

In traditional Salish building in the intertidal zone, permanent poles fashioned from tree trunks were sunk deep into the sand, then clad with removable cedar planks. In a modern analogue, exposed auger-cast concrete piles support a lighter skin of glass, polycarbonate, and wood.

While minimizing excavation, elevating the hatchery on piles allows the lower level to withstand up to three feet of storm-driven tidal flooding. Flooding is predicted to become increasingly common as the effects of global climate change are felt locally. The lower level houses a garage, maintenance shop, and egg-incubation room with equipment that is both durable and moveable. The upper floor contains offices, water-quality testing, and filtration equipment. The spectacular conference room on the southwest corner can be entered separately, accessible to the wider community.

The second story of the hatchery emerges above Point Julia Drive at eye level to the road. Within the lantern of the enclosed porch, we are working with S’Klallam artist Jimmy Price to create a site-specific installation to mark this arrival point.

If the new hatchery forms a gateway to the beach from the landward side, the beach shelter is the Tribe’s front door on the sea. It will provide a work area for fishermen who pull their boats onto the beach and will also anchor the arrival of the annual Canoe Journey, the region’s most important inter-Tribal celebration. The shelter’s high roof encloses both hardscape and a generous slice of beach. Its oversized beams and exposed rafters make an explicit nod to traditional wood construction. A low-roofed plumbing core that echoes the hatchery houses hygienic cleaning sinks and the beach’s first public restrooms.

On the beach between the two structures, we will restore the native landscape in a way that continues to welcome the community. Existing paths are strengthened and the future pedestrian connection with the Tribal Center is initiated. Our experience of a summer afternoon on the beach with Tribal elders drives the landscape palette; along with salt-tolerant erosion control plantings, the beds reintroduce traditional edible and medicinal plants.

Rendering of the hatchery building

Rendering of the beach shelter, with the hatchery building in the distance