Chada Elalami
Year 2 MArchThe Smouldering Interface
Wildfires
Greenfield, Peak District Boundary, UK
The Smouldering Interface project seeks to redefine life within a wildland-urban interface by embracing fire as an integral part of the environment and fostering a harmonious coexistence despite its potential challenges and impacts.
In response to the significant impact of the 2018 Saddleworth Moor fires, the project is located adjacent to a fire scar and aims to enhance fire resilience within the at-risk community. Departing from traditional approaches that simply reject fire, the project adopts a multifaceted perspective, embracing a paradigm of adaptation. It explores various fire interactions, including guidance, containment, rejection, protection, and educational utilization, based on its specific position within a wildfire matrix.
The project consists of a series of multifaceted interventions that operate as a holistic system, addressing three distinct phases: fire risk mitigation, fire response, and fire recovery. As a risk mitigation measure, sacrificial wooden interventions are strategically placed in the landscape to interact with climatic conditions and alleviate fire-prone conditions such as soil moisture and strong winds. Additionally, fire education and awareness serve as indispensable non-physical risk mitigation measures.
The architecture of the project is designed to tactically respond to fire, employing a range of fire-resistant properties. It utilises low fire resistance for wood elements and high fire resistance for the biopolymer material. The varying charring levels of the biopolymer orchestrate and choreograph fire dynamics intentionally. Moreover, the project introduces an innovative fire-resistant wood-based biopolymer as a material strategy for post-fire recovery. This biopolymer can be fabricated on-site by the community in designated workshop areas.
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