BETWEEN SHELTER AND ASH: A PROCESS-BASED STUDY ON FIRE-RESILIENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE ZONES

With the intensifying threat of wildfires across California, evident in the destruction of over 16,000 structures during the 2025 Los Angeles fires, there is an urgent need to reconsider how residential structures are conceived in fire-prone zones. While existing building codes and guidelines have made notable progress in addressing wildfire risk, their predominant focus on “home hardening” often overlooks the potential of site planning, spatial configuration, and architectural design as agents of wildfire resilience. This study, conducted through the McNair Scholars Program under the mentorship of Professor Daniel Lopez-Perez, ultimately develops a Wildfire-Resilient Design Guide and three connective drawings through a process-based, multi-scalar analysis of current wildfire resilience recommendations. The research compares six interconnected layers of governance: (1) International: model standards such as the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC); (2) Federal: national frameworks like NFPA 1140/1144; (3) State: California-specific mandates including Title 24, Chapter 7A and CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone mapping; (4) City: local zoning and permitting processes that may exceed state law; (5) IBHS: voluntary, performance-based standards from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; and (6) Wildland Fires: nonprofit-led climate science, hazard mapping, and fire modeling research that informs adaptive design strategies.