Flame
Zone
Home.

Flame Zone Home Design 

Welcome to Arkular’s first featured home designed for a BAL Flame Zone site. The most extreme level of fire rating requires the highest possible level of safety in the home.

This flameproof home concept is designed for a specific site, but changes can be made to fit across sites in Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

The Flame Zone Home design affords its occupants sweeping views of the ocean/ farmland and prioritises peace of mind with all essential safety elements required when living within a Flame Zone area.

Building in a Flame Zone 

What Does a Flame Zone Classification Mean?

For a site to be classified as a flame zone, in layperson’s terms, it has been identified as having an extreme risk of bushfire with a high chance of property damage. The area is directly exposed to potential bushfire flames, with a heat flux greater than 40kW/m2. Therefore, to build a BAL Flame Zone home, one must expertly follow the requirements laid out by the state. Please read our blog on Fire Zones for more information.

Safety Can Not Be Overlooked

Everyone can remember at least one of the major bushfire disasters of recent years. As a result of these unfortunate events, tighter controls have been implemented to assist in building recovery efforts and keeping our communities safer. When considering this concern, you first need to check whether you are in a bushfire-prone area.

A bushfire-prone area is recognised by the presence of, and proximity to, bushfire-prone vegetation. It includes both the area containing the bushfire-prone vegetation and a 100m buffer zone immediately surrounding it. So for those seeking or living a Rural or Coastal life, some crucial factors affect one’s design by living in these areas.

Flame Zone Homes Features

This Flame Zone house concept has the features for approval; however, changes and alternations are made for every design as this process is site-dependent.

Each bushfire-prone site rated Bushfire Attack Level 40  or Bushfire Attack Level Flame Zone (BAL-FZ) requires submission of a development application (DA) to the local council, demonstrating how the development meets the design and construction standards required.

Some of the bushfire safety features included in this home are the following. This design shows that a beautiful home can still be built despite all the different regulations.

Arkular’s Flame Zone Home Design 

How Does Arkular Create a Modular Flame Zone Home?

• Firstly we surround ourselves with experts and work collaboratively and methodically with a high level of analysis of the property’s early stages and expect bushfire consultants we know how to make the site work for the client.
• The design is customised to the site, with necessary changes always required to meet individual requirements. For example, modular construction can be moved to the right spot to reduce bushfire risk. Arkular also can work with landscapers to figure out what planting and potential removal must be achieved to form a fire blocker, not a starter.
• The overall design extrudes over the veranda, so there is a refuge and protection from the elements.
• Fitted with thicker glass windows and sliding doors (Commercial fire-rated doors and windows) than standard with the highest quality finish with a priority to maximise safe solar gain and views.
• In this case, the exterior is clad in Fire Crunch, a lightweight material that resists fire, water, sound, termites, impact and mould. Click this link to see how it withstands the heat. Or continue reading to learn more about this Australian-created material!
• Use DecoDecking, an attractive yet fire-safe alternative to the traditional timber deck, Or use fibre cement decking.
• External shutters are concealed behind all openings, and fire collars are to all penetrations so the home can be locked down safely.

Fire Crunch – An Australian-made Material 

Insight into the Fire Crunch Material

This material is an Australian-created product that will change the prefab modular design. It is not only loved by us but also comes highly regarded by the CSIRO.

Meeting and Exceeding Requirements

Bushfire-safe building is essential and choosing the right type of fire-tested and Fire resistant building materials is mandatory for the survival of your home in Bushfire building areas such as BAL FZ.  FireCrunch meets the maximum requirement protection level of (Bushfire Attack Level) BAL FZ Flame Zone, Fire Tested by the CSIRO and AS 3959.

Keeping you Safe with Fire Protection Products

FireCrunch is a new type of fireproof building board material which is a magnesium oxide building board, MgO board and features a total fire block to intensive fire storms over 1000 deg C. This bushfire-safe building board product has been tested and certificated to the BCA Australian standard FRL 90/90/90 which means 1.5 hours at a continuous 1000 deg C and meets the Australian Standards AS 1530.8.1 and 1530.8.2 FRL 30/30/30.

Fire-resistant and fireproof building board exterior and interior for all bushfire-safe buildings. It is fire-tested compliant and ideal for boundary firewalls fire separation walls in detached homes townhouses semi-detached duplexes.

Interior/exterior wet areas, decking, floors, etc.

FireCrunch has several additional benefits over Gyprock alternative and gyprock paper-based plasterboard board, it can be used in all aspects of home building where fire-resistant building boards are required. Withstands fire, floods, termites and impact.

Apart from being a much better gyprock alternative for interiors as it is much stronger, it will also not gather mould and mildew in wet areas and bacteria cannot survive on FireCrunch magnesium oxide MgO board so your home becomes a much healthier place also.

Customer satisfaction

FireCrunch has been able to create a strong image by offering these new CSIRO Fire tested and fire-resistant magnesium oxide building products of the highest standard all CSIRO Australian fire tested. Protecting homes from a bushfire attack and determining that a bushfire-safe and fire-safe building plan is made much more affordable with FireCrunch fire-resistant building and fireproof fire separation walls and boundary firewalls.

This information has been taken from the FireCrunch Blog post click the link to be taken to their site.

Don’t forget about the Fire Shutters! 

Fire Shutters are incredibly durable with fire-resisting materials, making them the ultimate defence against fire. They also help minimize smoke and provide you with much-needed time to make the right choices in times of immense stress. These fire shutters will be made according to design needs and electronically operated to allow for quick shutting promptly so no matter this home is prepared.

Style is still there

Arkular uses a wide range of fire shutters that come in a wide range of attractive and sleek designs that are hidden away seamlessly when not in use. And when out easily contribute to the overall aesthetic look.  In detail we take in all our designs we even think about the attractive surface textures and colours, making them blend in with the surrounding décor.

Have a project
in mind?

Has your site been labelled flame zone? Wondering if it is? Or simply looking to buy and wondering about the costs associated with building?  We’d love to help. Talk to us today for Free Advice.