$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
CTV
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom property is located on a rocky mountainside in Naramata, in an area that was previously scorched by flames.
But the building, designed by acclaimed architect Omar Gandhi, has a fortress-like appearance intended to give an air of impermeability.
Speaking to CTV News from his office in Halifax, Gandhi stressed that the home is not "fire-proof" – but does offer some degree of fire resistance that another home might not.
"It's going to buy you time," he said. "When there’s a forest fire, you know, it can come down to seconds and minutes to kind of find shelter or to actually evacuate."
Given the region's harsh summer heat – and the increasing threat of wildfires as global temperatures rise – local bylaws require the use of non-combustible materials such as cementitious boards for building exteriors.
Gandhi said he decided to lean into the requirement, going above and beyond with a quarter-inch corten steel barrier.
