A Call for Visionaries in the Built Environment

Shaping a wildfire-resilient future for Los Angeles: An invitation to architects, urban designers, planners, and developers

10 January 2025

Dear Colleagues,

Los Angeles is at a turning point. As wildfires become more frequent and intense, we must rethink how we design, develop, and inhabit this fire-prone landscape. The time has come to create an urban future where wildfire is no longer a catastrophic threat but a dynamic force of renewal.

We invite architects, urban designers, planners, and real estate developers to join us in a pioneering initiative that reimagines Los Angeles through the principles of Pyrophytic Architecture™ — a design philosophy that synchronises and synthesises with the region’s natural fire ecology. Our goal is to craft a compelling vision of a resilient Los Angeles, where wildfire is not an adversary but a transformative agent within a landscape designed for adaptation and regeneration.

By collaborating with us, you will be working alongside world-class creatives, thought leaders, and innovators to develop cutting-edge concepts, proposals, and visualisations that will shape the city’s wildfire-resilient future. We seek bold, forward-thinking partners who want to push the boundaries of design and urban development, leveraging the latest advancements in materials science, wildfire sensing, information communications, engineering, and ecological design.

Why Now? The Urgent Need for a New Approach

The built environment in Los Angeles — and other fire-prone regions — is fundamentally misaligned with the realities of its ecological context. Decades of conventional urban development have placed millions of homes and critical infrastructure in harm’s way, increasing both the human and economic costs of wildfire disasters. But this is not the only possible future. By designing with fire rather than against it, we can create urban spaces that are not just more resilient but also more sustainable, beautiful, and integrated with their surrounding ecosystems.

The proposed solution lies in Pyrophytic Architecture™, which draws inspiration from fire-adapted landscapes and translates those principles into urban form. Just as sequoias, manzanitas, and chaparral species have evolved to thrive in fire-prone conditions, so too can our buildings, streetscapes, and public spaces be designed to embrace fire as a renewing force. Sound impossible? So did going to the Moon.

Through fire-adaptive materials, regenerative urban design, and forward-thinking real estate strategies, we can build a future in which fire serves as an integral part of the city’s evolution — enhancing, rather than destroying, the urban fabric, while also building greater resilience in its wake.

Opportunities for Collaboration

We are seeking dedicated professionals in architecture, urban design, planning, and real estate to contribute their expertise, resources, and vision to this transformative project.

1. Design Concepts & Architectural Innovation

We invite architects to help shape a new language of fire-adaptive architecture, developing speculative and practical design solutions that integrate:

• Fire-resistant materials and regenerative building techniques informed by the latest materials science research.

• Innovative building typologies that dynamically respond to fire conditions rather than merely resisting them.

• Hybrid structures and landscapes that blur the boundaries between the built and natural environments, fostering resilience through form, materiality, and spatial organisation.

• New residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments that prioritise safety without compromising aesthetic and functional excellence.

2. Urban Planning & Resilient Infrastructure

Urban planners and designers can contribute by rethinking zoning laws, development patterns, and infrastructure strategies to:

• Create fire-adapted neighbourhoods designed with natural buffer zones and wildfire-adaptive landscaping.

• Develop decentralised infrastructure models that minimise risk while enhancing community resilience.

• Implement data-driven planning tools that incorporate real-time wildfire sensing, predictive analytics, and intelligent land-use policies.

• Design green belts and controlled burn zones that use ecological fire cycles to protect urban areas while enhancing biodiversity.

3. Real Estate Development & Investment Strategies

The future of real estate development in Los Angeles must embrace wildfire resilience as a core investment priority. We invite real estate developers and investors to:

• Explore new models of fire-adaptive housing that integrate with ecological cycles rather than defying them.

• Develop wildfire-conscious commercial spaces that balance economic viability with long-term sustainability.

• Pioneer resilient community developments that merge cutting-edge architecture with adaptive infrastructure.

• Align investment portfolios with future-proof real estate strategies that prioritise longevity, environmental stewardship, and market demand.

How You Can Contribute

We are actively assembling a diverse coalition of professionals to help shape this transformative vision.

Architects, planners, and developers can engage with us through:

1. Co-Creating Speculative Visions

Help us craft a compelling future for Los Angeles through design proposals, masterplans, and immersive visualisations that bring fire-resilient urbanism to life.

2. Showcasing Innovative Work

Your expertise and projects could be featured in our exhibitions, publications, and multimedia storytelling efforts, helping to influence industry leaders, policymakers, and the public.

3. Contributing to Exhibitions & Events

We are organising high-profile design showcases, panel discussions, and interactive events to present groundbreaking ideas. Contributors will have opportunities to share collaborative research, prototypes, and visionary projects with a local and global audience.

4. Participating in Research & Development

Join our interdisciplinary research efforts to explore new methodologies, materials, and technologies that can redefine the built environment’s relationship with fire.

5. Leading Pilot Projects & Prototyping Initiatives

While our initial focus is on visualisations, we are also looking for developers that would be willing to test fire-adaptive concepts in real-world projects, setting a precedent for future developments.

Why Collaborate With Us?

Our initiative brings together some of the most talented architects, urban designers, planners, and developers from across the US, UK, and beyond.

By collaborating with us, you will:

• Be part of a world-class network of industry leaders at the forefront of fire-resilient design and innovation.

• Gain exposure through media coverage, exhibitions, and design showcases.

• Contribute to a project with the potential to shape future policy, transform research and practice, and influence development.

• Help create a future in which wildfire is not a disaster but a dynamic force for renewal, adaptation, and growth.

Join Us in Creating a Fire-Resilient Los Angeles

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink how cities can co-exist with fire. By working together, we can forge a new urban paradigm that is both ecologically attuned and technologically advanced.

If you share our vision and want to help lead the transformation of Los Angeles into a global model for wildfire-resilient urbanism, we invite you to reach out. Let’s shape the future together — one where wildfire is not feared, but embraced as a force for renewal.

Contact us today to explore collaboration opportunities and be part of this groundbreaking movement.

Yours in resilience and renewal,

Melissa Sterry PhD, PGCert, BA (Hons), CSci, FIScT, FDRS, FRSA

Founder Design for Wildfire school

Reimagining Resilience through Nature-Inspired Design