UC Berkeley, IBHS and CSAA Announce Winning Landscape Designs that can Reduce Wildfire Risk

Top landscape designs from UC Berkeley highlight
the importance of wildfire resilience for Wildfire Awareness Month

WALNUT CREEK, Calif., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month, the winning designs have been announced for a wildfire-resilient landscaping contest conducted at the University of California, Berkeley. A partnership with CSAA Insurance Group and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the contest was designed to produce innovative, affordable ideas for homeowners that emphasize wildfire defense while preserving attractiveness.

• $10,000:
  • Grace Diebel / Shayda Rashidi
• $5,000:
  • Madeira BooydeGraaff / Florencia Sepulveda
  • Yanyao Cui
  • Rebekah Cammack / Alison Dooley
  • Nicolas Lira / Anna Niubo Bermejo
• $1,000:
  • Grayson Curtis / Elias Demosthenes / Harrison Raine
  • Mostafa Sedky
  • Elisa Woodham

The winning designs are available for review at https://wildfireprepared.org/csaa-uc-berkeley-wildfire-prepared-home-design-winners/.

The contest was administered by UC Berkeley's Director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Development Kristina Hill, PhD, and contest judges included experts in landscape design and wildfire science and defense:

• Elizabeth Boults – Faculty in Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design at UC Davis, Trustee of the American Society of Landscape Architects
• Steve Hawks – Senior Director for Wildfire, IBHS
• John Morgan – Staff Chief for Wildfire Risk Reduction, CAL FIRE
• April Owens – Executive Director, Habitat Corridor Project
• Steve Quarles – Advisor Emeritus, UC Cooperative Extension; former Chief Scientist for Wildfire and Durability, IBHS
• Bill Tyler – Fire Chief, Novato Fire Protection District
• Yana Valachovic – Forest Advisor and County Director, UC Cooperative Extension

"The goal of this contest was to inspire our students to apply their advanced knowledge of design and show that beauty and safety can be compatible goals, which they clearly achieved," said Dr. Hill. "While a changing climate may increase our wildfire threat, these award-winning designs illuminate that the visual draw and practical function of a home can go hand in hand."

The winning ideas feature full-landscape designs, with special emphasis placed on the zero-to-five-foot home ignition zone, consistent with the Wildfire Prepared Home™ standard developed by IBHS. Based on the latest wildfire research, this system of mitigation actions can meaningfully reduce the likelihood that embers will ignite a home.

"The science behind Wildfire Prepared Home proves that taking a system of actions to protect one's home from wildfire can dramatically reduce risk," said Alister Watt, chief product officer for IBHS. "As reflected in these landscape designs, the home ignition zone is crucial to establishing a line of defense against wildfire, and the good news is that it does not require sacrificing curb appeal."

The top designs addressed varying budget levels (low, medium, high) and in addition to establishing a completely noncombustible home ignition zone – which focuses on placing soils and hardscape rather than vegetation around a home's perimeter – emphasize removing flammable mulch, yard debris, trees, and bushes.

"We are thrilled to share these compelling landscape designs and hope they inspire property owners to embrace these ideas that protect and beautify," said Linda Goldstein, executive vice president of customer experience and marketing at CSAA Insurance Group. "By continuing to support innovative ideas that reduce risk, we remain committed to protecting our customers and our communities."

For more information about improving a home's wildfire resilience visit https://wildfireprepared.org/.

About CSAA Insurance Group
CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA Members through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 1914, the company has been rated "A" or better by AM Best for more than 90 years and, with over $6 billion in revenue, is one of the top personal lines property casualty insurance groups in the United States. The company has been repeatedly named one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America by Points of Light. More information is available at http://csaa-insurance.aaa.com and on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and YouTube).

About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more about IBHS at ibhs.org.

About Wildfire Prepared Home
Wildfire Prepared Home is the first-ever wildfire mitigation designation program. Based on the latest wildfire research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), it offers California homeowners a path to take the system of science-based actions shown to meaningfully reduce a home's wildfire risk. Learn more at wildfireprepared.org.

About the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
UC Berkeley is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. It was established in 1868 as the University of California and is the state's first land-grant university and the founding campus of the University of California system. Berkeley is frequently ranked among the top universities worldwide. The College of Environmental Design (CED) stands among the nation's top environmental design schools. It is one of the world's most distinguished laboratories for experimentation, research, and intellectual synergy. The first school to combine the disciplines of architecture, planning, and landscape architecture into a single college, CED led the way toward an integrated approach to analyzing, understanding, and designing our built environment.

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SOURCE CSAA Insurance Group