When the Tea Fire swept through parts of Santa Barbara and Montecito in the fall of 2008, more than 200 properties were destroyed. Some homeowners cut their losses and moved on, but others vowed to rebuild. One, an artist, saw it as a chance to create something new where his home once stood. San Diego architects Hector and Pamela Magnus were intrigued by the possibilities.  “We were looking for ways to rebuild faster and to help a building take the brunt of a fire,” says Hector.

So began a three-way collaboration between the owner, Architects Magnus, and EcoSteel to design and build a 3,300-square-foot residence—dubbed Anthrazit House for its charcoal hue—that could withstand future conflagrations while remaining energy-efficient. The key lies in the materials: a foundation and walls made of concrete, a prefab recycled-steel frame, a standing-seam metal roof, and noncombustible insulated metal panels that envelop the exterior steel.

“The construction method is a little different from that of a standard wood frame,” explains Hector, who worked closely with EcoSteel, which provided the steel skeleton and insulated metal panels along with above-foundation structural engineering and construction support. “We spent more time in design because we wanted to see on paper what the final details would look like. The roof, for instance, is a super-thin plane, and we wanted to make sure it terminated correctly on the leading edge. And the exterior skin had to align properly with the windows. That’s the beauty of prefab—you can minimize field work.”

Connecting the steel to the foundation at just four anchor points paved the way for sweeping mountain and canyon views. “Steel allowed us to do that,” Hector notes.

EcoSteel’s founder, Joss Hudson, hopes the house inspires more steel construction in fire-prone areas. “The codes are changing,” he says, “and the anticipated trend is that cities and states will slowly eliminate lumber  construction altogether.”

With wildfires becoming a regular part of the landscape throughout the West, Hector Magnus sees the home as an optimistic expression for someone who has lost everything. “I told the owner, ‘This is your phoenix moment.’”

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From the Ashes