Tour an Architectural Gem

Jean Roth Driscoll’s hilltop home boasts beautiful views of Los Angeles

 
September 2021. By Cassy Aoyagi: Friend and Theodore Payne Foundation board member Gary Breaux lives in a beautiful South Pasadena midcentury modern home designed by Jean Roth Driscoll. It’s perch on top of a hill gives it spectacular views – and a few vulnerabilities we wanted to address in designing the spaces that surround this gem.
 

 
Landscape architect Eric Crow used a wide variety of fire-defensive strategies in the design… yet most notice only the beauty!
 

 
The fire-defensive design strategies you’ll see include:

  • Preserving and adding tree canopy to “catch” flying embers
  • Creating clear, defensible space near the home
  • Blocking wind-driven leaves and litter from collecting near structures
  • Mixing foliage and hardscape materials to “sink” embers
  • Planting 100 percent native foliage supported by smart irrigation

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    Gary, Eric and I also address how the garden lives year round. We hope you enjoy the conversation!
     
     

    More Information

  • Catch Fire with Trees
  • Fight fire with Maintenance
  • 10 Steps for Fire Defense