Urban Design for Bushfire-Resilient Homes
Register your interest below for 2027: Co-designed with Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA), this short course is ideal for building designers, urban planners, architects, and owner-builders.
$1190 AUD (inc GST)
What you will learn
Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.
As our fire season becomes hotter and longer, it’s vital we build houses that can withstand these conditions.
Delivered by leading experts in bushfire management, this short online course provides crucial knowledge for professionals working in bushfire planning, design or advisory services.
Describe different mechanisms of house loss
Using data and case study fires from around Australia and the world, you’ll assess bushfire behavior and exposure types and describe the different mechanisms of house loss from bushfire.
Investigate landscape, weather and other local factors
Deconstruct how landscape, weather, and other factors influence the way buildings respond to bushfire in a planned environment. Investigate data from residential areas in your own location.
Consider the role of Australian standards
Explore the role of building standards and discuss inclusions and exclusions based on scientific research. Gain knowledge to help you work towards bushfire planning and design accreditation.
Who you will learn from
Learn from skilled academics and professional experts who will share invaluable knowledge you can use in your job.
Professor Trent Penman
Professor in Bushfire Behaviour
Trent is a bushfire risk modeller interested in all aspects of bushfire management. Over the last ten years, his research has combined fire simulation with risk research methodologies such as Bayesian Networks. Trent is currently leading a project that will develop a fire regime simulation tool.
Dr Alex Filkov
Senior Fire Behaviour Research Fellow
Alex researches the fundamental aspects of ignition and combustion. He collaborates with researchers around the globe to understand the behaviour of fire and firebrands, the performance of materials, and the properties of fuels. He's currently using emerging technologies to uncover the mechanisms that drive dynamic behaviour in wildfires.
More from this series
Take multiple courses to deepen your knowledge or stack towards a full degree.
The Building in Bushfire Prone Lands series
This series explores how effective building design can make living in fire-prone landscapes more sustainable, and provides a comprehensive understanding of how buildings respond to bushfire in a planned environment.
Explore more from the Building in Bushfire Prone Lands series:
- Assessment of Bushfire Exposure (Micro-credential)
Fees
For individuals
To take Urban Design for Bushfire-Resilient Homes as a stand-alone micro-credential, you'll pay the normal course price.
$1190 AUD (inc GST)
Please contact Student Support to discuss discounts and payment options for University of Melbourne staff or alumni, or to pay by invoice.
For teams
If you have three or more team members who are keen to upskill with Urban Design for Bushfire-Resilient Homes, get in touch to discuss pricing. For large groups, we can also deliver and contextualise this course exclusively for your organisation.
Pricing on request
Dates
Dates not right for you?
Register to receive updates
Course details
Want to know more about micro-credentials? See our Frequently Asked Questions
This micro-credential is designed for building designers, urban planners, architects, fire managers and developers working in compliance or government agencies.
It's ideal for early and mid-career professionals aspiring to enter or progress within the fields of bushfire planning, design and advisory services.
There are no eligibility requirements.
This micro-credential has been developed in consultation with FPA Australia – the regulatory body that manages the Bushfire Planning and Design (BPAD) accreditation scheme.
If you are interested in applying for your Bushfire and Design (BPAD) 1 accreditation, you will need to complete the first micro-credential in this series of courses, Assessment of Bushfire Exposure.
By the end of this course, you'll have essential knowledge, skills and capabilities regarding the various mechanisms of house loss due to wildfire. You'll be able to:
-
Describe the different mechanisms of house loss
-
Deconstruct roles of landscape and local factors in determining house loss.
This course runs over five weeks.
Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:
- 10 hours guided learning
- 12 hours self-guided study
- 20 hours assessment tasks.
Assessment:
- A three-minute video presentation of the drivers of house loss for residential areas in a location near you (50%)
- A 600-word written report on one local or landscape factor contributing to house loss (50%).