MALIBU—Renowned Architect David Hertz continues to work with his Resilience Lab to fight against wildfires and the way they effect the infrastructure of homes as of June 1.

Hertz, 59, has been a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) since 1984. He is most known for his work with sustainable architecture.

The California Fire Department’s release of the statistics for 2020 state that almost 2,000 fires have broken out damaging over 3,000 acres of land.

Hertz has begun to create guidelines to protect homes from wildfires. Among those guidelines states the importance of a five-foot perimeter around each home where owners should minimize landscaping and continuously clear out dead plant life that is susceptible to fire.

Hertz was an early innovator of using recycled materials and founded the Studio of Environmental Architecture (SEA).

In 2018, a team directed by Hertz and his wife won the Water Abundance XPrize for the invention of the Skywater 300, the work done treating wildfires in Australia. The Skywater makes water from air.

With the funding won, they founded the Resilience Lab. On their website, they state the lab focuses on climate adaptation and survival:

“Resilience Lab vets and invents best practices and products for fire rebuilds and fire prevention.”

Hertz moved to Malibu with his wife in 2011 after completing the remodel of the former estate that belonged to designer Tony Duquette, the 747 Wing House.