Project by Andrew Seungho Yang, Minjae Kim, Meng-Syun Sung
The Hydro Firebreak Commons reimagines Southern California’s wildfire-prone Sate Route-57 (SR-57) corridor as multifunctional infrastructure that bridges ecological resilience and community engagement. Responding to the highway’s divisive condition, the project proposes a linear system of modular water-based firebreaks that integrate fire mitigation with public amenities and a thoroughfare for flora and fauna. Through rainwater collection, cooling mist nozzles, and embedded emergency services, the design actively moderates fire risk while transforming neglected spaces into communal assets. During non-fire seasons, the site offers recreational and educational functions; during emergencies, it becomes a responsive buffer zone. The project balances systemic analysis and spatial imagination to propose infrastructure as a shared, regenerative commons.
