Signals From This Week's WIRC Conference
Insurers are now often stricter than code in Los Angeles, according to a cross-functional team at Marmol Radziner that told us many clients rebuilding after the 2025 fires are designing to the tighter insurance standards to stay insurable. Read our writeup of one of their wildfire recovery projects, Case Study 2.0.
All-electric is becoming standard in California custom homes. San Francisco architect Caroline Nassif said her clients are moving from natural gas to electric appliances and heating and cooling, often paired with solar panels and battery backup, and that these choices have become standard there.
The flex room may have run its course. Kalie Sudbrook, who runs a wellness-focused design-build firm, said rooms meant to do everything tend not to do any one thing well, and urged designing fitness rooms with the same care as a kitchen, down to whether a tall client can clear the ceiling on a stair climber.
A home can photograph beautifully and still be exhausting to live in. Insights professional Erin Willis said women report more stress in cluttered homes, and a house with a place for everything can bring that stress down.
The best time to plan a succession is when you don't need one. Kate O'Hara, who closed her family's 40-year design firm and now advises other firms on strategic planning, gave a powerful talk and said owners have the most options when they don't need them. Choices like selling or bringing in outside leadership take years to set up, so she urged owners to plan early, when there's still time to choose.
Watch every session from this week's conference on demand (and free) by registering at WomensConstructionConference.com.
