Reclaiming the Fireplace

From humanity’s earliest days fire has made an indelible mark on our development, identity, and community. Able to be seen as both destructive and renewing, harmful and life giving, we have mourned fires burns and destruction and rejoiced over its light and warmth. Many of the earliest conceptions of architecture have centered around fire. First as a necessary utility for cooking, heat, and light, and later as a point for gathering, with the hearth often playing a role as the center of a home. As technologies evolved from open fire pits to high efficiency heaters, or gas lamps to LED light bulbs, fire’s necessity in our homes has become a thing of the past. But fireplaces still hold much the same draw as before, and although not a strict necessity, still have a role to play in the making of a great home or building.

While no longer gathering around an open flame to stay warm on cold nights, one role of the fireplace that has not been lost is its ability to gather people around it. From small residential spaces to monumental hotel lobbies, people gravitate towards sitting close to fireplaces. The flames provide a natural ambiance to a room, recalling a time when fire served a more central role in our lives. 

Fireplaces also still have a practical role to play in design in serving as a structural component. Historic homes, with brick or concrete fireboxes and chimneys, show a clear example of how fireplaces contribute to the overall structure of a building. Those heavier elements provided the ideal place to anchor lighter wood frame elements, providing a solid point to transfer loads to the ground. Modern day fireplaces, though not often built out of as heavy of materials still tend to take monumental and solid forms and provide space for columns, or structural shear walls that stiffen a building.

Along with their structural capacity, the monumental potential of fireplaces, with tall chimneys and visual weight make them still an important organizational tool for design. Serving as a marker for important spaces, a visual wayfinding piece within a building, or a monumental statement that makes a space truly stand out.