Indoor/Outdoor Tunnel Fireplaces

Project Planning Checklist

Continuing Education AIA Credits

900h-Front 31 with Dark Brown Logs

31H with Driftwood Media

In a typically traditional design, the fireplace style might seem predictable. Of course, due to pollution from wood smoke, burn bans, sustainability issues and simple heating efficiencies, a gas fireplace is likely to take the place of a wood-burning option, complete with a chimney, creosote and regular chimney sweepings.

It’s probably safe to say that most architects and designers look for ways to express themselves in unique ways with products that allow some degree of customization. That’s not to say that a well-designed product won’t produce an ideal solution within a design, but it’s always a bonus when a product can offer extra design flexibility.

When it comes to designing a fireplace surround, there are few materials in an architect’s quiver. Those materials are exposed to temperatures that can crack marble or quartz. Tile can loosen and fall. The heat can cause paint to discolor or peel. Wood can warp, crack or even ignite.

Architectural design and creativity have always been hampered by mechanical limitations.

There are two ways to react. First, you can accept the limitations and design within the convention. There’s hardly any shame in that. It’s 99 percent of good, responsible design.

But it can be frustrating to accept “it’s not done that way” or “it can’t be done” all the time. Which leads to the second approach, which starts with thinking of solutions that turn “can’t” into “can.”

When it comes to incorporating a luxury gas fireplace into a design, there are spaces in a structure where an installation simply won’t work. However, because Ortal engineers decided to take the second approach, you now have far greater design flexibility. As a result, it’s now possible for architects and designers to install luxury fireplaces in apartments, upstairs rooms, any room in a multi-level home, and other locations that were once off limits. Power venting is almost always the preferred solution in multifamily buildings. Power vent also allows a 90-degree elbow right off the top of the fireplace, allowing for “short chase” designs that allow a window right above the fireplace. This feature also allows a fireplace to be designed like a continuation of built-in furniture.