Since Mr. Murcutt’s heyday in the last quarter of the 20th century the field has stalled, with most builders now following the current codes that Mr. Weir considers illogical. With 13 buildings, he is not prolific, but he is eagerly fighting the fight that Mr. Murcutt began years ago.

Mr. Weir’s advocacy began amid the 2009 Black Saturday fires, which killed 173 people and destroyed 2,000 homes. He had just finished his Ph.D. in landscape architecture and architecture and accepted a teaching post at Queensland University of Technology, and that expertise thrust him into the national spotlight and crystallized his ideas into a mission.

Because he grew up with large-scale destruction of the land, conservation became the driving force. “I come from that landscape, and I saw it being bullied,” he says. “I’m this little kid thinking, ‘Wow, this is really full on.’ Now, I see that whole bullying, colonization thing just keeps going.”

Mr. Weir’s views have been coolly received by many in the field. “I have a nemesis,” he says, laughing a little uncomfortably. Critics in the fire safety field say he is a publicity hound and way too comfortable building in a flame zone.

Mr. Weir’s philosophy of stronger design and less clearing of vegetation may not pose too much of a risk in low-intensity fires, they say. But in a severe drought of the sort that is becoming more frequent, nothing will survive a blazing fire front. They also note that Mr. Weir’s approach does not provide enough of a safe zone for firefighters.

Both sides would seem to have a case. More vegetation means more risk, especially within around 40 yards, said Phil Gibbons, an expert in vegetation management at Australian National University. But he says there are also ways to configure shrubs to reduce risk and maintain habitat.

Over-clearing is “like killing the goose that laid the golden egg,” Mr. Gibbons says. “We must learn to better live in those environments.”