Hurricane-proof building

Waves along coastal areas can destroy many buildings. Buildings should preferably be built on high ground to avoid waves. If waves can reach the building site, the building should be elevated on steel, concrete, or wooden pilings or anchored to solid rock.

Building openings such as garage doors and windows are often weak points susceptible to failure by wind pressure and blowing debris. Once failure occurs, wind pressure builds up inside the building resulting in the roof lifting off the building. Hurricane shutters can provide protection.

Doors can be blown into the house by wind, causing potential structural failure (see http://www.floridadisaster.org/hrg/content/openings/openings_index.asp#Hinged_Exterior_Doors).

Windows can be constructed with plastic panes, shatterproof glass, or glass with protective membranes. The panes are often more firmly attached than normal window panes, including using screws or bolts through the edges of larger panes. Concrete anchor screws are used to secure windows to the concrete structure surrounding them.

Wood has a relatively high degree of flexibility, which can be beneficial under certain building stresses.

Reinforced concrete is a strong, dense material that can withstand the destructive power of very high winds and high-speed debris if used in a building that is designed properly.

After Hurricane Andrew in 1992 caused $16 billion in insured damage, the state of Florida established new building standards and enforcement. The state increased performance criteria for wind-load provisions and adopted new wind provisions from the American Society of Civil Engineers. One important addition to the new code was the requirement of missile-impact resisting glass, which can withstand high-velocity impact from wind-borne debris during a hurricane. Many houses built in South Florida since Hurricane Andrew are cinder block masonry construction reinforced with concrete pillars, hurricane-strapped roof trusses, and codes requirements for adhesives and types of roofing.[8][9] Florida also designated high velocity hurricane zones (i.e. High Velocity Hurricane Zone) with special requirements defined for Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.[10]

Hong Kong requires many structures to withstand winds from typhoons.[11]

Residential construction in Darwin Northern Australia

• 
  Starter bars cast into concrete slab for blockwork wall reinforcing,
• 
  Detail of reinforcing steel at edge of concrete raft slab
• 
  16mm Cast in hold down bolts. 150 to 300 long cast into blockwork bond beams
• 
  HD bolt to truss connection. also seen, metal roof batten fixing, speedbrace end fixing.
• 
  Typical roof member connector straps.
• 
  Internal mig welded shearwalls
• 
  Shearwall to slab connection, M12 chemsets through 6 plate washers, typ. at ends and 900ctrs.
• 
  Sketch of 200 series reinforced blockwork fence wall. Terrain category 3 (close to sea front)
• 
  Sketch of typical foundation layout for sloping ground.

• Autonomous building
• Building
• Natural building
• Bubble Houses (Hobe Sound, Florida)
• Dymaxion house
• Hurricane preparedness
• Hurricane shutter
• HurriQuake nail (for resisting hurricanes and earthquakes)
• Structural engineering
• Windstorm inspection

Notes

• house building in Northern Australia 2008 photographs.
• Hurricane Shutters Storm Panels