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Remember the house left standing on Mexico Beach, FL after the last big hurricane? The partners who built it, spoke about their methods at the time. It was very interesting.
The Bahamas and Florida are nice places to live...
FL, probably. The Bahamas? No, not even close. Have you seen the latest crime statistics?
To the "question" at-hand;
Concrete! All of it concrete! The unfortunate thing with the Bahamas is it's flat; and Dorian sat on top of it for almost 48hrs. A lot of the other Caribbean islands are "mountainous"- elevations can climb to 1000' above sea level. These hills provide some protection from direct hits (based on actual location and direction of hurricane).
I'm in the islands quite often- have seen the destruction from past hurricanes. Those that fair the best are those that are built entirely of concrete. Not just walls; but roofs as well. And those that have roll shutters keep windows intact also. The most unfortunate part of rebuilding is "island time". It takes forever to rebuild/repair because the people are either lazy/unskilled/underpaid/or just don't give a damn- maybe Freeport and the Abacos will be different this time because there is so much destruction.
I for one would commit to going and help facilatate rebuilding- but with so little resources it will just be a quagmire of humanitarian aid and political hysteria.
I imagine something like a pyramid in overall shape and material on high ground could do it?
It’s not about shape, more about construction materials and design.
A reinforced concrete structure with masonry walls with withstand hurricanes. You can google Concrete Towers on Topsail Island (North Carolina barrier island ) and you can see structures that have endured many devastating hurricanes since World War 2 that are still standing. In fact someone made a home out of one of them!
So yes, you can build a home that will survive hurricanes, mostly about design criteria,however you will be spending some serious money.
It’s not about shape, more about construction materials and design.
A reinforced concrete structure with masonry walls with withstand hurricanes. You can google Concrete Towers on Topsail Island (North Carolina barrier island ) and you can see structures that have endured many devastating hurricanes since World War 2 that are still standing. In fact someone made a home out of one of them!
So yes, you can build a home that will survive hurricanes, mostly about design criteria,however you will be spending some serious money.
The guy who built the Mexico Beach house said he followed the guidelines for building hurricane proof structures, but he did more than the guidelines specified. For example, the pilings that the house rests on go down 40’ rather than 27’ (I may not have the numbers right). His lower level was built to break away, which it did, and the floor of his elevator seals off the elevator shaft.
He said they spent only about $15k more than normal for the extras, and it appears to be a very expensive house.
FL, probably. The Bahamas? No, not even close. Have you seen the latest crime statistics?
To the "question" at-hand;
Concrete! All of it concrete! The unfortunate thing with the Bahamas is it's flat; and Dorian sat on top of it for almost 48hrs. A lot of the other Caribbean islands are "mountainous"- elevations can climb to 1000' above sea level. These hills provide some protection from direct hits (based on actual location and direction of hurricane).
I'm in the islands quite often- have seen the destruction from past hurricanes. Those that fair the best are those that are built entirely of concrete. Not just walls; but roofs as well. And those that have roll shutters keep windows intact also. The most unfortunate part of rebuilding is "island time". It takes forever to rebuild/repair because the people are either lazy/unskilled/underpaid/or just don't give a damn- maybe Freeport and the Abacos will be different this time because there is so much destruction.
I for one would commit to going and help facilatate rebuilding- but with so little resources it will just be a quagmire of humanitarian aid and political hysteria.
100% this.
Taiwan's East Coast is hit by a category-5 typhoon almost yearly. Nobody even bats an eye. Utilities are buried, all serious construction (including roof) is steel-reinforced concrete (rebar-reinforced slab pours, not lame-ass cinder-block masonry). I watched them trying to tear down a house from the 1960's, and basically the house broke the excavator that was trying to knock it down. People freak out if the power goes out, even during a super-typhoon. Where I live in the USA, the power goes out if a kitten farts near a transformer.
The problems with concrete construction is, once it's there, it's there forever. So if you want to convert to an open-floorplan living/dining room because you don't like 1950's-style Chinese architecture, you're going to need about thirty kilograms of high explosives to renovate, or put in a cable run for internet, etc.
It's also super labor-intensive and expensive to build. Labor in Taiwan is fast, skilled, hard-working, and dirt-cheap, so they can build cities full of--what are--basically bomb shelters. You're not going to get that in the Bahamas. Or even Florida. At least not without spending 3X the budget of the stick-framed toy houses we all live in.
Also, if the earth moves, you can get some serious cracking and even collapsing of ultra-heavy concrete construction from earthquakes, erosion, sink-holes, or other types of soil liquification. Once that reinforced concrete **** is broken, it can't be fixed. Stick frame rolls with the punches and can float on a slab (or a repair-able foundation), but blows away in high winds.
Nobody should ever be building wood structures in hurricane zones. Steel, concrete, and tempered glass will get it done. ICF is a good option that’s only at most 15% more expensive than regular building methods but builders are simply too dumb to figure it out, I guess. Ideally all homes would be build out of concrete, because you can put whatever siding on it you want and it can look however you desire, but it’s a lot stronger, more energy efficient, and better noise proofing not to mention durable.
if there is already solution, why isnt everyone there doing it already? seems the extra investment will pay for itself in a few seasons...
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