Could Climate Change-Resistant Housing Be The Next Innovation In Home Construction?

Developers and homebuilders are responding to the threat posed by climate change by building homes and communities with several special features that make them more resistant to natural disasters. This is important in states like Florida, which is especially susceptible to hurricanes because of its geography.

The state has little high ground and is surrounded on three sides by water. Complicating matters further, the surface temperatures of both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean reached record highs this year. Those warm waters act as rocket fuel for not just hurricanes, but also heavy rain systems, which can quickly grow in strength from potential nuisance storms to deadly weather disasters.

Despite this danger, the Sunshine State's affordable housing and lack of a state income tax have been a strong draw for the millions of residents who have moved there in recent years. But many of them have been unpleasantly surprised by the frequency and power of the storms they're experiencing. Florida has been hit by five hurricanes since 2017, and three of them have been Category 4 or Category 5 storms — the most dangerous classifications.

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Surviving Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael was a Category 5 storm that slammed into the Florida panhandle in 2018 and did billions of dollars worth of damage. One particularly hard-hit community was Mexico Beach, much of which was devastated with one notable exception. Standing tall in the aftermath of the storm and surrounded by destroyed homes and cars strewn about like children's toys, one home was conspicuous for its lack of damage.

That it survived was no accident. This house was purpose-built to be storm-resistant. It was built on 14-foot-high pylons to keep it safe from the storm surge. The home also had a rounded façade, not unlike that of a boat's hull. The rounded shape made the home much more wind-resistant. Studies have shown much of the stress hurricane winds place on houses is on the corners where beams and pylons come together.

The round construction diverted Hurricane Michael's winds around it instead of absorbing the full force of them on its stress points until an inevitable collapse. The roof was specially built to allow solar panels to fit snugly inside its frame, meaning they didn't blow off during the storm. The only damage the house suffered was a few lost shingles. This is quite a contrast to the devastation in the rest of the neighborhood.

Green Construction And Low Carbon Footprint Technology, Too

Deltec Homes, the company that built the home that survived Hurricane Michael, has constructed over 1,400 hurricane-resistant homes in the last 30 years. According to the company, only one of those homes endured structural damage from hurricane-force winds. Hurricane resistance is only one of Deltec's points of emphasis. It's also dedicated to lowering the carbon footprint of its homes.

Deltec uses a higher quality than standard insulation to reduce the home's reliance on air conditioning. It also increased its home's energy efficiency by using heat pumps instead of older, less expensive systems. Add that to the solar panels it puts in the roofs, and the result is a low-carbon footprint home with the bonus of a potential power source that will work even when the electrical grid is down.

The Future of Home Construction

Although Florida has been in the center of the bullseye when it comes to hurricanes, it is far from the only state that faces climate risk from warming temperatures and rising sea levels. This means developers across the country will begin considering how to make their properties and planned communities more resilient to natural disasters.

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This kind of innovation may be the only way to sustain the viability of many communities that are at increased risk of natural disasters because of climate change. It's not hard to see where insurers and mortgage lenders will require that new homes be equipped with a suite of climate-resistant features.

For their part, homebuyers should also consider the risks of buying a property that hasn't been properly equipped or upgraded to resist natural disasters. Investors may also find an opportunity by putting money into companies that specialize in climate change-resistant construction. This kind of technology, and new developments in the field, represent the future of home construction in America and around the world.

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