As many U.S. regions experience more wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, homeowners want to make their homes safer, stronger, and better able to withstand harsh weather conditions. The threat of natural disasters seems more prevalent, with increasing reports of earthquakes and other events like tsunami warnings and mudslides. CoreLogic’s Climate Change Catastrophe Report shows that approximately one in 10 U.S. homes were impacted by a natural disaster in 2021, resulting in nearly $53 billion in property damages.
Resilient design principles help prevent and minimize significant home damage. Whether you plan to build a new home or remodel, here are some key climate-resilient design considerations.
What Is Resilient Design?
Resilient architecture is the practice of designing and building highly durable homes to better withstand extreme weather conditions, events, and natural disasters.
Why should you consider resilient design? If you live in a region with prolonged and severe weather or that sees major weather events, a more resilient home can minimize damage and allow you to resume living in your home faster. It could also be the difference between moderate and catastrophic damage. In the future, including resilient design features may impact homeowner’s insurance premiums, costs, and even the ability to obtain coverage.
Resilient Design Fundamentals
Resilient home design principles can be retrofitted into an existing structure or incorporated into new construction. To build a home with maximum durability, resilient design should be a consideration in the earliest stages of a new home’s development.
Site Specific Design
It should start with the site. Hiring your design team early while you are evaluating land allows your architect to site the home properly. Site-specific design will help shield and protect the structure from bad weather and potential damage. This involves your architect evaluating the land’s elevation, slope, topographical features, wind patterns, and surrounding vegetation before they set pen to paper and begin designing your home.
They will then discuss options for the structure’s location on the property, home orientation, and layout. Site-specific design also has a downstream effect on your home’s construction and can influence material selection such as siding, framing, roofing, windows, and doors.
Resilient Design in High-Risk Wildfire Regions
Hardening the home for fire involves design features that improve a home’s resistance to flames, embers, and high heat. It is often presented as a two-pronged approach: The first is addressing the site’s defensible space, and the second encompasses the various materials and design features to protect the structure.
What Is Defensible Space?
Defensible space refers to the natural area surrounding both the home’s location on the site and the area surrounding the site. Your architect will review hills, slopes, vegetation, and wind patterns to site and orient the home in the safest manner possible. Other important considerations include:
- Buffer zones: This refers to the space between the home and trees, plants, and grasses.
- Sloped terrain: Wider buffer zones, non-combustible retaining walls, and fire-resistant deck materials are a few considerations for homes built on steep slopes that are vulnerable to fast-moving and high flames.
- Access and traffic circulation: Placement of driveway and/or access road for easy entry and exit by homeowners and emergency vehicles.
What Are Fire-Resistant Home Features?
Building materials and construction methods work together to improve a home’s resistance to the intrusion of flames, high heat, embers, and smoke. Your architect and builder can collaborate in the architectural design stage to determine the right material selection given your home’s location and land conditions. Here are a few of the most common materials that help harden a home for fire risk.
| Building Material | Fire-Resistant Types |
| Roofing | Class A rate, metal roofing, concrete or clay tile, slate |
| Siding & Walls | Non-combustible materials, fire-rated wall assembly, insulated concrete forms (ICFs), treated wood, masonry |
| Windows | Tempered glass, double or triple pane windows |
| Doors | Metal exterior doors, fire-rated doors |
| Ventilation products | Metal screening around the deck and crawlspace, fire-rated screen vents to prevent ember intrusion, or choosing non-ventilated options |
| Hardscaping | Exterior sprinkler systems, composite decks, masonry perimeter defense |
Resilient Design in Earthquake-Prone Areas
Regions with consistent tectonic activity require a unique set of considerations. The home should be able to withstand a moderate amount of movement while maintaining structural integrity.
A soils test from a geotechnical engineer is the first step when evaluating land in earthquake-prone areas. The test will analyze soil conditions to determine if the site can support the weight of the home. Soil conditions can also vary throughout a piece of land, so test results can identify the safest and most stable area to build.
When building a home to mitigate earthquake risk, here are several design and construction factors to consider:
Stable Foundations
Soils test results will guide foundation type. Foundations common in earthquake areas include deep or pile foundations and steel-reinforced concrete
Base Isolation Systems
This construction method involves floating the home’s structure on bearings that absorb seismic waves and movement to prevent or minimize damage.
Framing
Wood framing is more lightweight and flexible, and better able to withstand shaking and rolling movements. Installation of x-shaped bracing also improves the framing’s resistance to seismic waves by distributing the load throughout the structure.
Reinforced Sheer Walls
Integrating reinforced concrete or wood in wall construction improves a home’s structural strength.
Reinforced Connections
Specialized brackets and straps strengthen fastening connections between the roof, walls, and floor for improved stability. Additional fasteners provide more support for hanging light fixtures and other design features.
Resilient Design Takeaways
To optimize resilient architecture from the ground up, bring in your design and construction team early for analysis and collaboration. Stay tuned for the second part of our resilient home design series that focuses on wind, floods, and energy independence.
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