Page 2 - Green Builder's Resilient Housing Design Guide 2019

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Time to

Hunker Down

Next generation homes must be built BY MATT POWER

with worst-case climate scenarios as their baseline.

AST NIGHT, while attending a Resilience Hub meeting the most optimistic timeline for widespread use of these technologies
in my home town of Portland, Maine, I was cornered by may not arrest the impending decades of extreme weather strife
an anxious friend. She had read some of the latest dire that we face.
Climate Change reports, and was interested in taking Since we can’t compel our neighbors to change their behavior,
some kind of action to prepare for the changes that are what’s left? Preparation. We can build disaster-resistant housing. A
L coming, if such preparation is even possible. new house that is not built to withstand nature’s fury is shortsighted--
It’s no longer prudent to put an optimistic spin on the scenarios a disservice to the homeowner. But half measures will not suffice.
that lie ahead. Population growth, combined with unsustainable You need to go all the way. Otherwise, for coastal properties in the
behavior by both industry and individuals make a sudden reversal mid-atlantic or Florida’s gulf coast, you might be wiser to put up a
of greenhouse gas pollution extremely unlikely, if not unthinkable. yurt or park an RV than to build a house that’s not prepared for a
That’s not to say we lack hopeful technologies and shifts around 20-foot storm surge and rising sea levels. When bad weather comes,
the corner, such as rapid conversion to a renewable power grid, solar- at least you can run away.
powered air conditioning, hydrogen cell engines and more, but even What does a resilient house look like? It may look just like the
house next door, but behind the façade the building
science is far superior. While the details vary,
depending on the most likely hazards, the principal
is the same: engineer the structure to stand firm as
water and wind pass by.
If coastal or in hurricane-prone areas, such a home
may have a shell of insulating concrete forms or
structural insulated panels, or, if built with wood, it
could be massively strengthened with metal straps
and tie-down and anchor systems. If in a flood
zone, it’s elevated even well beyond the flood plain
requirements.
And in every case, net-zero energy performance is
the bare minimum. Often the worst storm disaster
happens after the event, when homes sit wet and
powerless for weeks, without power to help dry out
interior spaces. In almost every extreme climate
scenario, localized, renewable electricity and heating/
cooling will be essential, not to mention fresh water
sourcing, filtration and recycling.
The challenges are daunting, but the materials and
Rock Solid. This Texas home, built with ICFs on a flood plain, survived flooding and hurricane the building science are sound. And this 2nd annual
winds as others around it disintegrated. guide will help you understand both. GB

2 GREEN BUILDER MEDIA Resilient Housing Design Guide www.greenbuildermedia.com