Page 8 - Green Builder's Resilient Housing Design Guide 2018
P. 8
FLOOD-RESISTANT along the lower Atlantic coastline. Rising
sea levels alone may be enough to stymie
the best efforts of civil engineers to protect
MATERIAL LIST coastal housing. Add monster storms to that
mix, and you can understand the sense of
panic that some coastal residents are feeling.
The city commission of South Miami, for
example, just voted in favor of a resolution
Uses of Building Classes of Building Materials calling for dividing Florida into two states,
Materials Acceptable Unacceptable
Types of Building Materials one in the north, the other “South Florida,”
Walls/ in the low-lying southern half of the state.
Floors 5 4 3 2
Ceilings
Their concern—and it’s a legitimate one—
Structural Materials ( oor slabs, is that sea level rise is imminent, and the
beams, sub oors, framing, and
interior/exterior sheathing) politicians on the high ground in Tallahassee
Asbestos-cement board show none of the political will necessary to
Brick protect the millions of residents who will be
“losing ground” this century.
Face or glazed
Common (clay)
Cast stone (in waterproof mortar) THE BEST DEFENSE
The term “resilience” gets a bit muddied at
Cement board/fiber-cement board
times. It’s often used to refer to two different
Cement/latex, formed-in-place
types of future challenges: extreme weather-
Clay tile, structural glazed
related events (floods, wildfires, earthquakes,
Concrete, precast or cast-in-place
superstorms) and resource scarcity. The
Concrete block
latter category include shortages of food,
Gypsum products water or breathable air—basic human
Paper-faced gypsum board survival needs.
Non-paper-faced gypsum board In previous publications we’ve talked
Greenboard about how to avoid scarcity and achieve
Keene’s cement or plaster food and water abundance over the next
Plaster, otherwise, including acoustical century. So our resilience focus is primarily
Sheathing panels, exterior grade on the weather-ready aspect—ways to
Water-resistant, fiber-reinforced survive and mitigate some of the worst-case
gypsum exterior sheathing weather scenarios in the shelter we build and
Hardboard (high-density fiberboard) strengthen over coming years.
Tempered, enamel or plastic coated
All other types FLOODS: A SURGE
Mineral fiberboard
Oriented-strand board (OSB) OF IDEAS
Exterior grade We begin the discussion of
Edge swell-resistant OSB weather threats with flooding because it’s one
of the most destructive—and hardest to build
All other types
against. It’s generally less costly to retrofit a
Particle board
home or multifamily structure for hurricanes
Plywood
and moderate earthquakes than to withstand
Marine grade a major flood, or repeated flooding.
Preservative-treated, alkaline copper
quaternary (ACQ) or copper azole The Boston Society of Architects just
(C-A) hosted their annual conference, with
emphasis on storm-ready, resilient housing.
Tough Stuff. FEMA classifies building materials based on how well they can handle flooding, with
Class 1 and 2 “unacceptable” for flood resistance. Class 5 materials, on the other hand, are Boston’s city officials are keenly aware of
“highly resistant to floodwater damage, including damage caused by moving water.” See the full risks related climate change, according
chart at http://tinyurl.com/qxfb89y. to Crystal Aiken of The Boston Harbor
Association. She notes that the city has seen
four recent storm surges that “have come
within hours of striking Boston at high tide.”
8 GREEN BUILDER MEDIA Resilient Housing Design Guide www.greenbuildermedia.com
