Wind forces can have devasting impacts on your home. The wind forces during a storm or hurricane can cause your home to fail in several ways.
It is essential to ensure that your house is best prepared to withstand the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes in tropical climates. Hence, it is a significant consideration when designing your home to be a resilient building.
As the world faces climate change, these severe tropical weather systems will possibly become increasingly worse and more frequent. Therefore, it is good to understand how wind forces in a storm or hurricane impact your house and property.
The impact of wind forces on a building depends on several issues. These include the wind speed and the geographical conditions surrounding your home. In addition, building factors such as the shape, orientation, height and structural properties will determine the extent of the impact.
Tropical regions are susceptible to various weather systems that carry high winds.
Tropical cyclones, including tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes/typhoons, are common in the tropics. They can have elevated wind speeds and causes varying effects on your home and property.
Hurricanes or Typhoons have five intensity categories under the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale system.
Tropical depressions have wind speeds of 30 mph to 38 mph (miles per hour) or 48 km/h to 62 km/h (kilometres per hour).
These winds cause minimal to no wind damage to well-constructed homes. However, poorly constructed or temporary structures could sustain minor damage.
Tropical storms have winds ranging from 39 mph to 73 mph or 63 km/h to 118 km/h.
Storm winds less than 51 mph can cause minor damage to temporary and poorly constructed homes.
Wind speeds from 50 mph to 60 mph will cause moderate damage to houses with poor to average construction. Shingles, fascias, siding and fencing may see some damage. Some windows may also blow out in these winds.
A Category one hurricane or typhoon has 74 to 95 mph or 119 km/h to 153 km/h winds.
With these winds, some well-constructed frame houses can receive damage to their roof and siding. Some trees and large branches may also fall under these winds, which may cause damage to your home.
You will likely be without electricity since these wind forces will cause extensive damage to utility poles and power lines.
Category two hurricanes/typhoons carry wind speeds from 96 to 110 mph or 154 to 177 km/h.
By this stage, these winds are incredibly hazardous. They can cause extensive damage to well-constructed framed houses and roofs.
At Category three, winds can range from 111 to 129 mph or 178 to 208 km/h.
This hurricane category is now “major” and can have devasting effects. Properly constructed framed roofs and buildings may have significant damage. Several tree branches will break or entirely uproot from the ground.
The power lines and poles will have widespread destruction. Hence, you are likely to be without electricity for up to weeks.
Category four hurricanes/typhoons have winds of 130 to 156 mph or 209 to 251 km/h.
These winds can cause catastrophic damage. Most lightweight roofs will be gone. In addition, many homes with framed construction will have severe damage.
Properly constructed reinforced concrete roofs and block walls will likely receive minimal wind damage. However, unprotected or non-impact-resistant windows and doors will likely fail in these winds.
A category five hurricane/typhoon is catastrophic. They carry winds over 157 mph or 252 km/h.
These winds will destroy most framed homes. All framed roofs will fail.
In general, well-built concrete masonry and reinforced concrete structures should survive a Category five hurricane/typhoon.
Now that we understand how strong wind forces can impact your home, here are a few things you can consider.
The materials and construction type determine how your home may perform in a severe wind weather event. This factor is crucial in a major hurricane.
Lightweight framed construction for your walls and roofs is excellent as a thermal response in a hot tropical climate. They can also be engineered and built to withstand a storm or a hurricane. However, they are more likely to fail in significant tropical weather systems like category 4 and 5 hurricanes.
A well-constructed concrete masonry or reinforced concrete home is more naturally resilient to the impact of wind forces.
Steel-reinforced concrete walls and roofs will likely be the safest material in a strong category four or category five hurricane or typhoon. Though concrete and other massing materials are not as ideal for thermal comfort in hot tropical climates, they will resist the pressure of extreme winds. In addition, they also withstand wind-borne debris.
The shape of your house has an impact on how wind forces react to it.
A circular or multiple-sided floor plan like an octagon resists the wind better. It is easier for the wind to flow around a round shape than a square or rectangular home.
Homes with long flat sides can experience an increase in pressure from wind forces.
The shape of your roof will also have an impact on its resilience. Like the shape of your house, a circular roof or a roof with multiple sloping panels like a hexagon or octagon will work better. A dome roof has a similar effect where wind flows around it much easier.
There is less resistance to wind since it easily flows around and over the roof.
Even hip roofs with four sloping panels perform better than a gable roof that only has two.
Steeper pitches like 30 to 45 degrees also resist uplift from the wind better than flatter pitches.
As mentioned, reinforced concrete roof slabs will naturally hold up better in stronger systems like category four and five hurricanes.
Windows and doors are vulnerable in a hurricane.
Wind pressure can pop these right out of their opening. In addition, wind-borne debris can easily penetrate a window that is not impact-resistant.
Hence, it is good to protect windows and doors. In the tropics, providing shutters and screens to shade window and door openings from the sun is a excellent idea. However, shutters should also be protect these openings from damage in a storm.
Ideally, we should use adequately engineered storm shutters to protect your window and door openings. However, you can also use temporary plywood shutters. These should be at least 5/8 inches thick.
Alternatively, impact-resistant windows will also prevent objects picked up by the wind from entering your home. This unique glass may shatter when something hits it but will not allow it to pass through.
Large tree branches or entire trees can cause extensive damage if they fall on your home.
Hence, it is good to trim tree branches that are hanging over your house.
Though trees are great for providing shade from the sun to and around the home, they can be dangerous objects in a storm or hurricane. Therefore, consider planting large trees away from your home.
Wind forces can have devasting impacts on a home.
Hence, designing your home to withstand the effects of tropical storms and hurricanes is essential. It is a necessary part of tropical design.
The materials and type of construction along with the resilient wall and roof designs strategies will help mitigate the effects of severe tropical weather systems.
Apart from wind forces, flooding is another major effects of tropical storms and hurricanes.
In the tropics it is ideal to design your home to be robust and resilient. It is a must for tropical homes of the future.
Featured image by David Mark from Pixabay
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