Vulnerability of Housing to Windstorms

The Cyclone Testing Station is working with the Australian Building Codes Board, Geosciences Australia and Emergency Management Queensland on assessing the vulnerability of houses located in cyclonic and non cyclonic regions of Australia. As part of these studies, existing houses and houses under construction have been surveyed and full scale houses and their components tested and analysed.

Together with wind tunnel tests and full scale wind load data, vulnerability models that estimate damage to a range of house types are being produced. These models incorporate engineering theory and reliability analysis of housing performance and are validated from post windstorm damage investigations.

The outcomes from these studies are being expanded to align with the work at the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.