Published works

Damage investigations carried out by the Cyclone Testing Station (CTS) following severe wind storms have typically shown that Australian houses built prior to the mid-1980s do not offer the same level of performance and protection during windstorms as houses constructed to contemporary building standards. Given that these older houses will represent the bulk of the housing stock for many decades, practical structural upgrading solutions based on the latest research will make a significant improvement to housing performance and to the economic and social well-being of the community.

Structural retrofitting details exist for some forms of legacy housing but the uptake of these details is limited. There is also evidence that retrofitting details are not being included into houses requiring major repairs following severe storm events, thus missing the ideal opportunity to improve resilience of the house and community. Hence, the issues of retrofitting legacy housing, including feasibility and hindrances on take-up, etc., must be analysed.

The primary objective of this research is to develop cost-effective strategies for mitigating damage to housing from severe windstorms across Australia.  These evidence-based strategies will be (a) tailored to aid policy formulation and decision making in government and industry, and (b) provide guidelines detailing various options and benefits to homeowners and the building community for retrofitting typical at-risk houses in Australian communities. Specific task items include:

•   Categorise residential structures into types based on building features that influence windstorm vulnerability using Geoscience Australia and CTS survey data. From these, a suite will be selected to represent those contributing most to windstorm risk

•   Involve end-users and stakeholders (i.e. homeowners, builders, regulators, insurers) to assess amendments and provide feedback on practicality and aesthetics of potential upgrading methods for a range of buildings. Cost effective strategies will be developed for key house types

•   Vulnerability models will be developed for each retrofit strategy using survey data, the authors’ existing vulnerability models, and the NEXIS database of Australian housing characteristics. Case studies will be used to evaluate effectiveness of proposed retrofit solutions in risk reduction. Economic assessment using the same case studies will be used to promote uptake of practical retrofit options.