Design Optimization for Resilient Building Design in Coastal Environments

The present study aims to investigate the impact of the building form on the surrounding wind flow and support resilient form finding for designing buildings in hurricane prone areas. To achieve this, an immersive case study was conducted for a 1,350 SF single family house in a coastal area in Louisiana. The form of the roof was the tested design parameter since the roof uplift is one of the major hurricane damages in the selected area. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to optimize the roof form to minimize the possibility of wind uplift. Through this research, the authors tried to respond to the following question: How can the roof form of a building better respond to extreme wind conditions? The present study may assist architectural designers in developing more resilient building form in the early stages of design and advance the understanding of environmental issues. This work will ultimately promote more sustainable and environment conscious building design.