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Darwin, in northern Australia, was flattened by cyclone Tracy in 1974: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy
by resolutebat 3y ago
Darwin, in northern Australia, was flattened by cyclone Tracy in 1974: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Tracy
For the next twenty or so years, most new construction was in heavy concrete that looked like it could withstand a nuclear bomb.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-31/curious-darwin-top-end-housing/9098446 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-31/curious-darwin-top-en...
Then the next generation apparently forgot about Tracy, and the current crop of buildings have the wispy floor to ceiling plate glass windows etc you'd see in any modern designer building slash greenhouse, which is spectacularly unsuited to a tropical climate and even worse for cyclones.
- justrealist 3y agoReplacing windows isn't expensive compared to a house rebuild. Seems like an entirely reasonable tradeoff for more light imo, as long as you have a safe room somewhere.
- trilbyglens 3y agoAnd assuming that having an entire wall blown out doesnt result in irreparable water damage inside the structure...
- atombender 3y agoYour second link actually addresses that and seems to contradict your comment: > The perception that a single-storey brick house would offer better protection from a future cyclone was largely borne out of fear rather than facts, Troppo Architects director Jo Best said. ... "I think also that there's a bit of misconception to why people think a block house is safer than a framed house. It's not the case, they are both required to meet a certain structural code and you can't get a building permit unless that happens."