High winds aren't such a problem, it's built into the ground which will help negate a lot. The soil cladding is going to help a lot; I'm used to the high winds

High winds aren't such a problem, it's built into the ground which will help negate a lot. The soil cladding is going to help a lot; I'm used to the high winds we get in England (I'm sure they're comparable) and I'm used to the tiles being ripped off the roof, so from that perspective it could well be better than traditional building in the UK. Earthquakes aren't too much of a concern in the UK, however being in the ground can help with this. Also the major damage in earthquakes is to rigid structures (primarily concrete, then brick) that cannot flex, there's been lots of designs to deal with all these problems, but the simple matter is that the lower a building is to the ground and the more flexible construction material is you're better off. However, you never know until you try. As for fire retardation it's possibly a lot worse than your average house in the UK, I don't think I've ever been in a non-brick home in the UK. I bet it will possibly be more damaging to the structure, however the bigger concern is that is it more likely to cause a fire? If you're following proper electrical designs then probably not. However, if he used exclusively 12V then I severely doubt he'd ever have a fire through the electrical system, and thats my opinion having worked as an electrician. When my parents bought a 200+ year old house in France, the building had very old school wiring, it was coated like a sock and the house had never had a fire. So with modern materials you're probably safe. In case a fire actually started; as with a lot someone fell a sleep smoking for instance. Well you'd be surprised huge hunks of wood really hate setting on fire, so I doubt the structural supports would go up before you could get out. Also if the insulation is behind a good coating of plaster, it's fire proof. I've used scrap drywall quite frequently as a backer for a paper incinerator and it usually lasts for about 30 minutes despite very hot flames (paper gets air faster and thus burns hotter). I'd say if you put the amount of plaster you're supposed to when manually rendering a wall, I'd give it an equal time before it started giving away. All in all, from the experience I've had I'd say it would be reasonably safe. You've also got to consider, living in a city you're more likely to die through other means than you are in the country. Personally, I'd have misgivings living in it. All my knowledge tells me that a huge oak beam holding up the floor has more structural support than the floor I'm currently sat on. However, it would still creep me out. My biggest concern is, how do you keep track of wood rotting when you don't have access to a large area of the building. If all exterior walls were constructed of brick, and I'd built the supports (I'd definitely use brick for a lot of the load bearing structure) then I'd definitely sleep in one.