Designing Against Disasters: Tsunami House

We are all living in the same planet as humans. We are all going to have same advantages if we take care of this planet well, have same troubles unless we do that. Climate change is not only one of the biggest proof of the uncapability of humans in taking care of this planet well but also one of the biggest punishment of this crime for us. We all started to feel the consequences of climate change long time ago. One of the most crucial consequences of climate change is more natural disasters. We could not take care of The Earth well; however, architects as designers have power to decrease the effects of natural disasters on humans. Nowadays, architects are up for the challange and there are many current design ideas to withstand a variety of natural disasters.

As an example of the most common natural disasters, tsunamis are a real and present danger for many coastal residents, and one Washington State family wanted to be prepared. So Designs Nortwest Architects designed the Tsunami House for this family, that has many safety features.

Firstly, they raised the main living area 2.75 m above grade. The foundation was built to counter high velocity waves. Strong materials like steel and concrete support the exterior of the house, and indoors the industrial feel is tempered with western red cedar ceilings. The lower 69.5 square meter space had to be designed with walls that were able to break away in the event of a storm surge.

In order to integrate the sand filter into the limited site, it was encased in 7.6 cm high architectural concrete walls and covered with a pervious sun deck on top of the drain field. The drain field/sun deck also acts as a visual barrier between the road and the house providing privacy when all the overhead doors are open.

Consequently, although with today’s technology and science, natural disaster can not be prohibited, it is possible to be preserved from them and decrease their dangerous effects with smart design ideas.