Those who claim that “nature does not have bad weather” have simply never faced hurricanes that are powerful enough to demolish entire city blocks of concrete houses, leaving nothing but ruins. This was the case during Hurricane Michael. However, he was also remembered by the fact that one house on the Mexican coast miraculously survived.
Hurricane Michael was one of the most severe and destructive disasters on the Mexican coast in history. A storm of terrifying force, in which the wind speed reached 250 km / h, destroyed entire neighborhoods. Beach houses on the coast were blown away by the wind, like buildings made of matches. However, somehow miraculously this house became one of the few that survived. In the photo you can see how he stands majestically after the hurricane, among the wreckage. What is his secret?
It should be noted right away that back in 2002, a very tough building code was introduced in the US state of Florida, especially on those points when it comes to storm resistance. This is a very fair demand, given the proximity of the local settlements to the Atlantic Ocean. Homes should be able to withstand gusts of wind up to 240 km / h with ease. As practice shows, not everyone approaches this value.
The surviving house in the United States is estimated at 400 thousand dollars. Its architect was Charles A. Gaskin, who is known among clients for his approach to design, on average, doubling the cost per square meter. This is the person who did not care about orders and does everything in his own way. Gaskin knew very well about hurricanes, and therefore he built such a beach house that is able to withstand the wind not at 190 km / h or even at 250 km / h, but at all 400 km / h!
The building was erected from poured concrete, which is reinforced with steel cables and reinforcement, as well as additional concrete reinforcements at the corners of the building. Roof space is kept to a minimum. This is necessary so that the powerful wind does not rip it off. The height of the house also allows it to withstand the bursts of high waves that often accompany such natural inclement weather. The house has only one vulnerable spot - the staircase. It can be blown away by a hurricane, but the destruction of the staircase will not damage the overall structure of the building and will not put its residents at risk. This detail is also an architectural idea - Gaskin sacrificed the staircase for overall reliability.
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