As the world looks for ways to build homes that can withstand floods, cyclones and other natural disasters, one company has been leading the way.
For the past 50 years, US-based design company Deltec Homes has been developing – and refining – circular houses that are especially resistant to storms, cyclones and hurricanes.
The round design makes the homes more aerodynamic than a traditional, rectangular structure, the company claims. Because the buildings are circular, wind tends to flow around them instead of putting pressure on one side of a home. Likewise, a sloping roof also deflects wind pressure, as opposed to a flat roof which can come loose during a hurricane, although metal hurricane straps that tether the home’s roof to its foundation are an optional extra.
The wood used in construction is sourced to survive storms, while the windows are laminated and usually contain a synthetic inner sheet so that the glass doesn’t shatter if it gets struck by an object. During a hurricane, a broken window can cause air pressure to rise and a house to blow apart from the inside.
Mainly effective for single~ or double-storey use, the circular homes have been constructed in about 30 countries and are becoming increasingly popular as reliable accommodation for beachside resorts in hurricane-prone places such as the Bahamas and the southern states of America.
