The greenest building is the one still standing after a disaster

A ‘green’ building has to last for its intentionally small carbon footprint to pay off. That includes surviving flood, storm or wildfire damage.

By: Fernanda Cruz Rios, Drexel University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 1, 2026

Words: 874

Last Updated: 10 hours, 44 minutes ago

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By Fernanda Cruz Rios, Drexel University

When Hurricane Michael tore through the Florida Panhandle in 2018, a beach house called the Sand Palace was left standing, while more than half the buildings around it were destroyed.

Its owners had built it to withstand roughly double the wind speed that Florida’s code required, with reinforced concrete walls on 40-foot (12-meter) pilings. The cost was about 15% to 20% more than standard construction, but the …

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