Flood Resistant Housing Design to Become Mainstream

Archicentre Queensland State Manager, Ian Agnew said, ”the devastating flooding of 10,000 homes in Brisbane in 2011, the continuing widespread destruction caused by floods in rural Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, and the resulting widespread economic and social disruption will be a driving force for change”.  

“The insurance industry, faced with ongoing payouts for repeated flood damage, could also look at providing special rates for flood resistant homes that limited the risk.”

In 2011 Archicentre, LJ Hooker and The Future Housing Taskforce in Queensland recognised the need to create flood resistant housing designs and ran an architectural competition to create twelve new designs by local residential architects. 

Mr Agnew said the competition highlighted the important role of architects in solving the major problems of flood prone areas and housing affordability through innovative design.

“The architects in the competition have set new standards in flood-safe home design by designing homes within a construction budget of $200,000.”

“Since the floods, Archicentre has continued to provide information for the community dealing with homes after the floods, and believes the design competition provided valuable opportunities to look at safer, better ways to rebuild homes in flood prone areas.”  

Up to $63 billion of existing residential buildings, including as many as 247,600 individual buildings, are potentially at risk of inundation in Australia this century, according to Climate Change Risks to Australia’s Coast, published by the Australian Department of Climate Change.

Mr Agnew said, ”one of the main aims of flood resistant design is to provide for an easy clean up after the flood with a flexible, multi-purpose ground level for vehicles or storage, allowing for a flood clearance level of 4.5 metres to the first floor”.     

“Materials and finishes which can be hosed down without damage should be included on lower levels and designs need to allow for water to flow through the lower level of the building without placing pressure on the structure,” Mr Agnew said.

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