Smith, Daniel J., Henderson, David J., and Ginger, John D. (2015) Insurance loss drivers and mitigation for Australian housing in severe wind events. In: [Presented at 14th International Conference on Wind Engineering]. 02735. pp. 1-9. From: ICWE14: 14th International Conference on Wind Engineering, 21-26 June 2015, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

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Abstract

Damage investigations conducted by the Cyclone Testing Station (CTS) following severe wind events have typically shown that Australian homes built prior to the mid-1980s do not offer the same level of performance and protection during severe wind events as homes constructed to contemporary building standards. A direct relationship between observed damage modes and societal cost is needed to inform cost-benefit analysis of retrofit mitigation solutions. Policy data from one insurer in the North Queensland region of Australia during Cyclone Yasi (2011) were analyzed to identify correlations between claim value, typical damage modes, and construction age. Preliminary results suggest that ancillary damages (i.e. fabric shade coverings, roofing vents, wind-borne debris impacts on wall cladding, etc.) contribute significantly to overall loss for all ages of housing construction. In addition, the frequency of severe structural and water ingress damages is shown to be higher for legacy housing in a region subjected to wind speeds below design level. Structural retrofitting details exist for some forms of legacy housing in Australia but the utility of these details is limited. Hence, the issues of retrofitting legacy Australian housing, including practicality, economy, etc. must also be analyzed. A recently conducted survey of building industry representatives in Australia indicates that the utility of current retrofitting guidelines is inhibited by cost and facultative status. The details of the survey are discussed herein.

Item ID:	45855
Item Type:	Conference Item (Non-Refereed Research Paper)
Keywords:	cyclone, vulnerability, modelling, insurance, wind resistance, housing, ICWE14, resilience, retrofitting, legacy housing, standards Australia, claims analysis, structural upgrades, Cyclone Yasi
Related URLs:	Publisher
Funders:	Suncorp Group Limited (SGL), Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC)
Date Deposited:	27 Sep 2016 05:49
FoR Codes:	09 ENGINEERING > 0905 Civil Engineering > 090506 Structural Engineering @ 50% 12 BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN > 1204 Engineering Design > 120402 Engineering Design Knowledge @ 50%
SEO Codes:	97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970109 Expanding Knowledge in Engineering @ 100%
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