Library

Fact sheet describing requirements and opportunities for retrofitting, and making “best practice” recommendations for repairs, remodeling, and additions in coastal high wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Technical bulletin describing National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements for flood openings in foundation walls and walls of enclosures below elevated buildings.

Report describing a study using parametric computer simulations of 112 single-family and 63 multi-family residential building prototypes to quantify the contributions of building components such as roofs, walls, windows, infiltration, outside air, lighting, equipment, and people to the aggregate...

A guide on how to anchor fuel tanks to avoid damage from flooding and seismic events to the home by using straps and solid concrete slabs.

Factsheet from HUD describing how to properly rebuild following natural disasters in Puerto Rico.

Report covering the planning, design, construction, and operation of residential and community safe rooms. Written for architects, engineers, building officials, local officials and emergency managers, and prospective safe room owners and operators.

Webpage discussing the characteristics of sunlight and how cool roofs work to reduce solar heat gain.

Fact sheet describing guidance concerning lot selection and building siting considerations for coastal residential buildings, including factors that constrain siting decisions, coastal setback lines, common siting problems, and suggestions for builders, designers, and owners; also published in FEMA...

Website tool that can search for trees by name or characteristics and retrieve data describing tree attributes including site preferences and general characteristics and considerations.

Fact sheet describing basic design and installation tips for various types of siding for high-wind regions, including vinyl, wood, and fiber cement and discusses sustainable design issues; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Technical report providing site selection guidance for installation of small wind turbines.

Document providing incident solar radiation data and window overhang sizing guidance for multiple locations across the U.S.

Spreadsheet tool that computes solar reflectance index (SRI) and roof surface temperature based on solar reflectance and thermal emittance using ASTM standard E 1980.

Paper describing landscaping influences on heat gain through shading, infiltration shielding, and microclimate creation for nearby buildings.

Paper describing case studies on urban vegetation and greenways and their impacts on city climate and building performance.

Article describing suggested food supplies, sanitation, safety, and cooking for during and after an emergency.

Fact sheet describing recommendations for exceeding NFIP regulatory requirements for new construction and for repairs, remodeling, and additions, including building foundations, enclosures below the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), use of nonstructural fill, use of space below the BFE, utilities...

Presentation on sustainable development including water conservation, passive solar, daylighting, natural ventilation, and land use.

Presentation by the Washington University in St. Louis Office of Sustainability on saving energy.

Presentation on urban land use and sustainable building design.

Study on the effects of wind, radiation, and pressure on apparent temperature.

Presentation describing how to make a Corsi-Rosenthal Box for air cleaning.

Article from Texas A&M University and the University of Maryland analyzing why and how urban flooding happens and what can be done to mitigate damage.

Study comparing the thermal performance of phase change materials to concrete construction during heat waves.

Document describing the impacts of tree cover on property values.

Article from Green Building Advisor on the importance of window selection in hot climates, with an emphasis on window glazing.

Webpage providing guidance on the use of thermal mass with passive heating and cooling strategies.

Technical research paper explaining how thermal mass influences heating and cooling energy needs.

Design guide providing technical information regarding building with thermal mass.

Article detailing a case study in which thermal mass was used as part of an overall Net Zero solution for a university building.

Conference paper describing a proof of concept trial that demonstrated that external roller blinds can reduce heating loads in a room by 20%.

Article from Purdue University on the potential for white paint technology to lower air conditioning usage requirements.

Webpage from the City of Fresno's Water Conservation Program describing household water conservation recommendations, including tips for maintaining evaporative coolers.

Blog article summarizing the effects of extreme heat on air quality and lung health.

Training course describing how to incorporate trees into an energy-conserving landscape.

Website providing guidance for people to find and use tools, information, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience.

Report describing actions home and business owners can take to deal with underground storage tanks that are displaced by flood waters and preventative steps they can take to reduce the likelihood of tank displacement in the future.

Documents describing Flood Resistant Provisions of codes published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officers (IAPMO): the Uniform Mechanical Code; Uniform Plumbing Code; Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code; and Uniform Solar, Hydronics and Geothermal Code (Uniform...

Manual describing scientific, technical, and practical information needed to work with communities on urban forestry, including a section on trees and construction.

Interactive map maintained by the USDA showing plant hardiness zones throughout the U.S.

Fact sheet describing the purpose of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), how to obtain FIRMs, DFIRMs, and Flood Insurance Studies (FISs), and highlighting features that are important to coastal builders, including flood zones and flood elevations;; also...

Webpage describing the use of cool roofs to reduce heat islands and and benefits and costs.

A review on the knowledge about ventilated wall claddings from field performance and hydrothermal modeling.

Fact sheet describing how to identify heat-related illness and what actions to take.

Webpage from NW Natural on how to prepare homes with natural gas service for earthquakes and floods, what to do during an emergency, and how to respond after the emergency has passed.

Web page providing statistics on weather related fatalities and injuries.

Technical bulletin describing wet floodproofing requirements for buildings located in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs).

Web page explaining what a cool exterior wall is and how they work, as well as benefits to their use and links to research studies.

Web page explaining what a cool roof is and how they work, as well as benefits to their use and links to research studies.

Document describing what levees are, how they work, and who owns them.