GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) are pushing the boundaries of engineering to address a critical issue: how to build homes and communities that can withstand the devastating forces of hurricanes without driving up construction costs. Dr. Kurtis Gurley, associate director of UF’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment (ESSIE), is leading research aimed at developing cost-effective, wind-resilient construction techniques by combining wind tunnel experiments with real-world hurricane data.

In a recent feature for Tech Tuesday, Bethany Gaffey, host of UF Innovate, introduced Dr. Gurley to discuss his groundbreaking work. “How do we build hurricane resilience in our communities? We’re here with UF’s Civil and Coastal Engineering Department to learn more,” Gaffey said. “Kurt, tell us more about who you are and what you do.”

Dr. Gurley, who is a faculty member in UF’s Civil and Coastal Engineering department, explained his focus on improving construction techniques for hurricane-prone areas: “Hi, yeah. My name is Kurt. I’m a faculty member in Civil and Coastal Engineering. I’m within the Structures Group in Civil, and my major interest research-wise is building more wind-resilient construction. That is to say, how do you build a house that can withstand hurricane winds, and not cost a lot more money?”

The research is not just theoretical. Dr. Gurley and his team rely on real-world data to shape their experiments. Gaffey asked, “Tell me more about how you conduct your research.”

Dr. Gurley shared insights into the innovative methodology used: “So, most of the useful outcomes of the research, the things that can impact people’s lives, come from the research we do in an experimental facility, a boundary layer wind tunnel. So, before we even start building the wind tunnel, we had other faculty members, colleagues, take measurements during real landfalling hurricanes along the shore to give us the information to bring back to the wind tunnel. Now we have a target. So, if we can manipulate the wind tunnel’s behavior to replicate what we measured in nature, now we’ve got a tool that can start making some real impacts.”

The potential benefits of this research are significant, particularly in regions like Florida, which are frequently impacted by hurricanes. Gaffey inquired about the local impact of Dr. Gurley’s work: “What are some of the main impacts of your work?”

Dr. Gurley outlined how the research could influence real-world construction practices: “At the local level, our research, most of it is directly intended to influence the Florida building code, to make homes more wind-resistant without costing a lot more money. So, we want to make homes stronger. We don’t want them to cost twice as much to build because of the solutions. If homes are being built to modern methods that are informed by our research, they actually pay less for homeowners’ insurance for wind hazard. And then thirdly, if communities are built to more wind-resistant standards, more of that community will still be existing and functioning and operating economically after the event.”

The discussion then turned to the broader importance of community resilience. Gaffey asked Dr. Gurley to elaborate on why building strong communities, not just individual homes, is critical: “Tell me more about the importance of building community resilience versus a single structure.”

Dr. Gurley emphasized the need to think beyond individual homes: “There are certainly individuals who build homes much stronger than the required rule book says. Great, their house is standing. There’s no community to live in anymore. So, community resilience is about making the baseline, the playing field of all the things we’re building strong enough to still physically exist and be there and be operational after the storm and the people come back.”

This research, part of UF’s Civil and Coastal Engineering department, is setting the stage for transformational changes in how the state—and other hurricane-prone areas—approaches construction and disaster preparedness. The hope is that, with the right strategies in place, entire communities will not only survive hurricanes but will also bounce back more quickly, with fewer disruptions to daily life.

“For more information, stay tuned for further updates from UF’s Civil and Coastal Engineering Department,” Gaffey concluded.

Originally reported by WCJB.