FAMU-FSU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING RESEARCHERS DEVELOP WAVE-SHAPED WALL AND ROOF DESIGNS THAT PROTECT AGAINST HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 6 -- Florida State University issued the following news release:

Florida State University faculty are helping build stronger structures by examining how wave-shaped patterns on exterior walls and roofs reduce wind loads on low-rise buildings by up to 60%.

The research, which was published in Engineering Structures, could help architects and engineers combat hurricane-force winds through innovative building shapes.

"Changing a building's shape can significantly reduce the intensity of wind forces it has to withstand", said Pedro Fernandez-Caban, one of the co-authors of the work and an assistant professor of civil engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. "These nonconventional building shapes reduce the ...