Climate pressures have intensified in markets across the U.S., and many builders are responding by building homes that are designed to meet these challenges. According to a recent blog post from the National Association of Home Builders, architects, engineers, and builders should begin thinking about climate resilience early on in the planning process. When it comes to designing resilient homes, there’s a lot to think about, but a home’s orientation and air flow should both be top considerations, the post says: 

By understanding prevailing winds and topography, communities can be designed to encourage cross-ventilation and other enhanced natural ventilation strategies. This can reduce reliance on mechanical systems and enhance comfort across a wide range of climates while providing a healthy indoor environment.

These strategies also contribute to resilience when the power goes out. A home designed to respond to the climate needs to do two things equally well:

1. Thrive in regular conditions that will be repeatedly experienced over its lifetime.
2. Survive extreme events that may only occur once or twice in a lifetime but would otherwise damage or destroy the home, like earthquakes and hurricanes.

A well-oriented, climate-responsive home can maintain more stable indoor temperatures, provide balanced glare-free natural light and support passive ventilation during power outages. In short, it continues to function, keeping it livable during adverse circumstances, which homeowners value.