Funded by a $563,000 grant from the New York City Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resilience, in collaboration with the City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering and the New York City Department of Buildings, DRPILLA is helping to analyze and document the effects of hurricane strength winds on certain buildings under various climate change scenarios. Our research will determine the types of existing buildings at risk of causing falling debris due to factors such as wind, age, construction classification, construction methods and materials; height and occupancy.
Additional research objectives include:
- Analyzing the effects of wind on existing buildings that are raised, lifted, elevated or moved in order to comply with city building codes or to address flood hazard concerns;
- Analyzing the effects of wind on buildings that are under construction, including the effects of wind on buildings with incomplete façade assemblies, temporary installations used in construction, and construction materials that are stored on construction sites;
- Analyzing forecasts related to potential changes in the frequency, intensity, and path of future storm events along with consideration of whether climate change may impact wind speeds and other factors;
- Examining the benefits of installing and maintaining weather stations across the city, including on high-rise buildings, to better understand localized wind patterns.