Strong through the Storm: Choosing Wind-Resistant Construction Materials

Your buildings serve as a safe space through the storms of life—a place where people can find a community and a support system. But how can you protect your ministry from the literal storms that threaten your property? Choosing wind-resistant building materials during the construction process can strengthen your ministry from the ground up and reduce the risk of severe wind damage.

“Stronger materials used during the building process make for a fortified structure that will stand up through the strongest storms,” said Robert Silber, senior risk control specialist at Brotherhood Mutual. “Using these materials better equips your building to overcome weather-related disasters and continue your mission.”

A Strong Foundation

A wind-resistant building contains resilient materials at every stage of construction—including the foundational parts you can’t see from the outside. Steel, poured concrete, and insulated concrete forms (ICF) are increasingly common in construction because they hold up better than wood against high winds and impact.

“Especially in wind-prone areas, ICF are a great material to use in construction,” said Silber. “They make the whole building stronger — and they have the added benefits of being insect- and rodent-resistant, too, which reduces the risk of damage from vermin and other pests over time.”

In addition to offering strong protection against wind, concrete and steel are more resistant to humidity, fire, corrosion, and termites. ICF blocks are made by stacking hollow foam blocks to form the frame of a building, then filling those blocks with steel-reinforced concrete. The resulting structure is wind-resistant and highly energy-efficient.¹

Protected on All Sides

Buildings need strong exterior walls to serve as a hedge of protection, forming a first line of defense to guard the foundation and framework. When considering a new construction, it’s important to think about how walls will hold up against high-speed winds and debris. When storms come to wreak havoc in your community, they can strip your building of its siding and leave pieces of it all over town. That’s why it’s important to choose materials that are designed for durability, especially in high-wind zones.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the three most common siding materials that are resistant to wind when properly installed are:

High-wind rated vinyl
Fiber cement
Brick veneer²

Of the three options, fiber cement and brick veneer offer the most wind resistance, with brick veneer also being the least vulnerable to small wind-borne debris. Vinyl is susceptible to tearing or stripping off during extreme windstorms. FEMA regulations require vinyl siding to withstand winds up to 110 miles per hour. If you live in an area where high wind speeds are common, you may consider choosing fiber cement or brick veneer instead of vinyl.

Another way to protect your walls—and everything inside them—is with exterior wall sheathing. There are two types of sheathing: structural and non-structural. The most important for exterior protection and strength of your building is structural sheathing. It helps tie together wall studs and reduce the likelihood of walls twisting or bending during a wind event.³ Common exterior sheathing materials you might discuss with your builder include:

Oriented strand board (OSB)
Structural fiberboard
Plywood
Gypsum
Metal

When your exterior walls are built with resilient materials like those listed above, you can reduce the chances of further damage happening to your building in the event of a storm.

Calling in Reinforcements

Some key points of potential weakness in a building are windows and doors, which could offer rain and debris a one-way ticket inside if they’re not wind resistant. You can help reinforce the strength of your windows and doors by using building materials designed to withstand high wind speeds.

According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), only impact-rated window systems are designed and certified to protect buildings from windborne debris and wind pressure. Two options to consider are:

Impact-rated laminated window systems
Triple-pane impact-rated laminated window systems

Additionally, window frames are just as important as the glass inside them. Materials known to be durable against high winds include:

Impact-resistant glass
Reinforced vinyl
Aluminum frames

Your building’s doors can also be a weak point. It’s important to use materials designed for impact, such as fiberglass or steel. Steel may need extra maintenance to prevent rust, so fiberglass is often a more popular choice. If your building will have overhead doors, IBHS advises that you check roll-up doors for their wind label. Certification labels that indicate resilience include wind speed, pressure rating, and approval rating.

Make “Hip” Roofing Decisions

Staying up to date on roofing trends is key to constructing a resilient building. When it comes to wind resistance, gable roofs are out—and hip roofs are in. A gable roof is simpler to build because it has only two sides that slope downward to the walls of a building. However, this structure makes it much more susceptible to damage in a windstorm. In contrast, a hip roof has four sides, each sloping down to connect with a wall.

“When a building structure is hit during a windstorm, the wind creates uplift on the roof,” said Silber. “If the wind is blowing toward the side of a building where the gable roof isn’t sloped downward, it creates resistance and increases the risk of damage. Because a hip roof is sloped on all sides, it doesn’t resist the wind and allows it to blow over naturally.”

Whether you’re constructing a hip roof or a gable roof, the shingles you use will also have a huge impact on whether wind and debris infiltrate your building. Peeled shingles can result in water damage, leaving your space unusable for extended amounts of time. Look for resilient shingles like:

Class four impact-resistant shingles, which often consist of a composite of asphalt and strengthening polymers
Thick, 3/8-inch slate tiles with a class four impact resistance rating
Standing seam metal roofing

Other important elements of the roof to consider during construction are the underlayment and attachment.

“Generally, when there’s a roof failure in the wind event, it’s because of the attachment,” said Silber. “The FORTIFIED roof standards from IBHS are really helpful when it comes to constructing a roof that is resilient against wind. For example, it’s important to seal the roof deck to prevent water from seeping in if a roof is damaged, and they also have great recommendations for attaching the roof at the corners of a building — where the windload is the highest.

IBHS’s FORTIFIED standards also encourage the use of ring-shank nails, rather than common smooth nails, to help keep the roof deck attached in the event of high winds. This simple strategy can almost double the strength of a roof against winds.⁴

“With new constructions, another thing to consider is how much roof overhang you have,” said Silber. “If you have a deep overhang, it’s easier for wind to get under and create uplift — which could cause damage to the roof.”

Making proactive choices to prepare your building for the future involves a lot of variables. As you consider ways your ministry can protect itself against natural disasters, be sure to check out the Brotherhood Mutual resource page featuring other important construction tips.

Engaging in efforts to lower risk of property damage through selecting resilient materials could result in lower costs on your insurance. Make sure to let your insurance agent know when you've used resilient materials, and keep good records of your purchase of such materials. Additionally, it’s always important to talk to a local construction professional to make sure you understand building codes and use materials that fit your ministry’s needs.

¹https://bsesc.energy.gov/energy-basics/insulated-concrete-forms
²https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_improving-windstorm-resilience-fact-sheet_022023.pdf
³ https://todayshomeowner.com/walls/guides/exterior-wall-sheathing
⁴ https://fortifiedhome.org/roof/

Additional Resources

Posted April 2024

The information provided in this article is intended to be helpful, but it does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice from a licensed attorney in your area. We strongly encourage you to regularly consult with a local attorney as part of your risk management program