Resilient Home Design: What is It?
Last Updated: Apr 7, 2025Sustainable construction methods are supposed to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, improve indoor air quality, and sustainably source materials for our homes. Best practices and technologies can undoubtedly achieve some of these lofty goals. But, sustainable homes also offer another critical and palpable benefit for homeowners everywhere: resiliency.
Table of Contents
- What Is Resiliency?
- Our Increasing Vulnerability
- The Susceptibility of Modern Homes to Climate Change
- What Makes a Home Resilient?
- Bottom Line
What Is Resiliency?
Resiliency is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or moments of crisis
Climate change is a reality that we now must collectively face, but how those rising temperatures will affect our livelihoods is still debatable. Sustainable housing alternatives will help us collectively reduce our carbon emissions to limit the long-term, potentially devastating effects of climate change. Sustainable construction methods can help safeguard homeowners from extreme weather events. So, green homes are also resilient homes!
Resilient Homes Rely on Rainwater Harvesting and Stormwater Management
Most homes rely on water that is pumped vast distances at a high energetic cost. The resilient home will minimize its dependence on these distant water sources, which often can be in short supply. Through rainwater catchment systems and effective stormwater management, homeowners can ensure that they will always have a source of fresh, potable water. Large cisterns can store water for household use throughout the year while managing stormwater around your home. An added benefit is that by infiltrating that water into the landscape through bioswales, you are helping recharge your local groundwater table.
Resilient Homes Reinforce the Strength and Structure of the Building
The resilient home will also be prepared for the more frequent superstorms that many climate scientists predict. Through the use of tie-downs such as metal strapping and hangers, homeowners can create a solid connection from the roof to the foundation to keep their home safe from strong winds and seismic forces. Also, storm-proof windows with impact glass can increase your home's energy efficiency and do a better job of protecting the home from water and wind entering during hurricanes, tornadoes, or other dangerous wind storms. Reinforced wood framing and insulated concrete forms are two techniques that can ensure a stable home structure that can withstand more of nature's elements.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
