Strengthening infrastructure for natural hazard impacts

This research is assisting communities, builders, governments and the emergency services make informed decisions about how they can mitigate the risk of building and road damage from natural hazards. Focusing on existing high risk components of the built environment, the Hardening buildings and infrastructure cluster is investigating the vulnerability of buildings and key infrastructure across a range of natural hazards, including earthquake, flood, cyclone and bushfire. The overall aim is to provide cost-effective solutions that will reduce damage, injury, community disruption and the future cost of natural hazards, as well as show how new construction can be more appropriate for mitigating risks.  

This cluster has five linked studies:

• Cost-effective mitigation strategy development for building-related earthquake risk
• Cost-effective mitigation strategy development for flood prone buildings
• Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events
• Enhancing the resilience of critical road infrastructure: bridges, culverts and floodways
• Natural hazard exposure information modelling framework 

In the short video below, cluster lead end-user Leesa Carson of Geoscience Australia and lead researcher Prof Michael Griffith from the University of Adelaide explain the aims and benefits of the research, as well as how the findings could be used.