🔑 Architects and engineers are key to reducing the risk of flooding by up to 90% in residential areas. 🏘️ They can help decrease the cost of urban property damage due to flooding, valued over $40 billion globally, 🌍 and can help increase property values by up to 20%. 📈 Every building deserves the best flood-protection.💧What is wrong with the fact that this has not yet happened?

Imagine a charming village, a blend of homes, businesses, and essential facilities. All connected, thriving together. Then, catastrophe struck: millions of liters of water surged, ravaging everything. What went wrong? 🌊🏘️”

A private house-owner spent his hard-earned money for his house he wants to live in during his life and later during retirement. After a disaster of his flooded house, he or she will spend all the hard-earned money to clean-up the mess, renovate and to purchase what has been damaged and destroyed.

Wouldn’t it be better to use the money wisely for the nice and necessary things in life: For the education of the kids, a new car, a trip to Paris, New York, Sidney or Singapore? Or to surprise the spouse with a beautiful gift, some nieces clothes, a diamond ring or a candlelight dinner?

This home-owner is in trouble because his architect did not tell him to include flood protection. Or the homeowner did not want to make the additional investment.

A business owner spent his resources into the new company building, a hotel, a commercial center, a hospital, an office building, a factory, a warehouse. He will spend all the income – if he already has any – to clean up the mess, renovate, replace and make new purchases.

The business owner is in trouble: generators, machines, elevators and the like cannot be delivered within weeks. It will take months if not more than a year until they are delivered, installed and tested. This means a horrible loss of business opportunities. In the worst case scenario, the company will shut down forever.

Wouldn’t it be better to use the money wisely for the economically important things during the budgetary year: For new and energy saving machines, for the education of the personal, to hire new employees, to pay a bonus to keep the existing employees, to invest in digitalization, to invest in product and service improvement for more customer satisfaction? 

This business owner is in trouble because his architect did not tell him to include flood protection. Or the business owner did not want to make the additional investment.

A public servant spent the tax payer’s payment into a new hospital, a subway, a school, a police station, or a new fire fighter truck. Th investment the government, the municipality or the so called public servant made, the hard-earned money of citizens, the hard-earned tax money, will be spent to clean-up the mess, renovate, and for replacement purchases. This happens again and again whenever a public hospital is flooded, a public school is flooded, a public building is flooded, a public airport or subway is flooded.

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“Couldn’t this money be spent more wisely, for the necessary things in life: for an improved infrastructure as an example instead of spending it for flood damages?”

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This public servant is in trouble because his architect did not tell him to include flood protection. Or the business owner did not want to make the additional investment.

An architect designs a private residence for a home owner. 

An architect designs an industrial estate for a business owner.

An architect designs a public hospital for the government. 

What can this architect do when it comes to flood protection?

In the previous blog article ✅ 🏙️ Architect-Driven Urban Resilience: Mastering Flood Protection in City Planning, I described already the contribution of an architect during the master planning stage.

Now, we are at the stage of a detailed planning for a private residence, an industrial estate, and a public hospital. The architect can now apply what he has already considered in his master plan; if he was the one who did the master plan.

In case it was another architect or the master plan no longer exists due to historical reasons, the architect has to start from scratch to serve his clients.

There are only three (3) steps necessary for the architect:

STEP 1: Inform the client about an existing flood protection solution to protect his property from the danger of heavy rain and flooding.

STEP 2: Propose a detailed technical solution to the client on how to install flood protection barrier technology.

STEP 3:  Tell the client the estimated and necessary budget he will need to implement a climate-change-addressed flood protection solution to his building or complex.

“The architect is able to make all buildings, all investments flood-free.”

The key takeaway

If you are planning a building, whatever it is, or want to better protect your existing building against heavy rain and flooding, ask your architect to offer you a flood protection solution as early as possible.

You can also ask the flood experts for initial information.

For BUILDERS: Ask for a FREE appointment with a Flood Expert.

If you are the architect and your client asks you to implement a flood protection solution in their building or on their site, offer it if you know the details or ask the flood experts. 

For ARCHITECTS:  Set-up a free meeting with a Flood Expert.

So there is no longer a battle between architects and homeowners, business people or public servants when it comes to flood protection.

The architect of the future will be able to convey the knowledge required to protect buildings and areas from flooding hazards in a highly professional manner to satisfy all building owners or those who want to become one.

Write your questions or comments in the comment field. I would be happy to answer.Here comes my last question for you: Was the last flood you experienced higher than your knees or deeper?