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Building Science Success Stories

Building and construction success stories that result after disasters often start when a community has properly enforced building codes and standards. For homeowners, building professionals, or elected officials, it is important to realize that building codes are a minimum standard and that it is essential to build above the baseline.

This page highlights numerous stories from around the nation where individuals, communities, and even states have taken action to increase their building safety.

Explore these case studies and success stories on our interactive Building Science Success Stories story map.  If you have a case study or success story worth sharing, please email us.

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Hunters Point, a coastal community in Cortez, Florida, stands as a blueprint for hurricane-resilient development. Purposefully built above code, this net-zero neighborhood features elevated homes, hurricane-resistant materials, and systems that ensure continued operation. During Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, Hunters Point homes remained powered and undamaged, proving the value of forward-looking design. This story highlights how innovative construction and community-wide mitigation strategies can protect lives, property, and power during even the most severe storms.
Tampa General Hospital, located in Tampa, Florida, has become a model of hurricane resilience through its strategic investments in emergency preparedness. Central to its efforts is a deployable flood barrier system that successfully protected the hospital during back-to-back hurricanes—Helene and Milton—in 2024. This story showcases how forward-thinking infrastructure, including flood defenses, a raised energy plant, and water and supply reserves, enabled the region’s only Level I trauma center to remain fully operational during two major storms.
In 2020, the City of El Paso revolutionized its permitting and development processes by adopting a digital plan review platform, allowing for greater efficiency and collaboration across departments. With around 85% of plan submissions now submitted electronically, the city has seen faster response times and improved accessibility for applicants. This successful initiative has not only streamlined operations but also set a benchmark for neighboring jurisdictions.
In September 2022, Hurricane Ian landed on Florida’s coast, causing 149 fatalities and $112 billion in damage, making it the most expensive hurricane in Florida's history and the third costliest in the history of the United States.
In September 2022, Hurricane Ian landed on Florida’s coast, causing 149 fatalities and $112 billion in damage, making it the most expensive hurricane in Florida's history and the third costliest in the history of the United States. FEMA’s Building Science Disaster Support Program (BSDS) deployed a Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT)
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