The Tsunami House on a coastal island in Washington State was built by Designs Northwest Architects to withstand conditions not normally faced by a residential property. The main level features a foundation capable of withstanding high velocity tsunami wave action, while the lower levels were built with walls that are able to break away in the event of a storm surge. In order to avoid the full force of a tidal wave, the architects located the main living level nine feet above grade, which left the lower level as a multi-purpose ‘Flood Room.’
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