Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1016/j.jobe.2026.117117

Publication Title

Journal of Building Engineering

Volume

130

Pages

117117 (1-24)

Abstract

Coastal buildings are exposed to concurrent hurricane-induced wind and storm surge, yet their vulnerability is commonly assessed using separate single-hazard models that neglect hazard interaction. This study developed a physics-based finite element framework to evaluate the performance of a low-rise light wood-frame building under simultaneous wind and surge-wave loading. A detailed three-dimensional model was constructed using a sub-assembly strategy that explicitly represented framing members, sheathing systems, and critical connections. Structural response was evaluated across a hazard space defined by wind speed, still-water depth, and flow velocity, and component- and system-level fragility functions were derived using Monte Carlo simulation and generalized logistic regression based on FEMA damage-state definitions. The results showed that vulnerability depended strongly on the interaction of the hazard parameters and varied substantially across components. Lower structural components (wall sheathing and frame) were controlled primarily by water depth and flow velocity, whereas upper components (roof sheathing and frame) were influenced mainly by water depth and wind speed. The framing system was identified as the most vulnerable component class. In addition, simplified decoupled approaches were shown to inadequately represent the combined effects of wind and surge, leading to inaccurate estimates of failure probability. The proposed framework supports more reliable multi-hazard risk assessment, performance-based design, and mitigation planning for low-rise wood-frame buildings in hurricane-prone coastal regions.

Rights

© 2026 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "Data will be made available on request."

ORCID

0000-0001-7141-7696 (Braik)

Original Publication Citation

Nahar, M., Braik, A. M., Syed, M., Koliou, M., & Sideris, P. (2026). Physics-based multi-hazard fragility modeling of low-rise wood-frame buildings under hurricane-induced wind and surge. Journal of Building Engineering, 130, Article 117117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2026.117117 

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