Big windows, breezy open rooftops and substantial entrance doors are all ingredients for a beautiful home, but they are also a potential nightmare for this year's predicted typhoon season.
The city could be hit by up to nine typhoons by June, with the earliest arriving next month, according to Hong Kong Observatory director Lee Boon-ying, who also warned this coming typhoon season could be one of the worst on record. So now is the time to look at how to protect and prepare your home.
Adrian McCarroll of Original Vision, who has designed many residential buildings in Hong Kong, says exposed windows are often smashed during typhoons. McCarroll says the solution is to install industrial roller shutters or European-style plantation shutters made from wood. 'Roller shutters can be made to be invisible and are only pulled down for typhoons,' he explains. 'We get requests for these quite often, especially if it's an exposed site and includes larger panels of glass.'
McCarroll says laminated glass is another option to help protect your home. It is sturdier than tempered windows, because it won't shatter. 'The cost is minimal if you're building from scratch,' he says. 'It's well worth doing to prevent flower pots being flung through the window during a storm - a regular occurrence.'
For people with rooftops, McCarroll says it is important to ensure that any structures on the roof are bolted down as these can easily be picked up by the wind and turned into lethal weapons.
Rooftop gardens, common in many luxury developments and penthouses, are particularly vulnerable to typhoons. Sam Hui Chun-man, from the mechanical engineering department at the University of Hong Kong, says vegetation and soil might easily blow away in high winds and must be well secured and protected.
Sedums, also commonly known as stone crops, are the most suitable plants for such roofs because they are low maintenance and can withstand extreme weather. Hui says the garden must also be able to hold and drain water without stagnant pools forming. Such gardens have advantages in that they can delay the runoff of storm water and reduce flooding.