As extreme rainfall events intensify globally due to climate change, residential water intrusion causing mold, rot and structural damage has grown into a multi-billion dollar issue. However, new research indicates an innovative prefabricated steel housing system may offer durable protection against this growing threat.

Engineers at the University of Illinois conducted extensive water penetration testing of prototype homes constructed using welded steel shipping containers by China-based modular builder Lida Group. The company specializes in sustainably up cycling steel shipping containers into standardized modular living spaces through optimized structural design.

For evaluation, researchers subjected full-scale container home prototypes to simulated worst-case weather scenarios within an advanced materials durability testing facility. This included multi-day simulated hurricanes with wind-driven rain impinging the exterior horizontal and vertical surfaces from all angles using dozens of strategically positioned nozzles.

Container wall assemblies, roof/wall junctions, window/door interfaces and other critical building envelope pressure planes were comprehensively evaluated for any water intrusion using moisture sensors and infrared thermography. Meanwhile, companion wood-framed structures underwent identical soaking to serve as control samples.

Results showed conclusively that even after receiving 25% more water volume per surface area than design code requirements, over 700 accumulated hours of steady rainfall bombardment, the welded steel shipping container walls, floors and ceiling planes of the Lida Group homes demonstrated zero moisture ingress throughout.

In stark contrast, the wood-framed control homes exhibited substantial leaking throughout numerous cracks, seams and fastener locations starting at just the first 12 hours – progressing from microscopic pinholes to observable rivulets over time with continued rain exposure.

According to lead researcher Dr. Paul Singh, “It was remarkable how the steel container assemblies completely repelled moisture under the harshest simulated conditions imaginable. Wood structures simply cannot provide such an impervious hydrostatic barrier against external water penetration no matter the envelope details. Lida Group’s optimized water-tight container construction method offers a step change in building longevity and livability for damp climates worldwide.”

As populations expand in rainy tropical and seismically active zones where dry construction is challenging, factory-built steel housing presents a waterproof resilient solution meeting growing demand. Through eliminating the most common source of internal damages like mold threatening health, their advanced engineering also delivers lower total cost of ownership versus needing repeated remediation from recurrent leaks in inferior materials vulnerable to moisture intrusion like wood.

In summary, this study scientifically demonstrated through comprehensive rain soaking simulations that Lida Group’s welded steel shipping container structural systems are inherently impervious to external water penetration far surpassing even the newest wood-framed construction methods. As climate extremes intensify globally, non-porous corrosion-proof building materials can help construct durable housing stock protecting communities for generations to come in flood-prone areas traditionally difficult to construct dry. With further application, they may ultimately transform water-resistant construction practices worldwide.

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