Designing for Heat and Hurricanes

Each summer brings a new set of headlines broadcasting the misery of record heat, flooding, and storms that climate change is inflicting worldwide. Resiliency in the face of such devastation is among Perkins Eastman’s top sustainability goals, and while it applies to every new project we take on, architects are making noted advances in this pursuit at hot, storm-worn sites in the Caribbean and southwest Florida. The mission in these vulnerable areas is not only to design buildings that can withstand hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods, but to make them anchors of their communities for generations to come.

Arthur A. Richards PreK-8 School | St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

This combined elementary and middle school marks the rebirth of the Arthur A. Richards junior high school, which was located on St. Croix’s west coast before back-to-back hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed it in 2017. Six years later, the school is rising on the site of a former elementary school, which was further inland and on a higher elevation. As the school’s architect of record, Perkins Eastman is overseeing the first new public school to be built anywhere in the US Virgin Islands for nearly 30 years. Before now, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would pay only as much as what was required to bring a damaged building back to its previous state—a “patch and repair,” Principal Mary Rankin says, which has kept affected schools trapped in a 1970s status quo.

A new law, however, requires FEMA to fund work that meets current design standards and code. Perkins Eastman, working with the Virgin Islands Department of Education, management consultants Witt-O’Brien’s, and FEMA, developed these forward-thinking education sector industry standards that now determine funding for the replacement and repair of damaged schools. “Now you can spend money on the things that you never thought about or dreamed of with these 1970s schools,” Rankin says.

Each building at the new Arthur A. Richards K-8 School has wide overhangs fashioned from latticed white metal, which provides shade while also reflecting the sun’s heat. Other design details include saturated colors to reflect St. Croix’s Caribbean culture, vertical fins that also help deflect the sun, and louvered panels to naturally ventilate the building. The plans were executed in partnership with DLR Group, which produced the design’s bridging documents. All renderings © Perkins Eastman

When it opens in the fall of 2026, the Arthur A. Richards campus will boast seven buildings situated along a curving spine of colorful walkways, plantings, and shade trees. One of them will be a gymnasium that doubles as the community’s hurricane shelter. The school is designed to be net zero energy ready—a crucial element because the school needs to function off-grid for up to 28 days after a natural disaster until reinforcement generators arrive on the island or until the grid is repaired. Plus, Rankin notes, “the power grid in general isn’t stable. Power can go out on any given day,” which makes the net-zero-ready target even more important so children’s education won’t depend on a shaky power supply.

The school’s gym doubles as the community’s FEMA-approved hurricane shelter.

The buildings will respond directly to the island’s climate and culture. Each structure features expansive roof overhangs that will provide deep shade at their entries, and additional shade structures will let students play or learn outside in relative comfort. The buildings are also sited to take advantage of prevailing breezes, which will flow through their semi-conditioned public spaces, while offices and classrooms will be fully air-conditioned. “It’s the idea of keeping people comfortable in their natural climate,” Rankin explains.

The Commons Innovation Hub serves as the campus core, offering performance venues, maker spaces, and the school’s main cafeteria. Large operable walls open out to an amphitheater, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor space.

Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. and dozens of school and government officials gathered for the ground breaking in February to herald what will become a new heart of their community. In addition to the new classrooms, the school will also offer a community pool, plus a second pool for instruction so local children can learn to swim from a young age. A full commercial kitchen will provide meals for area residents in addition to students and staff. “I’m excited that our students, faculty, and staff will soon have a modern, state-of-the-art school that supports not just education but the community,” US Virgin Islands Senator and Legislature President Novelle Francis Jr. said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “We are planting seeds of a legacy that will be with us in the future [for] citizens that we impact in this territory.”

Vista Cay at Shell Point | Fort Myers, Florida

Perkins Eastman was designing Vista Cay, a new residential tower on The Island at Shell Point, when Hurricane Ian made landfall at the waterfront community in September, 2022. Despite the storm’s intensity, Florida’s largest continuing care retirement community displayed remarkable resilience, using the recovery process to gather valuable lessons that would shape future planning efforts.

Perkins Eastman’s design for Vista Cay considered the impact of Hurricane Ian and the realities of extreme weather, and the team worked to ensure future-proofing measures were in place as part of Shell Point’s commitment to providing a safe living environment for its residents. The new 12-story building, which includes 58 units ranging from lofts to penthouses, is designed to be well above storm surge levels—even that of a Category 5 hurricane. The building will sit atop two floors of parking, safeguarded by innovative design features, to protect residents’ homes from the most severe weather events.

“Hurricane Ian underscored the importance of creating housing that not only withstands wind and debris but also takes into account the rising storm surge levels,” said Daena Tamborini Padilla, the principal-in-charge of the project. In response, the design team went above and beyond current standards to deliver homes that provide safety, comfort, and resilience.”

Vista Cay at Shell Point will offer 58 condominium units on 12 floors in a mix of lofts, mid-rise units, and penthouses. The building sits atop two floors of parking, shaded by a lattice screen, to keep homes well above the levels of a Category-5 hurricane storm surge. All renderings © Perkins Eastman

The tower is designed with critical infrastructure placed above flood levels. By moving the building’s main electrical equipment and fire pump to higher floors, the project ensures uninterrupted safety for its residents, even in extreme conditions. Emergency generators, initially planned for second-level support space, are now housed in a way that provides enhanced protection. Charging stations for electric vehicles and golf carts have also been strategically relocated to avoid potential risks associated with saltwater exposure.

The innovative roof design features a façade that rises above the building’s surface, eliminating the need for rooftop equipment screens and providing further storm protection for essential systems. “The lessons learned from the hurricane taught us ways to implement solutions that will make Shell Point an even safer place to live,” Tamborini Padilla says.

Beyond housing, Shell Point is developing a new, state-of-the-art town center adjacent to Vista Cay, featuring restaurants, offices, retail spaces, guest suites, and meeting facilities. Most importantly, it will serve as a dedicated hurricane shelter, offering a more comfortable and convenient space than the existing shelter. Parking for both Vista Cay and the town center is available underneath the buildings, which increases green space and reduces the expanse of heat-absorbing asphalt. A waterfront promenade connects the two buildings. Says Tamborini Padilla: “The hope is to change residents’ connection to the water and to each other.”