About the research
Flooding has caused major problems in the UK during the last few years. To make matters worse, London is expected to experience more frequent periods of intense rainfall and tidal surges, leading to an even higher risk of flooding.
This project investigated the influence of buildings on a population’s exposure to prolonged indoor damp and mould following a large flood in London. It identified locations where there was a flood risk, where buildings are difficult to dry out, and where populations are most susceptible to negative health issues following floods.
Using the length of time that mould can grow as a proxy for ‘damp’, the results indicate that flats with a single external wall — and hence facing in one direction — were the hardest to dry out, while modern fibreglass walls were the most difficult type of construction to dry.
The study identified areas of south and east London as being particularly vulnerable to floods due to the building stock, depth of flood, and population vulnerability.
Methodology
Building simulations were performed to estimate the drying time of typical London dwellings following floods of different heights. English Housing Survey data used included information on majority wall type for buildings of different combinations of built forms and ages; it also included information on floor space and room height to derive built forms.
Results were mapped alongside Environment Agency flood maps to estimate the drying time following flooding, and population exposure and vulnerability was identified using census data.
Census data used included unemployment, overcrowding, non-car ownership, non-home ownership, long-term sick, single parents, population over 75, the number of individuals living in households, and the total number of households.
Publications
Taylor, J., Biddulph, P., Davies, M. and Lai, K. (2013) ‘Predicting the microbial exposure risks in urban floods using GIS, building simulation, and microbial models’, Environment International, 51, pp. 182–195. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2012.10.006