Practical Engineering YouTube channel captures hurricane wave tests at NHERI Wave Laboratory
Published on January 22, 2026
In August 2025, the NHERI Wave Laboratory at Oregon State University conducted a large-scale experiment highlighting the importance of structure elevation to reduce the damaging effects of hurricane wave and surge.
To document the test for engineering enthusiasts and the general public, the OSU team invited YouTuber Grady Hillhouse and his team from the Practical Engineering channel to film the event. The result is a compelling 20-minute episode called "Hurricanes versus tiny houses," which has garnered nearly 900,000 views since its release.
The OSU team designed and built two light-frame wood structures, typical of the houses that were damaged or destroyed during the landfall of Hurricane Ian at Fort Myers Beach, Florida, in 2022. The 1:3 scale buildings were identical except for the color – and one other key difference: the orange house was elevated based on a 100-year design flood, and the teal house was elevated at a higher, 500-year design. Over several days of testing, researchers subjected the houses to hurricane waves and surge – with water levels and wave conditions scaled from Hurricane Ian conditions.
Expectedly, the lower structure was the first to collapse. But researchers were surprised that the second one, only three feet higher, survived with hardly any damage. This finding highlights the need to develop better flood standards with the 500-year as the basis for design. On a deeper level, the experiment revealed surprising insights about how structures actually fail during these events, and the unique data will be available to improve numerical simulations of progressive damage and collapse.
The footage, combined with expert commentary from Hillhouse and OSU principal investigator Dan Cox, vividly demonstrates why engineering research matters for coastal communities in hurricane-vulnerable regions.
Key takeaways:
- Just a few feet of additional elevation can dramatically increase the survivability of buildings subjected to hurricane surge and waves.
- Physical experiments provide critical data for calibrating and validating computer models.
- Balancing safety and cost when designing for hurricane-prone areas involves complex trade-offs.
Cox notes, "We were thrilled to have had Grady and his team out here. They produced an amazing video that explains the complex issues and the role of engineers to mitigate flood disasters."
Watch the full episode.
Grady Hillhouse, host of Practical Engineering.
OSU graduate student Keenan Hubbard showing Grady experimental details prior to testing.
The buildings took a pounding. The 100-year design model showed progressive damage.
