INNOVATION FOR A MORE RESILIENT AMERICA
A national consortium advancing the science of extreme storm resilience
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The convergence of expanding coastal populations, intensifying storms and escalating rebuilding costs is redefining risk across human safety, economic stability and national security.
40%
Of the U.S. population lives in coastal counties*
More than 5X
Amount of people per square mile live in coastal counties (except Alaska) compared to the national population density per square mile*
$9.5 Trillion
Amount of goods and services produced annually by coastal counties*
150+
Number of U.S. military installations located in the coastal states of Florida, Virginia, Louisiana, Maine, California, North Carolina, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland and New York***
$15B
The amount extreme weather events has cost the Department of Defense in the last 10 years**
*NOAA Office of Coastal Management
**Unclassified briefing to the House Committee of the Armed Services, April 2025, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense ***installations.militaryonesource.mil
disasters now routinely cost $100 billion annually.
CONDITIONS DEMAND CHANGE
Storms are changing – in some cases strengthening at unprecedented rates. Weather patterns are intensifying.
Hazards are compounding as wind, water and surge converge in ways that place escalating challenges on society.
When risk changes, science must do more than adapt.
IT MUST ADVANCE.
10-20
Amount of additional days per year some cities are already experiencing of “nuisance” flooding, resulting in road closures, overwhelmed storm drains and compromised infrastructure and water quality*
25-75
Amount of days annually projected to experience high tide flooding by 2050*
Figure: Increase in the number of days per year that have atmospheric conditions conducive to “Category 6” hurricanes with various temperature scenarios relative to pre-industrial conditions.
Atmospheric Conditions are Prompting Greater Wind Speeds
UNMATCHED RESEARCH CAPABILITY
The nation’s leading wind, wave and surge scientists and engineers have created a new scale of research. NICHE integrates environmental hazards with full-scale testing of structures and materials under realistic extreme conditions.
PHYSICAL EXPERIMENTS
+ computational modeling + field observations = more efficient research
When built, the testing capabilities and impact of NICHE will be unrivaled anywhere in the world.
PROPOSED NATIONAL FULL-SCALE TESTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COMMUNITY HARDENING IN EXTREME WIND, SURGE, AND WAVE EVENTS (NICHE)
Room for a full-scale 2-story home
Closed-circuit
Wind Tunnel
18m wide x 13m high
Wind Cross Section
NICHE REPRESENTS THE MOST AMBITIOUS LEAP FORWARD IN RESILIENCE SCIENCE IN A GENERATION.
When complete, it will be:
• The world’s most powerful wind-water testing facility
That is capable of:
• Full-scale testing that more faithfully replicates real-world conditions and simulates the effects of natural hazards.
• 200 mph winds and 16-foot waves
It will:
• Include a digital twin that will enable stakeholders to experience tests in a fully immersive virtual simulation.
Modular Exit Design (allows open-circuit mode for destructive testing)
Adjustable Beach
Tractor trailer positioned to illustrate scale
SITE REQUIREMENTS
Land
• Overall constructed facility footprint is approximately 2000’ x 35’ not including clearances (debris), parking, staging, auxiliary buildings, water tanks, etc.
• Ideal clear footprint should be at least 3000’ x 600’ (41 acres contiguous)
• 50 to 100 acres total reserved for future outbuildings and/or other expansion
• Access to a pond for water source, storage and drainage highly desirable
Electrical Power
• 80 MW planned (may potentially increase leading up to PDR)
• 13.8 kV assumed
• Assumption that max wind and max wave will not be run simultaneously and that allowable loading schedules will be interlocked via a PLC
• Wind System
• 20 fans @ 4,000 HP each (80,000 HP total) – 59 MC
• Motors are 4 kV, 40 Hz motors
• VFDs have 13.8 kV primary side, 4 kV secondary side
• Wave System
• 35 MW assumed load at max
• Pumping and Filtration
• ~5 MW assumed max load
• Current Flow
• ~15 MW assumed max load for 2 m/s current
• Other loads
• Capacity requirements TBD
• Building typical loads (lighting, HVAC, offices, etc.)
• Data center
• Cranes
Domestic Water, Storage and Discharge
• Total flume capacity at 10m mean water level is around 27,000,000 gallons
• Fill and discharge at 7,000 GPM
• Auxiliary storage tanks required if access to and rights to use a pond is not available
Conventional testing can produce inaccurate results when scaling down low-rise buildings to investigate hazard impacts or miniaturizing sand particles to study beach erosion. TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS OF SCALING, NICHE IS BEING DESIGNED AS A FULL-SCALE FACILITY.
FROM PROTOTYPE TO NATIONAL IMPACT
With a prototype component already built at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida, NICHE research is positioned to deliver significant returns as the facility scales to full capacity.
NICHE RESEARCH WILL DELIVER AN IMPACTFUL RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
Economic Growth & National Security
• Make America the world leader in disaster research and building technology industry
• Turbocharge the resilient construction industry and high-tech building technologies sector, particularly the roofing industry
• Commercialize new mitigation products
National Security
• Ensure our nation’s coastal military installations are resilient for the century ahead
Building Sciences & Resilience Research
• Revisit the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
• Provide new insights
• NICHE’s digital twin lets policymakers and researchers virtually test how pro[posed policies perform under simulated extreme weather events
• Mainstream state-of-the-art forecasting
Policy
• Provide more accurate information to policymakers, the public and the insurance industry
• Spur building code reforms
• Promote proactive mitigation investments
LEADERSHIP & EXPERTISE
We’ve brought together the nation’s leading subject-area experts to design the world’s most powerful wind-water-wave testing facility.
The NICHE Team
WIND
Arindam Chowdhury, Ph.D.
Amal Elawady, Ph.D.
Ioannis Zisis, Ph.D.
Florida International University
WAVES & SURGE
Jack A. Puleo, Ph.D.
Navid Tahvildari, Ph.D.
Florida International University
University of Florida
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
Tech
Oregon State University
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (DIGITAL TWIN)
Stanford University
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Colorado State University
Kurtis Gurley, Ph.D.
John van de Lindt, Ph.D.
Franklin Lombardo, Ph.D.
Tracy Kijewski-Correa, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame
Paul Vasilescu Aerolab
Kristin Taylor, Ph.D. Wayne State University
Catherine Gorle, Ph.D.
Herman Fritz, Ph.D. Georgia
Pedro Lomonaco, Ph.D.
THE ROAD AHEAD
The expertise is in place. There is a clear path forward. Our next stop: Delivering the world’s most complete research asset for understanding and mitigating the impacts of extreme storms.
2022 NSF Mid-Scale Research Initiative Award for Conceptual Design Phase Received
2025 Construction of FIU’s Wind Only Physical Design Testbed Completed
CURRENT Partner Physical Testbeds Used to Finalize Design and Construction Estimates
7/26
Final Design Phase Award Proposal Submitted
2/27 Final Design Phase Award Determined
National Science Board Formal Review Process Begins*
4/27 Preliminary Review Completed
Final Design Phase Begins/Authorized
3/30 Final Design Phase Approved by NSF
Final Authorization by the National Science Board Obtained
Appropriation by Congress Obtained Between FY28 and FY31*
3/31 Project Awarded
3/32 Construction Begins
* Estimated date
