Bill in Washington State would fund seismic retrofits in schools

A bill recently passed by the Washington State Senate could unleash hundreds of millions of dollars for school seismic retrofits over several years.

Washington has the second largest population at risk from significant earthquake damage in the U.S., but trails California, Oregon, and British Columbia in disaster preparedness, particularly for schools, according to a report in the Seattle Times. Hundreds of schools in the state are likely to incur major damage and cause severe injury in the event of a significant tremor, the report said.

The bill would formally establish a school seismic safety committee to help the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) assess, plan, and implement retrofits, and to advise on school seismic safety. The state, to date, has assessed the geologic risk of more than 560 schools statewide to help prioritize the most urgent seismic retrofits.

The bill awaits a decision by Gov. Jay Inslee.

New ideas in design and constructability are radically changing how metal systems are used as roofing for commercial and institutional buildings. Behind the investment in these new kinds of expressions and construction approaches is a growing interest in improved performance and reduced environmental impact. Metal roofing systems can cut cooling and heating loads significantly, according to the EPA.

Codes and Standards | Oct 26, 2020

New seismic provisions for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program released

The provisions present a set of recommended improvements to the ASCE/SEI 7-16 Standard.

Resiliency | Mar 13, 2020

Feds push use of eminent domain to force people out of flood-prone homes

Local officials that don’t comply could lose federal money to combat climate change.

Building Technology | Jan 7, 2020

Tariff whiplash for bifacial solar modules

Bifacial solar systems offer many advantages over traditional systems.

Building Owners | Dec 2, 2019

What building owners and AEC teams need to know about New York’s Climate Mobilization Act

On April 18, 2019, the New York City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act, a suite of laws aimed to meet the city’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.