First-of-their-kind resilience benchmarks for U.S. communities that can be used to evaluate the current state of resilience and guidance for areas of improvement has been released.
The benchmarks, developed by the International Code Council and the Alliance for National and Community Resilience (ANCR), consist of nine requirements aimed at increasing the resilience of communities, including the adoption, administration, and enforcement of building codes. The benchmarks encourage local governments to adopt building codes and to provide the human, technical and financial resources necessary to support permitting, plan review, and inspections.
“A holistic approach to identifying and incorporating resilience measures into a community’s building stock, including the adoption of the latest building codes, supports the mitigation of damage from natural disasters and increases the overall resiliency of our communities,” said ANCR Executive Director Ryan Colker in a news release. “These benchmarks provide a standard for local and state governments to follow ensuring they are well prepared for the next disaster.”
State and local government officials contributed to the development of the buildings benchmarks, including representatives from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and the New York City Department of Buildings. Representatives from across the building industry, including designers, manufacturers, trade groups and nonprofits, were also involved in the development of the benchmarks.
Related Stories
| Oct 20, 2011
Alabama’s strict immigration law drives away construction workers
Alabama's strict new immigration law is driving many construction workers and roofers from the state.
| Oct 20, 2011
Fed bill would allow school rehab funding via historic tax credits
Virginia Sens. Jim Webb (D) and Mark Warner (D) introduced a bill this month to rehab aging schools across the country through the use of historic tax credits.
| Oct 20, 2011
Process leads to new design values for southern pine and other visually graded dimension lumber
A summary of the process used to develop new design values will clarify many of the questions received by the SFPA.
| Oct 19, 2011
Another drop for Architecture Billings Index
Positive conditions seen last month were more of an aberration.
| Oct 18, 2011
Dow Building Solutions invests in two research facilities to deliver data to building and construction industry
State-of-the-art monitoring system allows researchers to collect, analyze and process the performance of wall systems.
| Oct 14, 2011
ACI partners with CRSI to launch new adhesive anchor certification program
Adhesive anchor installer certification required in new ACI 318-11.
| Oct 13, 2011
New Building Materials Label Focuses On Sustainability
Architectural products company Construction Specialities and design firm Perkins + Will have created a label for building materials to shed light on product content.
| Oct 13, 2011
New Law: California Building Standards Commission Must Include Green Expert
A new California law, AB 930, requires that one member of the California Building Standards Commission be “experienced and knowledgeable in sustainable building, design, construction, and operation.”
| Oct 13, 2011
AGC Urges Repeal of 3% Withholding On Government Contracts
The U.S. House of Representatives is planning a vote in October on a bill to repeal the 3% withholding requirement on all federal and state contracts for goods and services.
| Oct 13, 2011
House Bill Would Block New OSHA Regulations
Proposed riders in a U.S. House of Representatives spending bill would block the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from issuing controversial workplace safety and health regulations.