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
Codes and Standards | Aug 11, 2021
Decentralized approach to codes means emissions reduction responsibility falls on local officials
Efficiency advocates focusing more on local code amendments.
Codes and Standards | Aug 10, 2021
Dept. of Energy issues model energy code determinations for commercial, residential buildings
2021 IECC offers 9.4% site energy savings.
Digital Twin | Aug 9, 2021
Digital Twin Maturity white paper offers guidance on digital twin adoption
Provides lifecycle map and an approach for incorporating digital twins.
Codes and Standards | Aug 5, 2021
Contractors can be liable for building failures many years after project completion
Personal injury suits could be brought decades after substantial completion.
Codes and Standards | Aug 4, 2021
Mass timber is a natural choice for building recycling through deconstruction
Designing wood buildings to optimize recovery of materials for disassembly aids carbon sequestration.
Codes and Standards | Aug 3, 2021
Dept. of Energy releases initial version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus software
Targets new use cases in advanced controls, district systems, and grid integration.
Codes and Standards | Aug 2, 2021
Several U.S. cities among most expensive places to build in the world
San Francisco, New York, and Boston head the domestic list.
Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021
American Concrete Institute creates new director of innovative concrete technology post
Aim is to attract emerging technologies for development.
Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021
Higher ed faces infrastructure backlog of $112.3 billion
Study recommends integrated strategic planning for best results.
Codes and Standards | Jul 27, 2021
Add a wobbly moon to flooding risk factors
Earth satellite’s orbit variations will lead to sunny-day flooding in the mid-2030s.