The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) expanded FORTIFIED, a voluntary, beyond-code, resilient construction program, to include the multifamily sector. The standard is geared to homes built or retrofitted to perform better in severe weather, including powerful high winds and heavy rain from thunderstorms, derechos, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
IBHS says it will offer its FORTIFIED Home certification courses for free to nonprofit organizations building homes for families with low to moderate incomes. It will also eliminate the small administrative fee it collects to review and process FORTIFIED designations for single-family homes built by nonprofit organizations for families with low to moderate incomes.
In addition, IBHS will advance research-based affordable resilience solutions, including guidance on ways to make manufactured and modular homes more resilient through public policy initiatives. The organization will continue to collaborate with insurance companies, federal, state, local, and tribal entities, nonprofits, and others who build or have a shared interest in resilient homes and strengthened communities.
To achieve certification, builders and contractors must adhere to strict construction standards developed by IBHS to minimize damage from severe weather. Key resiliency features must be verified and documented by an independent, third-party evaluator.
Related Stories
| Jun 14, 2012
USGBC co-founder launches rating system for building product manufacturers
U.S. Green Building Council co-founder David Gottfried’s new venture, Regenerative Ventures, has established a rating system for building product manufacturers.
| Jun 14, 2012
Green standard set for single-ply roofing membrane
A sustainability standard has been established for single-ply roofing membranes used on commercial buildings.
| Jun 14, 2012
Minnesota Vikings stadium plan gets legislative go-ahead
Legislation that approved the construction of a new billion dollar stadium for the Minnesota Vikings passed the Minnesota legislature.
| Jun 14, 2012
Report alleges New York’s prevailing construction wages are miscalculated, costing billions
A miscalculation in how prevailing wages are calculated in New York reportedly costs the state $3 billion a year in public-infrastructure projects.
| Jun 14, 2012
AGC, other business groups oppose hiring rules for disabled
Business groups have asked the U.S. Department of Labor to reconsider a proposed hiring quota aimed at federal contractors pertaining to people with disabilities.
| Jun 5, 2012
HP Labs aims for net-zero energy data centers
Building sustainable data centers is one of the goals of HP Labs, and it believes technology, combined with the right building techniques, could result in the construction of energy-efficient data centers.
| Jun 5, 2012
USGBC delays LEED 2012; renames it LEED v4
In response to concerns by LEED users, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it will delay the ballot on LEED 2012 until June 1, 2013.
| Jun 5, 2012
Baltimore officials vow to block $1.8 billion urban renewal project
Baltimore officials want to block a $1.8 billion urban renewal project until more neighborhood residents and minority contractors are hired and displaced residents can benefit from the revitalization.
| Jun 5, 2012
OSHA launches campaign to warn of heat dangers in outdoor work
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun a campaign to warn outdoor workers about the dangers of heat exposure.
