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
Codes and Standards | Apr 6, 2022
ABC and AFSP form partnership on mental health and suicide prevention in construction
Associated Builders and Contractors and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recently formed a partnership to address mental health and suicide prevention in the U.S. construction industry.
Codes and Standards | Apr 5, 2022
New York City chooses 20 firms for architectural design services on future public building projects
The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) has contracted with 20 firms to provide architectural design services for the city’s future public buildings projects under the latest round of DDC’s Project Excellence Program.
Codes and Standards | Apr 4, 2022
Construction of industrial space continues robust growth
Construction and development of new industrial space in the U.S. remains robust, with all signs pointing to another big year in this market segment
Legislation | Apr 1, 2022
American Bird Conservancy doubles capacity to test bird-friendly glass
American Bird Conservancy (ABC), working with Washington College in Maryland, says it has doubled its capacity to test and rate glass and other materials for their ability to deter bird collisions.
Modular Building | Mar 31, 2022
Rick Murdock’s dream multifamily housing factory
Modular housing leader Rick Murdock had a vision: Why not use robotic systems to automate the production of affordable modular housing? Now that vision is a reality.
Legislation | Mar 31, 2022
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.
Legislation | Mar 30, 2022
Wisconsin legislators expand the scope of interior design in the state
Legislators in Wisconsin passed a bill, quickly signed into law by the governor, that codifies holistic interior design legislation and significantly expands the scope of interior design in the state.
Legislation | Mar 28, 2022
LEED Platinum office tower faces millions in fines due to New York’s Local Law 97
One Bryant Park, also known as the Bank of America Tower, in Manhattan faces an estimated $2.4 million in annual fines when New York City’s York’s Local Law 97 goes into effect.
Codes and Standards | Mar 24, 2022
New York senate moves to speed up fossil fuel ban in new buildings
Lawmakers in the New York State Senate are backing a proposal to ban fossil fuels in new building construction three years sooner than a plan proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Codes and Standards | Mar 23, 2022
High office vacancies have cities rethinking downtown zoning
As record-high office vacancies persist in U.S. urban areas, cities are rethinking zoning policy.