NOAA, Univ. of Maryland, and ASCE partner on climate-smart engineering codes, standards

NOAA, the University of Maryland, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will collaborate on developing climate-smart engineering codes and standards.

The partnership aims to account for climate change in future infrastructure design and construction. Most building codes in the United States and abroad rely on consensus guidance provided by ASCE.

The partnership will help close the gap between climate change awareness and engineering practice, according to Samuel Graham, dean of the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering. The collaboration will advance the use of NOAA-produced climate science and understanding within engineering practice for the design and construction of climate-resilient infrastructure, through developing and updating ASCE codes and standards, according to a NOAA news release.

The partnership calls for a series of exchanges between NOAA and ASCE, which will be facilitated by the university.