The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently submitted a report to Congress outlining steps to improve building functionality after natural disasters.
The report fills a request by Congress for “immediate occupancy (IO)” building codes and performance standards strategies to make more buildings more resilient to a wide variety of hazards. Existing standards and codes focus on reducing the likelihood of significant building damage or collapse, but do not typically address the need to preserve quality of life by keeping buildings habitable and functioning as normally as possible, a NIST official says.
Some of the obstacles to making buildings more functionally resilient after a natural disaster include:
— Convincing communities to invest in IO standards in advance of the event
— Clarifying the costs and benefits
— Influencing and incentivizing private owners to make the necessary investments in their buildings
— Determining special implementation procedures for public buildings since some do not have to comply with local codes
— Dealing with the old structures that tend to house the most at-risk populations
— Determining who is liable for building performance
— Encouraging collaboration in standards development
The report says that “increasing the performance goals for buildings would not be easily achieved, but the advantages may be substantial” and making them a reality “would entail a significant shift in practice for development, construction, and maintenance or retrofit of buildings.”
Related Stories
| May 17, 2012
New Zealand stadium roof collapse blamed on snow, construction defects
Heavy snowfall, construction defects, and design problems contributed to the collapse of the Stadium Southland roof in New Zealand in September 2010, a report has found.
| May 17, 2012
OSHA launches fall prevention campaign
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently launched an educational campaign to prevent deadly falls in the construction industry.
| May 15, 2012
Suffolk selected for Rosenwald Elementary modernization project
The 314-student station elementary school will undergo extensive modernization.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 6 Energy Codes + Reconstructed Buildings: 2012 and Beyond
Our experts analyze the next generation of energy and green building codes and how they impact reconstruction.
| May 10, 2012
Resilience should be considered a sustainability factor
Since a sustainable building is one you don't have to rebuild, some building sustainability experts believe adding points for "resilience" to storms and earthquakes to the LEED sustainability rating tool makes sense.
| May 10, 2012
University of Michigan research project pushes envelope on green design
A research project underway at the University of Michigan will test the potential of intelligent building envelopes that are capable of monitoring weather, daylight, and occupant use to manage heating, cooling, and lighting.
| May 10, 2012
Fire suppression agents go greener
Environmental sensitivity is helping to drive adoption of new fire suppression agents.
| May 10, 2012
Industry groups urge Congress to leave contracting decisions to agencies
An organization of several industry groups urged Congress to leave many contracting decisions to the discretion of individual agencies by avoiding blanket mandates.
| May 10, 2012
OSHA proposes new rule to have employers find and fix hazards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a new regulation, Injury and Illness Prevention Program, or I2P2, which would compel employers to find and fix safety hazards.