ROI on resilient multifamily construction can be as high as 72%

A new study that measured the economic value of using FORTIFIED Multifamily, a voluntary beyond-code construction and re-roofing method developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), found the return can be as high as 72%.

The Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research (ACIIR) at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Business study predicts lower insurance costs due to reduced risk, coupled with increased revenue, more than pay for the cost of achieving a FORTIFIED designation. The size of this return on investment varied based on where the project was located, and which FORTIFIED designation was sought. It ranged from 8.1% with added hail protection in inland areas to 72% for a Gold designation near the coast.

A building can be constructed to a FORTIFIED standard for either Hurricane or High Wind, and property owners can choose from three designation levels, including Roof, Silver, or Gold. The standard requires upgrades be verified and documented by an independent third-party evaluator.

The FORTIFIED Multifamily program was developed based on decades of lab and field research by IBHS to identify methods to strengthen homes, commercial buildings, and multifamily properties against severe weather, including hurricanes and tornadoes. The standard is publicly available and is free.

Global real estate companies Lendlease and Ivanhoé Cambridge recently announced the topping-out of FORUM, a nine-story, 350,000-sf life science building in Boston. Located in Boston Landing, a 15-acre mixed-use community, the $545 million project will achieve operational net zero carbon upon completion in 2024.

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