Leaders of America’s design and construction industry – along with building owners and operators - for the first time have agreed to promote resilience in contemporary planning, building materials, design, construction and operational techniques as the solution to making the nation’s aging infrastructure more safe and secure.
CEOs of almost two-dozen leading design and construction industry associations with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP today used the occasion of “Building Safety Month” to issue a joint statement on resilience, which can be found here.
The statement was unveiled at a press conference at the National Building Museum, where a major exhibition titled Designing for Disaster presents design and building solutions for disaster mitigation, opened May 11.
“We recognize that natural and manmade hazards pose an increasing threat to the safety of the public and the vitality of our nation,” reads the statement, in part. “We further recognize that contemporary planning, building materials, design, construction and operational techniques can make our communities more resilient to these threats.”
The CEOs committed their design and construction sector organizations to significantly improve the resilience of the nation’s entire built environment through research into new materials, construction procedures and other methods to improve the standard of practice.
Among other things, they also committed the industry to educating itself through continuous learning; to advocating for effective land use policies; to responding to disasters alongside first responders; and to planning for future events, with a strategy for fast recovery.
“Resilient design places architects at the center of the solution, with particular emphasis on the private, non-governmental sectors," said American Institute of Architects CEO Robert Ivy, FAIA. “I would like to congratulate my fellow leaders in the design and construction sector for joining together to make sure resiliency is not viewed as just a fad but remains front and center in our efforts moving forward.”
In addition to the AIA, here is a list of organizations signing onto the joint statement on resilience:
American Council of Engineering Companies
American Planning Association
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Interior Designers
American Society of Landscape Architects
American Society of Plumbing Engineers
ASHRAE
Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated General Contractors of America
Building Owners and Managers Association
International Code Council
International Interior Design Association
Lean Construction Institute
National Association of Home Builders
National Institute of Building Sciences International Facility Management Association
National Society of Professional Engineers
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
Urban Land Institute
U.S. Green Building Council
About The American Institute of Architects
Founded in 1857, members of the American Institute of Architects consistently work to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing.
Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders, and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.
Related Stories
Urban Planning | Feb 5, 2024
Lessons learned from 70 years of building cities
As Sasaki looks back on 70 years of practice, we’re also looking to the future of cities. While we can’t predict what will be, we do know the needs of cities are as diverse as their scale, climate, economy, governance, and culture.
Products and Materials | Jan 31, 2024
Top building products for January 2024
BD+C Editors break down January's top 15 building products, from SloanStone Quartz Molded Sinks to InvisiWrap SA housewrap.
Airports | Jan 30, 2024
Rafael Viñoly Architects’ design for the new Florence, Italy, airport terminal will feature a rooftop vineyard
At Florence, Italy’s Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci, the new international airport terminal will feature a fully operating vineyard on the facility’s rooftop. Designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the terminal is expected to see over 5.9 million passengers annually. Renderings for the project have recently been released.
Airports | Jan 15, 2024
How to keep airports functional during construction
Gensler's aviation experts share new ideas about how to make the airport construction process better moving forward.
Airports | Dec 4, 2023
4 key innovations and construction trends across airport design
Here are some of the key trends Skanska is seeing in the aviation sector, from congestion solutions to sustainability.
Giants 400 | Nov 13, 2023
Top 60 Airport Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Hensel Phelps, Turner Construction, AECOM, and Walsh Group top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest airport terminal and airport facilities general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 13, 2023
Top 65 Airport Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
AECOM, Jacobs, Arup, Burns & McDonnell, and WSP head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest airport terminal and airport facilities engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 13, 2023
Top 65 Airport Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, Corgan, PGAL, and HOK top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest airport terminal and airport facilities architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Building Materials | Oct 2, 2023
Purdue engineers develop intelligent architected materials
Purdue University civil engineers have developed innovative materials that can dissipate energy caused by various physical stresses without sustaining permanent damage.
Products and Materials | Sep 29, 2023
Top building products for September 2023
BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from smart light switches to glass wall systems.
