flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Federal agencies boost standards for more resilient construction

Resiliency

Federal agencies boost standards for more resilient construction

HUD, FEMA, GSA, Army Corps of Engineers make policy changes.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | June 1, 2016
Federal agencies boost standards for more resilient construction

Flooding in Houston in April 2016. Photo: meltedplastic/Creative Commons.

Multiple federal agencies this month initiated new policies to make buildings in the U.S. more resilient to natural disasters.

Among the initiatives announced by the Obama Administration were:

  • Incorporation of resilient building codes into U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department of Agriculture housing programs
  • Updates to the 2005 Multihazard Mitigation Council Mitigation Saves study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Institute of Building Sciences
  • A disaster deductible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance program
  • Climate change risk screening for the General Services Administration's capital investment leasing program
  • Tornado-resilient codes and standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
  • Resilient building codes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Related Stories

Resiliency | Apr 22, 2019

Turner Construction doubles down on jobsite efficiency

The company targets a 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions and water use from construction activities by 2030.

Resiliency | Mar 29, 2019

Designing for resiliency: Lessons learned from Hurricane Florence along the Carolina Coast

Resilient design principles will be critical in preparing our communities for future storms, writes LS3P's Charles H. Boney, FAIA.  

Resiliency | Mar 7, 2019

Building for resilience - All about RELi

Sustainable design strategies create more resilient buildings. However, only truly focused purposeful resilient design strategies will create the adaptation needed.

Resiliency | Feb 27, 2019

ResilientSEE: A framework to achieve resilience across scales

Conceived in the Boston studio of Perkins+Will, the ResilientSEE team developed a resilient planning framework that can be applied to other neighborhoods, cities, and countries.

Sustainability | Oct 25, 2018

As project delivery models evolve, designers rethink their role

New York City’s newest university campus, Cornell Tech, pushes the limits of sustainable and resilient design.

Resiliency | Sep 4, 2018

It takes more than money to fund resilience

Resilient design, much like all projects in the built environment, requires funding.  

Resiliency | May 17, 2018

Architects brief lawmakers and policy-makers on disaster recovery as hurricane season approaches

Urge senate passage of disaster recovery reform act; Relationship-building with local communities.

Resiliency | Feb 21, 2018

Resilience team selected to help protect a vulnerable Bridgeport, Conn., from floods

The design and construction project would perpetuate efforts that date back several years.

Resiliency | Jan 24, 2018

A luxury community in Florida mandates resilience in new-home construction

Alys Beach’s in-house GC builds to standards set by the FORTIFIED program.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Resiliency

U.S. is reducing floodplain development in most areas

The perception that the U.S. has not been able to curb development in flood-prone areas is mostly inaccurate, according to new research from climate adaptation experts. A national survey of floodplain development between 2001 and 2019 found that fewer structures were built in floodplains than might be expected if cities were building at random.



Resiliency

Austin area evacuation center will double as events venue

A new 45,000 sf FEMA-operated evacuation shelter in the Greater Austin metropolitan area will begin construction this fall. The center will be available to house people in the event of a disaster such as a major hurricane and double as an events venue when not needed for emergency shelter.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021