The concept of resilience — the ability to withstand and recover — is not new. For the built environment, techniques to improve resilience have evolved over time and vary based on factors such as natural or man-made types of hazards, building occupancy, building importance, building location, and whether construction is new or existing.
Today’s building codes and standards address many of society’s top concerns when it comes to the built environment, from public health and safety to the environmental impacts of the materials used. However, defining a broad term such as resiliency is no small feat in the United States, where the code development process is uniquely led by the private sector, bringing together interested parties to deliberate best practices for the construction of new buildings. With model codes being reviewed and changed every three years to adequately address the safety performance of buildings and determine whether any improvements are necessary, it’s more important than ever to get all stakeholders on the same page. As society’s priorities shift based on lessons learned year-over-year, updated codes offer an added layer of protection to make communities more resilient, sustainable, and livable for future generations.
Depending on geographic location, buildings may be subject to a wide variety of natural events, such as windstorms, flooding, earthquakes, and other extreme loads. While the ability to predict the occurrence of these events is constantly improving, their impacts on materials are well understood and can be managed effectively through a comprehensive program of hazard mitigation planning.Just like sustainability concerns that came first, resilience requires smart implementation of technology, material knowledge, structural engineering, and occasionally also additional heft and substance for construction to bear such structural challenges. Resilient buildings need to do a number of things, many in combination, although rarely including all of these challenges at the same time:
- Hurricane and high wind resistance
- Earthquake resistance
- Flood resistance
- Wildfire resistance
- Snow-load resistance
Moreover, with the changing climate and mounting vulnerabilities to disaster and disruption of normal life, resiliency in design, construction, and operation of the built environment is becoming increasingly important. Rest assured, continuous code improvements are being made at the local and national level to ensure the safety and resiliency of buildings in which we live and work. Not only will these improvements make our communities less vulnerable when natural disasters or other tragedies occur, but they will also provide long-term savings to taxpayers, households, and insurers. These are only some of the reasons why it’s important to “build it right” from the beginning to prevent the costly misfortune of fixing a building later – and a uniform definition of resiliency will help accomplish this. However, it’s also important to understand that model codes are effective only if they are enacted into law and enforced by state and local governments.
As noted, the concept of “resiliency” is complicated further as there is little agreement throughout the construction industry or governmental agencies when it comes to defining expectations. AWC has co-signed an Industry Statement on Resilience, which was initiated by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). The statement brings attention to the need for building a more resilient future. Additionally, AWC is partnering with the International Code Council (ICC) and other organizations to participate in the development of a Resilience Rating System. The proposed system will allow communities to evaluate their preparedness and ability to recover from disasters.
As the landscape continues to evolve, AWC remains hopeful that a standard definition for resilient products or materials will become a regularly used template by the construction community, building code officials, and other policymakers. If you’d like to learn more or become involved in this discussion, visit: www.awc.org/resiliency.