The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Institute of Building Sciences, and 38 other members of the U.S. design and construction industry recently released a report on progress in building resilience made in the two years since the Resilience Building Coalition issued the Industry Statement on Resilience.
The Resilience Building Coalition also released a set of guiding principles to help the building industry adopt resilient design and policies. These include developing and advocating for codes and policies that advance resilience, developing “whole-systems resilient design” approaches for the built environment, and providing guidance beyond baseline life-safety codes that recognizes the importance of fortifying property for individual and community resilience.
The report includes results from a survey of signatories about how their work has been impacted by the Industry Statement on Resilience. Among the survey’s findings:
- A majority report they have “become more aware of their unique role in achieving resilience” since committing to the statement.
- Almost 30 percent have made resilience more of a priority within their organizations.
- More than two-thirds listed high-performance buildings as the initiative they were most interested in advancing.
- More than half have used the statement to “advance their organizational mission statement/values,” as well as “provide support and/or validation for moving forward on organization initiatives.”
- More than 40 initiatives related to the statement’s focus areas are under way. For instance, the National Institute of Building Sciences’ Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) and Council on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate jointly developed a white paper, “Developing Pre-Disaster Resilience Based on Public and Private Incentivization,” to address the need for a coordinated approach among a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Additionally, the MMC is revisiting its 2005 report “Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: An Independent Study to Assess the Future Savings From Mitigation Activities” to study benefits that can be realized from investing in mitigation at the private-sector level.
The report, “Preparing to Thrive: The Building Industry Statement on Resilience,” is an outgrowth of an agreement made in May 2014, by which members of America’s design and construction industry agreed to promote resilience in contemporary planning, building materials, design, construction, and operational techniques to make the nation’s infrastructure more safe and secure.
“Improving the nation’s resilience requires the commitment of the U.S. building industry, the federal government, and the nation’s communities,” National Institute of Building Sciences President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, said. “I am proud to see the organizational progress the members of the Building Resilience Coalition have made in just two years. Yet, it is imperative for the safety of the nation’s citizens that we continue to stay the course to reach critical resilience goals.”
The list of organizations that have signed the joint statement on resilience is as follows:
- The Air Barrier Association of America
- American Council of Engineering Companies
- American Institute of Architects
- American Planning Association
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- American Society of Interior Designers
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- American Society of Plumbing Engineers
- American Wood Council
- ASHRAE
- Associated Builders and Contractors
- Associated General Contractors of America
- BuildStrong Coalition
- Building Owners and Managers Association
- Congress for New Urbanism
- Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute
- Construction Specifications Institute
- EcoDistricts
- Federal Alliance for Safe Homes
- Green Building Initiative
- Illuminating Engineering Society
- Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
- International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
- International Code Council
- International Facility Management Association
- International Interior Design Association
- Lean Construction Institute
- National Association of Home Builders
- National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
- National Concrete Masonry Association
- National Fire Protection Association
- National Institute of Building Sciences
- National Insulation Association
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
- National Society of Professional Engineers
- Portland Cement Association
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- U.S. Green Building Council
- U.S. Resiliency Council
- Urban Land Institute
To view the report, click here.