NCMA, NRMCA, PCA align with AIA-led Resilience Building Coalition

Sources: American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington, D.C.; CP staff

AIA and National Institute of Building Sciences officials, along with representatives of 38 design and construction industry organizations, have released “Preparing to Thrive: The Building Industry Statement on Resilence – Helping communities construct a more certain future,” a progress report surrounding a 2014 Resilience Building Coalition initiative.

The Coalition has also released a set of guiding principles to help the building industry adopt resilient design and policies. They include developing and advocating for codes and policies that advance resilience; advancing “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. Since the charter Building Industry Statement on Resilience was unveiled, the Coalition has added 19 signatories. “Preparing to Thrive” includes results from a survey of how participants’ work has been impacted by the Statement:

A majority of signatories have “become more aware of their unique role in achieving resilience,” spurring integration of related goals into organizational frameworks.
Almost 30 percent of respondents have seen an increase in resilience as a priority within their organizations.
More than two-thirds of respondents list high-performance buildings as an initiative they are most interested in advancing.
More than half of the signatories 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.”
Respondents report more than 40 initiatives supporting the Statement’s resilience focus areas.

The report is an outgrowth of a May 2014 agreement, in which leaders of America’s design and construction industry committed to promoting resilience in contemporary planning, building materials, design, construction and operational techniques as the solution for making the nation’s aging infrastructure more safe and secure.

“Resilient design places architects at the center of the solution, with particular emphasis on the private, non-governmental sectors,” affirms AIA CEO Robert Ivy. “I congratulate 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.”

Charter Coalition members include AIA, Associated Builders & Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America, International Code Council and National Association of Home Builders. More recent members and Statement signatories include the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, National Concrete Masonry Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, and Portland Cement Association. The “Preparing to Thrive” report can be viewed here.