The U.S. Green Building Council and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture
and Urban Planning released a landmark report Feb. 29 that describes
how green buildings advance resiliency in disasters.
The
U.S. Green Building Council and the
University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture
and Urban Planning released a landmark report Feb. 29 that describes
how green buildings advance resiliency in disasters.
“Green
Building and Climate
Resilience: Understanding Impacts and Preparing for Changing Conditions”
describes potential adaptive strategies available to green building
practitioners. These strategies add an important new dimension to the green
building industry’s long-standing focus on reducing greenhouse gases through
energy efficiency and renewable/low-carbon energy supplies.
“Every
building is designed for a specific range of conditions, such as peak
temperature, storm surge and average precipitation,” said Dr.
Chris
Pyke, USBGC’s vice president of research. “Climate change has
the potential to undermine some of these assumptions and potentially increase
risks to people and property. Fortunately, there are practical steps we can
take to understand and prepare for the consequences of changing environmental
conditions and reduce potential impacts. This can help green buildings meet and
exceed expectations for comfort and performance long into the future.”
The
report was released during the National Leadership Speaker Series on Resiliency
and National Security in the 21st Century, hosted by USGBC and
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA.
Craig
Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, spoke at the National Press Club as part of the event and emphasized
the importance of green buildings in disaster preparedness. He urged leaders
from major corporations, government, academia, the scientific community and
civil society to help advance green building as a complementary strategy to
address pre- and post-emergency management situations, ultimately forging more
resilient communities.
“In
the wake of last year’s disaster activity, with tornadoes across the southwest,
flooding from Hurricane Irene and even an earthquake on the East Coast, it is
important that we develop and enforce safe and sustainable building codes to
make our communities more resilient, and to protect lives and property in times
of disaster,” Fugate said. “Green building practices, resiliency of our
communities and emergency management priorities are not mutually exclusive.”
The
report, which identifies the deep synergies between green building and
resiliency, advances several firsts in the field, such as:
-
Examining the implications of climate change for green building and identifies
opportunities for resilience through the design, construction, and operation of
buildings and communities.
-
Analyzing how individual LEED credits support regional adaptation needs, such
as enhanced water conversation in arid climates and water-sensitive regions.
-
Demonstrating how consideration of climate resilience in buildings can increase
the likelihood of achieving performance goals throughout the lifetime of a
project.
The
National Leadership Speaker Series on Resiliency and National Security in the
21st Century serves as a forum for promoting a strategic vision for
“resiliency” and features keynote speakers who are playing a leadership role in
creating a safer, stronger and more sustainable future. This installment was
generously supported by
Ingersoll Rand.
Source:
U.S. Green Building Council