Don’t We Need Disaster Resilient Buildings?
2017 has been the year North Americans have seen it all: earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, and all the other mean weather that should only live in the minds of science fiction writers. We have seen death, destruction, and unimaginable suffering.
Some newer, well-engineered buildings survive well, while others become rubble. Decades of engineering research has gone into designing structures which are better prepared for high risk situations. So, why has it not been implemented on a more wide-spread basis?
International Building Code is updated almost annually. Research universities are constantly engineering new disaster solutions. But, if the building code exists, is it being implemented?
Well, that depends. But, depends on what?
When you want to build a new home, one step is to go to a local government office and get a building permit. That’s where building codes are implemented. But, as the saying goes, “All politics is local.” So, if local government doesn’t adopt the new codes, they are not implemented. Canada, the United States, and Mexico have close to 100 states, provinces, and territories. Many codes come into those states’ offices and get passed to the municipal level. And, in North America, we have over 10,000 of those municipalities. That’s a bunch of needed implementation.
What can you do? Maybe you can make a personal inquiry to your local building office, or maybe you can encourage a local media outlet to do some investigation for you.
Talk about it as if this is a matter of life and death.
It is.
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