The International Code Council and the Alliance for National and Community Resilience (ANCR) released their community resilience benchmarks on buildings. This pilot document, the first in a series of community benchmarks, focuses on providing communities with a mechanism to evaluate their current state of resilience and a guide for areas in which they can improve.

Buildings house many of the most critical functions of our communities, including schools, hospitals, businesses and residences. These benchmarks are especially critical in providing community leaders the necessary tools to create safer and more resilient structures. The buildings benchmarks consist of nine requirements aimed at increasing the resilience of our communities, including the adoption, administration and enforcement of building codes. In particular, the benchmarks encourage local governments to adopt building codes and to provide the human, technical and financial resources necessary to support permitting, plan review and inspections.

“A holistic approach to identifying and incorporating resilience measures into a community’s building stock, including the adoption of the latest building codes, supports the mitigation of damage from natural disasters and increases the overall resiliency of our communities,” said ANCR Executive Director Ryan Colker. “These benchmarks provide a standard for local and state governments to follow ensuring they are well prepared for the next disaster.”

The city of Washington, D.C., expressed interest in evaluating the ANCR buildings benchmarks as it undertakes resilience planning and evaluates its current building stock.

“We are excited to work with Washington, D.C., to help support their efforts to become a more resilient city,” commented ANCR Board Chairman Maj. General Warren C. Edwards USA (Ret.). “The standards laid out in our buildings benchmarks will prove an invaluable resource as D.C. plans for the future, and we look forward to partnering with other local governments in the future.”

A number of state and local government officials contributed to the development of the buildings benchmarks, including representatives from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and the New York City Department of Buildings. Representatives from across the building industry, including designers, manufacturers, trade groups and nonprofits, were also involved in the development of the benchmarks.

Throughout 2019, ANCR will engage subject matter experts in the development of additional benchmarks including housing, business, energy and water infrastructure. To learn more about how you can get involved or to download the ANCR buildings benchmarks, visit http://www.resilientalliance.org/.