How we design facilities is of the utmost importance to our industry. A strong understanding of what type of building you're designing is important to ensure the facility is able to perform properly and is suitable for the end-use. A poorly designed building will not be able to serve its users, nor will it be able to function effectively.
Critical facilities, as defined by the government/FEMA, can include: fire stations, police stations, hospitals, emergency operation centers…and more. Are these critical facilities in your community protected from a lightning strike?
As natural disasters continue to impact communities all around the world, it’s crucial that buildings are able to withstand unpredictable environments. Inspections will only become more relevant and constant over the next several years as communities respond to the dire consequences of lax building safety protocols.
The U.S. averages 1,333 tornadoes per year with more than half of those occurring between April and June when most universities are still in session. The top five states with the highest number of tornadoes annually include Texas, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
With extreme storms like this becoming increasingly routine each year, it’s growing more important for building professionals in storm-prone areas to adapt their projects to consider when, rather than if, severe weather strikes.
On February 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks have resulted in over 22,000 deaths to date and left countless others without shelter, food and basic necessities in cold winter conditions.
With manufacturing operations and employees in Florida dating back nearly 70 years, Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions™ intimately understands the urgencies and misinformation that can follow a major hurricane.
The American Institute of Architects is applauding Congressional passage of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill focused on resilience and equity by improving climate and natural hazard resilience among vulnerable communities.