By: Frank Came
The shift toward resiliency in the Pacific Northwest regions of Canada and the United States will fundamentally reshape policy and programming in the design and construction sectors.
This change is driven by the increasing threat of climate-related hazards, including extreme heat, wildfires, coastal and riverine flooding, and significant seismic risks (such as the Cascadia Subduction Zone).
But how will this shift in emphasis find expression in public policy and programming? Here are the principal adjustments we can anticipate:
Building Codes and Standards
Building codes will move beyond minimum life-safety standards to incorporate functional recovery and climate adaptation goals. For example:
· Elevated Performance Requirements: Codes will be revised to ensure buildings and critical infrastructure can remain operational or quickly recover after a disaster. This includes requirements for:
- Seismic Resilience: Stricter standards for earthquake-resistant design, especially for essential facilities (hospitals, emergency centers).
- Flood-Proofing: Mandates for elevated structures, flood-resistant materials, and better stormwater management, particularly in coastal and floodplain areas.
- Extreme Heat and Fire Resistance: Requirements for better insulation, passive cooling strategies, and the use of fire-resistant materials in the wildland-urban interface, driven by increasing wildfire risks.
- Incorporation of Future Climate Data: New construction codes will be informed by climate projections (e.g., future extreme temperature conditions, sea level rise, and changes in precipitation intensity) rather than historical averages alone.
- Energy and Carbon Synergy: The focus will integrate high energy efficiency, moving toward net-zero energy buildings. With resilience, promote durable, airtight envelopes that can better withstand temperature extremes and reduce reliance on external energy sources during outages.
Financial Incentives and Programs
Governments and insurers will use financial levers to promote resilient design, shifting the economic burden away from post-disaster recovery. For example:
- Incentive Programs: Policies will establish grants, subsidies, and financing options. Resilient Retrofits: Upgrading existing, vulnerable infrastructure and buildings to meet new standards. New Resilient Construction: Encouraging adoption of standards that exceed minimum code requirements.
- Insurance and Lending: Collaboration with the private sector will lead to: Reduced Insurance Premiums for properties built to higher resilience standards. Lender Covenants that require or reward resilient features in loan agreements.
- Green Procurement: Governments will use their purchasing power to mandate the use of resilient, low-carbon materials (e.g., mass timber or low-carbon concrete) in public-sector projects.
Planning and Land Use Policies
Resilience will move from a building-specific focus to a community-wide planning approach. For example:
- Integrated Planning: Climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction will be incorporated into municipal land-use and zoning laws, promoting holistic community resiliency.
- Nature-Based Solutions: Policies will increasingly fund and mandate nature-based infrastructure, such as Wetland Restoration, to buffer against sea level rise and storm surges. Urban Forest Creation for heat mitigation and flood control. Green Infrastructure (green roofs, permeable pavement) to manage stormwater runoff.
- Vulnerability Assessments: New policies will require comprehensive climate and seismic vulnerability assessments early in the design phase for significant projects.
Professional Capacity and Innovation
New programs will be needed to equip the workforce to implement these changes. For example:
- Certification and Training: The development of new certification programs and professional training will be required to ensure architects, engineers, and construction professionals are skilled in resilient design principles and new resilient technologies.
- Innovation Promotion: Policies will incentivize the adoption of innovative technologies, such as Smart Sensors for continuous monitoring of structural integrity, modular and Off-site Construction to speed up recovery after a disaster.
In essence, the shift to resilience in the Pacific Northwest will transform construction from a system designed primarily for normal operating conditions into one that is designed for disruption, ensuring the built environment can withstand, recover from, and adapt to the region’s unique and escalating climate and geological hazards.
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Frank Came is the Communications Director for the Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition. He can be reached at franktcame@gmail.com
