A pattern of severe storms in the nation’s Southeast the past few years has turned the subject of resilient design into a hot topic for the building industry. Broadly defined, it encompasses design solutions for commercial and residential structures that will resist hurricanes, typhoons, flooding, droughts, wildfires, earthquakes and landslides, even terrorism. Architects, engineers and builders, as well as politicians and city planners are embracing the concept.
True “sustainability” today is about being green and environmentally aware, but also about withstanding the test of time and nature. Sustainable design includes resilient design solutions that will help buildings weather the elements successfully. With ongoing climate change and the resulting catastrophic weather events, resilient design has become more critical—protecting structures as well as lives, and minimizing the massive economic impact of such events. Certainly, it represents a tremendous market opportunity for construction and building material manufacturers.