I detect a groundswell of activity addressing ways to mitigate disasters through better design, construction, and building operation. While the symptoms are embryonic, they may yet emerge as a major movement that impacts building product marketing.
The genesis of the movement appears to be in three issues:
1. Growing cost of recovery from major disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires, and terrorist attacks.
2. Concern over the impact of climate change. And,
3. A maturing of the "green building movement" so it now sees that disaster survivability is also an environmental concerns.
Here are just a few recent data points suggesting a nascent movement:
Disaster-resistance may change the economic justification to favor products that may have higher initial costs but offer getter survivability. This calculus is already well established in the design of blast-resistant facades for government buildings and other likely "targets."
Ultimately, regulatory responses will dictate the terms of what and how we build.
As with any new trend, we do not know how or even whether these isolated factors will coalesce into a market maker. Stay tuned so that further shifts do not catch you unprepared and create a disaster in your marketing programs.
The genesis of the movement appears to be in three issues:
1. Growing cost of recovery from major disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires, and terrorist attacks.
2. Concern over the impact of climate change. And,
3. A maturing of the "green building movement" so it now sees that disaster survivability is also an environmental concerns.
Here are just a few recent data points suggesting a nascent movement:
- Structural Engineers of America sponsored a recent webinar on "Disaster Resilience as Sustainable Design."
- The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) publishes "Holistic Disaster Recovery: Creating a More Sustainable Future".
- Builders groups are creating Sustainable, Disaster-Resistant Concept Houses.
Disaster-resistance may change the economic justification to favor products that may have higher initial costs but offer getter survivability. This calculus is already well established in the design of blast-resistant facades for government buildings and other likely "targets."
Ultimately, regulatory responses will dictate the terms of what and how we build.
As with any new trend, we do not know how or even whether these isolated factors will coalesce into a market maker. Stay tuned so that further shifts do not catch you unprepared and create a disaster in your marketing programs.