“It has become clear to us that USGBC needs to accelerate our efforts to raise awareness, and increase capacity and adoption of resiliency in our built environment if we truly want to realize a sustainable future for all.” – Mahesh Ramanujam
Is There a Silver Lining in the Clouds of Hurricane Irma?
Passive survivability should be a design criterion for any building that is designated to serve as an emergency shelter.
Lessons from Hurricane Harvey
There will be a lot of talk over the coming months about the Houston area bouncing back. I’d rather see the City and region bounce forward. We can end up with something better in the renovation and rebuilding that occurs in the aftermath of this disaster.
Special issue of BRI on Overheating in Buildings
When I was at the PLEA 2017 Conference (Passive Low-Energy Architecture) in Scotland a few weeks ago, I learned that the contents of a special issue of the journal, Building Research & Information on Overheating in Buildings are available free through the end of July. BRI is a peer-reviewed, technical
Nice article in BOM Magazine on Resilience and Sustainability
Greg Zimmerman, the executive editor of Building Operating Management (BOM) magazine, wrote a great cover story on the relationship between resilience and sustainability for the July issue of BOM. The print article, “To Focus on Resilience, Focus Also on Sustainability,” will be out in early July, but it is available
Heat Waves and How to Plan for Them
While I have long been loathe to oversize heating and cooling equipment, it may make sense to plan for higher cooling loads that are resulting from climate change.
Guest Blog: Atlanta Aims for Urban Resilience
The I-85 bridge collapse was a major shock to an already stressed transportation system.
Surviving the Apocalypse vs. Heading it Off
The trend of the wealthy to make provisions to protect only their immediate families will ultimately fail if the only beneficiaries are themselves and not the larger society.
Fundamentals of Resilient Design: Backup Power for Homes
Living in a solar-powered, net-zero-energy house doesn’t solve the problem of being without power when the grid goes down—which can happen for any number of reasons.
2016 Set Another Global Temperature Record
There has been growing concern within scientific circles that the U.S. Government, with the incoming Trump Administration, may stop collecting or releasing climate data.
Creating a More Resilient Homestead
More and more people, especially homesteaders who value independence and self-sufficiency, are working to make their homes and properties more resilient.
My Resilient Design course at BAC starts soon
The online course, Resilient Design, that I’ve been teaching once or twice a year for the past three years, starts on January 17th. It’s an eight-week, graduate-level course that addresses key topics of resilient design, including vulnerabilities to storms and other natural disasters, and strategies for enhancing the resilience of
Vulnerability of the U.S. Power Grid
With adversaries’ malware in the national grid, the nation has little or no chance of withstanding a major cyberattack on the North American electrical system.
RDI featured in latest issue of Green Building & Design
The July-August issue of the magazine Green Building & Design has a heavy focus on resilience. This link to the online edition will take you to the issue; the resilience feature starts on page 55, and I’m featured starting on page 62.
U.S. Green Building Council Establishing a Resilience Working Group
USGBC members have until June 30th to apply for membership on the Resilience Working Group