Like an Energy Star score, LEED certification, or a WELL rating, resilience scores will soon be a common way to easily see how a building is stacked up to resist a natural disaster. Resilience strategies are an increasingly crucial part of facility management and though several resilience rating systems are out there that can provide guidance, actual mandates regarding resilience and buildings have been rare.
That could be changing soon, as New York City is becoming the most prominent locale to pass legislation mandating that city-funded buildings meet a certain score for resilience. The resilience score is based on the city’s Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines, according to CitiesToday, and any building over $10 million would be subject to the score.
The city’s guidelines address flood risks, extreme heat, and many other climate change-related issues that could have profoundly detrimental effects on buildings for the next century. New York City is the third-most vulnerable city in the U.S. to rising sea levels, according to one NYC Councilman who is supporting the measure.
The city will run a pilot project of 35 buildings to test the guidelines and hone the scoring mechanism. The pilot project is expected to wrap up in 2026.
For an article on four vital resilience strategies facility managers can employ right now, click here.
This post was submitted by Greg Zimmerman, deputy editor, Facility Group.
