6/26/2014
Leaders of America's design and construction industry, as well as building owners and operators, have agreed to promote resilience in contemporary planning, building materials, and design, construction, and operational techniques as the solution to making the nation's aging infrastructure more safe and secure.
The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) is proud to be one of the numerous industry associations that are actively supporting this initiative.
The joint statement was unveiled at a press conference at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., which features a major exhibition titled "Designing for Disaster," which presents design and building solutions for disaster mitigation. The statement, in part, says: "The promotion of resilience will improve the economic competitiveness of the United States. Disasters are expensive to respond to, but much of the destruction can be prevented with cost-effective mitigation features and advanced planning. Our practices must continue to change, and we commit ourselves to the creation of new practices in order to break the cycle of destruction and rebuilding. Together, our organizations are committed to build a more resilient future."
"If plumbing systems are destroyed or damaged in a disaster, public health is at risk," says Jim Kendzel, MPH, CAE, ASPE Executive Director/CEO. "This is why ASPE, whose members are committed to designing plumbing systems that protect the public's health and safety, has joined this new initiative in support of resilience."
The organizations signing onto the joint statement on resilience represent almost two-dozen leading design and construction industry associations with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP. They are:
