Code-based earthquake engineering is on the verge of getting simpler, thanks to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s recommendation to replace the traditional seismic hazards maps with an improved seismic hazards database.
New York has finalized regulations designed to significantly reduce the use of greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons—a refrigerant common in air-conditioning systems.
Six months after an explosion and fire destroyed a grid-connected energy-storage battery facility in Surprise, Ariz., investigators are still trying to figure out all that happened.
An update of a National Institute of Building Sciences study on benefit-to-cost ratios of hazard-mitigation investments has determined an 11:1 BCR over time for jurisdictions that have adopted model building code updates versus those that still use codes from the 1990s.
Society saves $6 for every dollar spent through federal grants funded to the private sector for damage reduction in the event of river flooding, storm surge, fire at the wildland-urban interface, and strong winds and earthquakes, says NIBS.
Two Applied Technology Council hazard-mitigation projects targeting nonductile concrete buildings are benefitting from information gathered during an Oct. 9-13 reconnaissance trip to Mexico City, less than a month after the Puebla-Morelos earthquake.
The tech world is counting on construction professionals not only to keep informed about new technology but also to use leading-edge solutions to tackle intractable problems.
