EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

Dawn M. Bauman is chief strategy officer at Community Associations Institute (CAI) and executive director of the Foundation for Community Association Research.

Since 98 people were killed in the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Fla., Bauman has led efforts on the local, state and national level to develop policy changes for safer condominium buildings.

“For condominium buildings, owners must make sure that regular maintenance is happening. 

Regular, scheduled maintenance must identify building vulnerability so modifications can be made to make a safer, stronger building,” she said.

“Environmental sustainably can be as simple as changing windows so they are more secure and more energy efficient.

That can make a huge change in the cost of maintaining a building with a relatively small investment.” 

EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

Dawn M. Bauman is chief strategy officer at Community Associations Institute (CAI) and executive director of the Foundation for Community Association Research.

CAI is the leading international organization representing the condominium, homeowners association and housing cooperative sector.

CAI says this is the fastest growing type of housing in the world and represents at least 30 percent of housing worldwide.

“Knowing what we know now, we are encouraging community associations to incorporate mitigation practices when it comes to wildfire, flood, hurricanes, etc.,” Bauman said.

“[CAI] helps associations to understand that with a reasonable investment, they’ll be able to experience a return—whether it’s a more resilient building, lower insurance premiums, less maintenance cost, or greater sustainability.”

MULTIMILLION DOLLAR PEDESTRIAN PLAZA

HAS BUILDINGS WITH SUBSTANDARD 

ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Locked and blocked.

This is what happens when lazy/ableist city officials allow a brand new business to gut an old building but NOT make the main entrance accessible to people with disabilities.

Segregation results in no wheelchair access.

This is on Giralda in the City of Coral Gables.

EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a global organization of more than 40,000 real estate and urban development professionals, summarizes its resilience work since Hurricane Sandy in its 2108 Ten Principles for Building Resilience publication.

Highlights include:

• Accurately Price the Cost of Inaction: Recent extreme weather events suggest that the costs of not investing in resilience and risk reduction are dramatically increasing.
• Design with Natural Systems: Designing resilience relies upon an understanding of the function and geography of natural systems and how they can help strengthen manmade systems and communities.
• Redefine How and Where to Build: Building resilience entails identifying and investing in places and infrastructure that are the most likely to endure.

EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

Jessica Orlando, AIA, DBIA, WELL AP, is an associate principal at Perkins & Will who is leading the extensive recovery efforts for the AIA Pasadena & Foothill chapter.

“Resiliency includes making sure we’re building back equitably.

There are some very early discussions of collaborations with community land trusts, one way those families’ assets can be rebuilt,” she said, noting that the cost of rebuilding is out of reach for many.

EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

Jessica Orlando, AIA, DBIA, WELL AP, is an associate principal at Perkins & Will who is leading the extensive recovery efforts for the AIA Pasadena & Foothill chapter.

“There are a lot of conversations about what we should be rebuilding—to look at resiliency standards,” she said.

“When it comes to protecting homes that were not built to resist fires, “Fire Safe Marin” [California] is a great guide for retrofitting with some very simple and cost-effective approaches.”

Orlando said the AIA also is looking at what it can do for working-class families that lost their homes to fires in the Altadena area.

She said many multigenerational families were living in housing that was uninsured or under insured.

Those families lost their source of generational wealth. 

EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

Barry J. Long, Jr., AIA, LEED AP,  principal and president of Urban Design Associates (UDA), said tree canopies need a clear zone under them.

Ladder fuels are combustible vegetation that lead a fire to a structure.

“What you surround the house with—is like setting a campfire around the structure.”

“Developers are being proactive.

They have to ensure their developments are insurable,” Long said.

“This is not just in western states; it’s a national issue.”