Designing For Disaster

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Designing for Disasters

CRS Engineering & Design Consultants

David Gillespie, AIA, CSI, LEED APCRS Engineering & Design ConsultantsDirector: Communications & Technology

•FEMA/ Center for Domestic Preparedness – ICS 300, 400 graduate•FEMA/ Emergency Management Institute -professional development certification•EMA – Alabama: emergency communications specialist•AREC – Advanced emergency communications•NWS – Advanced storm spotter training•ARES – Emergency communications•American Red Cross – Disaster volunteer, coordinator•AIA – Member since 1989, Disaster Assistance Program volunteer•CERT – Community Emergency Response Team•Alabama Hospital VHF/UHF/HR Radio Project – Installation volunteer•CSI – Construction Specifications Institute•USGBC – LEED AP

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“Alabama Council AIA” is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are available on request.

This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

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Designing for DisastersImplications on design and construction strategies

•Natural Disasters – Severe Weather, Fire, Seismic

•Interruption of services, utilities, shortages

•Acts of sabotage, vandalism, terrorism

•Equipment failures

•Planning failures

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Objectives

1. Awareness of types of disaster that can affect buildings.

2. Explanation of programming steps in designing for various disasters.

3. Understanding threat analysis: natural/ man-made, on site, off-site.

4. Incorporating disaster planning into design solutions/ strategies.

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Severe Weather

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Severe Weather Economic Impact2008 Billion Dollar Severe Weather Disasters

$$$$$ (in Billions)

Event Fatalities

1.0 Southeast/Midwest tornadoes 57

2.4 MW/ Ohio Valley tornadoes 15

1.1 MW/ Mid-Atlantic tornadoes 18

15.0 Midwest floods 24

2.0 US wildfires 16

1.2 Hurricane Dolly 3

5.0 Hurricane Gustav 43

27.0 Hurricane Ike 100

2.0 US drought 0

56.7 TOTALS 275

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Service Interruption

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Sabotage, Vandalism, Terrorism

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Equipment/ System failures

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Planning failures

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Process

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•Look, Think, Plan, Act…

•Assessment of Risks (under control, uncontrolled, adjacencies)

•Code perspective (local, state, national, corporate)

•Programming (determine levels of durability, survivability, redundancy)

•Financial implications

•Resource allocation (money, equipment, people)

•Physical implications (footprint, risers, adjacencies)

•Schedule implications

•Education/ Training requirements

Threat Assessment

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•Operational expectations: •Life safety, business continuity, public relations

•Single points of failure•Alternative strategies•Available resources, services•Design features•Level of redundancy, facility hardening, durability•Adjacencies

The Code says…

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•As designers we are bound to protect the public safety•Review all applicable codes and identify conflicts and overlapping requirements•Inform ownership of decisions and opportunities

Programming a Disaster

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Site boundary, property perimeterBuilding envelopeSystem dependencies and adjacenciesInfrastructureSpatial requirements

AlternatesRedundanciesHardening

Ownership endorsementManagement supportStaff implementation

Review and Update

to avoid/ reduce the impact of

Resource Management

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Who gets what, when, how often…..

Radical Common Sense would dictate that resources be delivered in a way that the most people are assisted with the available resources. Actual events (and human nature) reveal that resources are delivered to the greatest need, not the greatest number.

Life Safety, SecurityQuality of environmentDuration of eventStaff and Resources on handDelivery agreements

Triage – before the disaster strikes.

Planning: Disaster Avoidance, Recovery

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MitigationReductionAvoidanceEliminationSurvivalRecovery

Construction Process

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ObservationReportingResponsibilityCorrective ActionValidation

Commissioning

Markets

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HealthcareData centersEmergency ServicesPublic UtilitiesGovernment FacilitiesEducationalHospitality

Systems

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•Fire protection•Emergency power•Water (filtration, storage, supply and waste)

•Environmental (HVAC)

•Lighting•Security (access and surveillance)

•Communications (voice & data)

Strategies

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•Scope of work statement, narrative format endorsed by client, delivered to

entire design team.

•Project Programming document to include language specific to disaster

avoidance, mitigation, response, and recovery.

•Allocation of interior and exterior space adequate for identified systems,

equipment and material storage – review with entire design team.

•Assessment of delivered services and utilities, identification of alternate

sources.

•Outreach to agencies affected, or served.

•Risk management and insurance company reviews.

• Cost analysis balanced against threat potential.

•Out to in, Life safety to comfort.

Dangerous Assumptions

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•Disaster avoidance and recovery requirements are covered in the building

codes and NFPA.

•Design teams incorporate infrastructure hardening, redundancy and

emergency preparedness into all their projects.

• There is nothing you can do against Mother Nature.

•Emergency generators are all we have ever needed in a disaster.

•Planning for disasters has little to do with the design of a building, it’s a

management issue.

•Our community has excellent police and fire and emergency services,

there really isn’t more can we do, is there?

•It took FEMA 5 days to deliver bottled water to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina

Discussion/ Questions

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David Gillespie, AIA, CSI, LEED APDirector: Communications and TechnologyCRS Engineering & Design Consultantsdgillespie@crsegr.com205 323.2373