Pilot-Credits IPpc98: Assessment and planning for resilience 1 point

Credit language

Intent

To encourage designers, planners and building owners/operators to proactively plan before design commences for the potential impacts of natural disasters or disturbances as well as address issues that impact long-term building performance such as changing climate conditions.

Requirements

Complete a Hazard Assessment prerequisite plus at least one of two options: 1) Climate Related Risk Management Planning or 2) Emergency Preparedness Planning. The Hazard Assessment prerequisite and either Planning option shall be initiated and substantially completed in pre-design. Note as climate science understanding has grown, scientists recommend that looking at historical climate records alone especially for precipitation, storms, and temperature should not be used to address future conditions. We recommend taking into account future climate projections as described in Option 1: Climate-Related Risk Management Planning wherever possible based on client and project requirements. The Hazard Assessment may be used for multiple projects within the same location or campus, but must be less than 6 years old at the time of submittal. Outside the United States, project teams may use the U.S. standards if applicable or local equivalent standards, whichever are more stringent, and document their equivalence.

PREREQUISITE: Conduct Hazard Assessment for the Project Site

Step One: Identify the potential high risks associated with natural hazards affecting the project site(s) and building function. In some cases these risks may include man-made events, such as power management accidents and direct human action; these are important variables that could be considered in planning. For jurisdictions with hazard mitigation plans: Refer to local, county, state and national hazard mitigation plans to identify hazard risks directly or indirectly impacting the project site. For an example of a local hazard mitigation plan see City of Los Angeles 2018 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan In addition, review site-specific references where available to identify hazard risk modifiers of a particular location (e.g. Flooding, Hurricane, High Winds, Tornado, Earthquake, Tsunami, Wildfire, Drought, Landslides).

• For general reference, use the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety Home Page (IBHS) Zip Code tool located on their webpage.

For jurisdictions where hazard mitigation plans are not available or for site-specific hazard identification: Recommend the project team consult with an environmental scientist or qualified risk/compliance officer to address all relevant conditions for the project site where possible. Use the following resources to identify high hazard conditions. For projects outside the United States: International projects may use the U.S. standard if applicable or a local equivalent, whichever is more stringent.

Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge

Identify impacts associated with sea level rise. Consider additional storm surge impacts in connection with hurricanes and tropical storms. Use NOAA SLOSH Model data to interpolate storm surge. In the absence of SLOSH Model data use the Surging Seas Threat Map and Forecasting Tools to establish storm surge scenarios that take into account sea level rise. Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge for 2022 and beyond should use the NOAA 2012 Sea Level Rise year 2080 High Scenario combined with a 1 in 100-year floodplain (Extreme Flood) to determine water levels for planning purposes.

• NOAA Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH)
• Surging Seas Threat Map and Forecasting Tools for Sea Level Rise + Storm Surge
• NOAA Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States
• NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer

Flooding

Identify flood risk; determine whether project is located within the 500-year floodplain. If that information is not available, use the 100-year floodplain and add three feet (1 meter) to that measurement. AND Identify if the project includes a risk to any activity or element for which even a slight chance of flooding would be too great. Reference:

• FEMA Flood Map Service Center web search portal
• Check the local municipality for potentially more detailed flood maps
• FM Global Flood Map - For areas with limited flood information

Hurricane and High-Wind Areas

Identify hurricane and high-wind risk; determine whether project site is located within a hurricane or high-wind susceptible region. In determining the type of risk, distinguish whether the project site has hurricane risk combined with high-wind risk, wind-borne debris, and storm surge, or if is a project site with high-wind (non-hurricane) risk alone. Hurricane-Prone Regions: Areas vulnerable to hurricanes as defined in ASCE 7 are considered hurricane-prone regions. For ASCE 7-10 and ASCE 7-16, hurricane-prone regions are locations along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts where the wind speed for Risk Category II buildings is greater than 115 mph (185 kmh) plus Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. For Risk Categories III and IV, see ASCE 7-10 or 7-16, Chapter 26. Reference:

• ASCE 7. American Society of Civil Engineers – Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (Table 1.5-1, p. 2)
• ASCE 7 Windspeed tool from ATC that uses actual addresses.

Additional Resources:

• FEMA Hurricane-Prone Region Wind Zone Map: Page 6, Figure I-2:
• Wind Retrofit Guide for Residential Buildings (Complete PDF). See Figure 2-1 map of ASCE-05 and ASCE-10 Hurricane-Prone Regions, Windborne Debris Regions, and Special Wind Regions.
• Code Resource - 2015 IBC Wind Provisions prepared by FEMA, specifically pages 17-19:
• Reference pg A2-7 for ASCE 7-10 US wind map in Resources:

Tornado

Identify tornado risk; identify whether project site is located above EF3 (136 mph/219 kmh– 156 mph /251 kmh) tornado activity area References:

• ASCE 7 Hazards by location tool from ATC that uses actual address
• FEMA Wind Zone Map: page 3, Figure I.1, Tornado Activity:
• NOAA National Climatic Data Center’s U.S. Tornado Climatology

Earthquake

Identify seismic risk; determine whether project is within FEMA Earthquake zones SDC C (yellow), D - (orange), or E (red). References:

• FEMA Earthquake Hazard Maps
• For more detailed studies and International resources see USGS Earthquake Hazards Program maps and the National Climate Assessment
• ASCE 7 Hazards by location tool from ATC that uses actual address.

If seismic risk is identified in the referenced FEMA zones listed in this pilot credit, where possible, pursue further specific analysis of site and surrounding conditions that will influence seismic hazards, such as soil conditions, adjacent structures, and service to the site. Consider the secondary hazard of fire-following-earthquake where earthquakes are a high hazard.

Tsunami

Identify tsunami risk; determine whether project is within a tsunami inundation zone¹. Reference:

• Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Tsunami maps
• International Tsunami Events Map from NOAA
• National Hurricane Center: Potential Storm Surge Flooding Map

Wildfire

Identify wildfire risk; determine whether project is located in an area that is designated high or very high wildfire hazard potential. Also consider urban fires in densely populated urban residential areas with older construction without interior sprinklers. References:

• USGS Federal Fire Occurrence Map Viewer
• USDA Forest Service Wildfire Hazard Potential Map
• For Colorado - Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal

Drought

Identify drought risk; determine whether the project is in U.S. locations that have experienced Moderate, Severe, or Extreme drought conditions for more than 25% of the time in the past 30 years. Reference:

• NOAA Historical Palmer Drought Indices
• National Integrated Drought Information System - Drought Portal

Landslides and unstable soil

Identify relative landslide, subsidence and liquefaction risk, and critical slopes risk that may indicate unstable soil. Refer to state and local data² to determine whether the project is located in a high risk landslide area and whether there is land on or uphill of the building site with a slope exceeding 15% (6.75°). Reference:

• For general use only, not for site-specific information: USGS map, “Landslide Overview Map of the Conterminous United States”

Extreme Heat

Identify if project is located in an area subject to extreme heat events. References:

• NOAA Climate Information

Winter Storms

Identify if project is located in an area subject to frequent winter storms. Assess whether winter storms could impact essential operations or access to the site. Reference:

• ASCE 7 Hazards by location tool from ATC that uses actual address to identify ground snow load.

Step Two:

Solicit input from the client on site-specific vulnerabilities to incorporate into the preliminary analysis. Document hazard findings and assess potential exposure, sensitivity and vulnerability to each hazard based on the project goals, program and intended service for the life of the building. Review preliminary findings with the client and project team to determine the top three hazard-related risks for further project planning, or less If fewer than three hazards are identified. If more than three hazard-related risks are identified, project teams may at their option choose to include more than the top three. Additional General Issues to Consider Direct Human Actions Human-induced hazards are events caused by—often intentional—human actions. The impact of these events ranges from disruption of municipal area operations (such as during a strike), to undue use of force by authorities (such in response to peaceful protests), to serious harm at a limited scale (such as during a shooting), to widespread death and destruction at a neighborhood scale (such as during detonation of an improvised explosive device). Civil unrest, government intrusion, strikes, active shootings, and improvised explosive devices are some of the human-induced hazards that a facility may face. Additionally as our energy infrastructure becomes more complex and increasingly controlled by Internet-based, "smart" technology, there are more points of accidental failure and also risk of hacking into controls. While specific requirements for resilience measures related to direct human actions and equipment malfunctions for other reasons are not included in this credit, design teams are encouraged to address passive survivability measures covered in LEED Resilience Pilot Credit IPpc100. Consider conducting a Comprehensive Safety Report which outlines risks associated with some of the most disruptive Human Induced Hazards.

ACHIEVE ONE OF THE TWO FOLLOWING OPTIONS, IN ADDITION TO THE PREREQUISITE OPTION 1: Climate Related Risk Management Planning

Step One:

Complete a vulnerability assessment of impacts associated with climate change over the long-term service life of the project in order to ensure reliable performance of the project’s mission and operations in changing conditions. Use the following resources to help determine future climate impacts: For regions where local climate change studies are available: Refer to regional, state, provincial and local governments’ climate change studies that identify local vulnerabilities. In all cases where equivalent standards are used, identify them in the documentation. For projects outside the United States where local climate change studies are not available: Consult with a climate scientist, or qualified risk/compliance officer to address all relevant conditions for the project site where possible; International projects may use the U.S. standard or a local equivalent, whichever is more stringent. For United States regions where local climate change studies are not available or for additional information: Consider the following resources to identify vulnerability conditions. Consult with a climate scientist or qualified risk/compliance officer to address all relevant conditions for the project site where possible. General Climate Change U.S. Regional Predictions³ General References:

• 2014 Third National Climate Assessment Report
• 2017 Climate Science Special Report, Fourth National Climate Assessment Part I

Riverine Flood Projections

Identify if project is located in an area identified as a long-term (10 - 50 years or longer) flood risk. Identify if there is a greater than 50% long-term flood risk per the following. Resources:

• NOAA Experimental Long-Range River Flood Risk
• US Army Corps of Engineers Climate-Impacted Hydrology
• US Army Corps of Engineers Hydrology to Support Adaptation

Temperature, Precipitation and Degree Day Projections

Identify the range of project temperature, precipitation and degree day changes based on project service life. Resources:

• Climate Explorer: provides temperature, precipitation and degree days climate projections by zip code for each county in the U.S.:
• 2017 Climate Science Special Report, Fourth National Climate Assessment Chapters 6 and 7
• For Alaska and parts of Canada: SNAP

For projects outside the U.S.:

• Climate Modeling:
  • Climate Change World Weather File Generator
  • KNMI Climate Explorer

Extreme Weather Events

With temperature and precipitation reaching new extremes, winter storms and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense. Consider the potential impacts. Resources:

• National Academy of Sciences Paper “Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change”
• 2017 Climate Science Special Report, Fourth National Climate Assessment Chapter 9
• National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change
• BAMS Explaining Extreme Events from a Climate Perspective

Step Two:

Undertake a climate risk management analysis to identify any climate risk factors that the project should take into account in the project planning and design. Look at the project location, goals, and program along with degree of exposure and sensitivity to identify which climate change vulnerabilities are of highest priority. Use the Climate Related Risk Management Planning Template to guide your discussion

• Take into account the expected service life of the project and identify vulnerabilities based on changes predicted to take place during that time period.
• Work with the client to establish the risk tolerance for climate projections. For example, if the facility is one with a long-term service life and high priority functions, it may warrant a higher climate projection scenario.
• Consider using the IBC Risk Category Designations to help determine risk tolerance.
• Consider the adaptive capacity to address the potential vulnerabilities. Robust infrastructure and strong social networks are two factors that can reduce vulnerability.
• Since the outcomes from high wind events, winter storms or extreme heat events often result in temporary loss of power, design teams are strongly encouraged to address passive survivability measures covered in Resilience Pilot Credit IPpc100.

Step Three:

Based on the climate risk factors identified, develop preliminary project site selection (if possible), programming, planning and design parameters to reduce vulnerability or increase resilience to climate and natural resource conditions for the project. Address the following topics as applicable:

• Project location and elevation
• Adjacent site features and development
• Availability of and access to services and infrastructure
• Building envelope performance requirements
• Building materials
• Passive systems
• Site design
• Passive survivability (see Resilience pilot credit IPpc100)
• Other systems

For future Best Practices, but not required in this credit, consider:

• Include thresholds in planning to monitor the project as climate conditions change.
• Development of a phased adaptation plan that proposes decadal timing to adapt the enclosure to reduce heating and cooling loads over time based on projected changes of extreme temperatures

General Reference: See the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit for process recommendations, many valuable tools and resources and best practice case studies.

OPTION 2: Emergency Preparedness Planning

Ensure that project owner or facility management staff have evaluated their emergency preparedness and that a measurable assessment program is in place for continuous improvement. This evaluation and assessment program shall be initiated and substantially completed in pre-design. Prepare the Red Cross 123 Assessment and Facility Description Forms™ to identify the specific emergency preparedness features of the building and planning process. See all forum discussions about this credit »