Weathering the Storm: Creating a Resilient Property

Weathering the Storm

Creating a Resilient Property

Having a beautiful property is one thing, but having a building that can stand the test of time is another. Building resiliency has become an increasingly relevant topic as the COVID-19 pandemic and other events have been occurring. Between hurricanes, floods, and outages, a building’s level of resiliency can dictate both the safety of tenants and the protection of the asset.

Before the Storm

A building’s ability to be resilient begins in its design. Monica Fenderson, owner and president of MOSA Design Studios said she likes to think of building resiliency as a part of the larger architectural puzzle. She said that considerations need to be made in the construction phase.

“We have to think about how we make sure our buildings can withstand everything and all the things that happen throughout time, thinking about climate change,” Fenderson said. “Some of the things we as architects put in place is to think about sustainability and life cycle costs.”

Surviving and recovering after a natural disaster or emergency event means lots of planning. Mark Gallman, commercial real estate professional of almost twenty years, said that he thinks about resiliency from a sourcing standpoint. He said it’s important to make sure all the plans are in place far before an event occurs.

“Have all of your plans and building plans high and dry somewhere where you can get to them quickly,” Gallman said.

Having sourcing plans is also important. After natural disasters, supply chains are usually overloaded making necessary materials and repair providers difficult to acquire. Having contracts and relationships already in place before an event will allow that process to be smoother and for the property to recover quicker.

“You need to have locally sourced contractors and materials because the closer you can get to capital equipment and emergency equipment, the better you are going to bounce back and be resilient from an event,” Gallman said.

Beyond Weather

Resiliency is often paired with sustainability. A building’s ability to survive a natural disaster is one element, but a building’s larger impact on the community and its ability to last through time is another. Neighbors change and grow and Fenderson said that communities need to get to know each other to be resilient together. Commercial real estate and its properties are a part of that growth.

“That’s what building communities in America should be about and I think that some communities have figured it out, but some communities don’t feel engaged,” Fenderson said.

Mark Gallman worked with the City of Atlanta’s office of resiliency and he said their efforts were primarily people-focused. He said the department wanted to ensure that the people and the community were resilient and could last as well as the properties around them. Resiliency is also an ongoing process. As technology advances and new systems are invented that make buildings more efficient, resiliency considerations need to be brought to the budget table.

“It definitely should be brought to the table during budget season and budget season is 24/7, 365 days a year,” Gallman said.

Create Understanding

Creating a resilient building will not happen overnight. Plans need to be made long before, during, and after construction to ensure the longevity of a building. Developers need to consider the time, effort and budget that should be allotted if they truly want the property to be standing for a considerable period.

“I still feel that a lot of builders are trying to fit everything in a box and they are trying to get as much as they can get in the fastest time period,” Fenderson said. “I think that is the biggest issue.”

Resiliency also means different things to different people, so make sure that all involved have a similar definition and mission when talking about resiliency tactics. It is also important to make sure that the definition fits the environment around the property and the potential events that may occur in that area.

“When I think of resiliency, I think of the ability to recover from war, earthquake, environmental, flood winds or loss of utilities,” Gallman said. “I look at it through a wider view.”

It is also important for architects to educate developers and property managers on why certain projects need to be completed to make the property more resilient. During the construction process, getting on the same page about codes, rules and regulations will help both parties better understand the overall mission of the property.

“We get a lot of people that are using the building but they might not understand the purpose of all of the features,” Fenderson said. “I think that is where architecture is still ambiguous to a lot of people because they wonder how we arrive at these decisions.”

Creating a resilient building takes time, consideration, and constant improvement. Recovering quickly after a natural disaster or event means planning long before it occurs and creating redundancies that prevent the property from being shut down longer than necessary. Investing in building resiliency early can help the property last for a considerable time and bounce back quicker, ultimately saving time and the bottom line.

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