Cataloging the physical damage that results from extreme weather – flooded neighborhoods, incinerated utility infrastructure, homes damaged by high winds – is a relatively straightforward, albeit painful, process. And as difficult as it is to see once-thriving communities reduced to rubble, it’s even more heartbreaking to contemplate the lives that have been upended.

Unfortunately, we see these scenarios unfold on the evening news somewhat regularly. Powerful hurricanes, more violent and geographically dispersed tornadoes, and even simple rainstorms that dump astonishing amounts of water in short periods of time have become a fact of life in many parts of the United States and around the world.

The impact of these catastrophic events extends far beyond the particular localities where they occur, affecting the entire real estate ecosystem. Lenders must evaluate the risks of putting money into properties located in, and even in the vicinity of, vulnerable areas. Developers and their architects must design structures that can withstand elevated levels of stress. And insurance companies must be financially sound and sufficiently capitalized to meet their obligations when these disasters strike.

FOR YOU: 5 Standards That Support Resilience
The members of ASTM International’s are well aware of these issues. They have been working for years to develop tools to help commercial real estate stakeholders address them, including a guide for developing property resilience standards and a new property resilience assessment guide that was finalized in September.

Understanding Resilience

Most people probably think of resilience in personal terms, as a valuable attribute of individuals facing adversity who find ways to get through it and keep moving forward. It may seem odd at first to apply the term to inanimate objects like buildings and bridges and power lines, but if your business is real estate, it makes perfect sense.

The United States Green Building Council (the organization that administers the LEED green building rating system) and its partners have defined resilience in the context of the built environment as “the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to adverse events.” USGBC breaks the term down into four components: