A new study, “A Break-Even Hazard Mitigation Metric” released by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reaffirms the importance of using durable materials in construction. The report confirms the validity of recent efforts by Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, to educate the design/build and construction communities in Seattle, Washington, about the importance of using durable and resilient construction materials. Using a new tool known as BEMP (Break Even Mitigation Percent), people can now estimate the cost of weather hazards. The study found a $10 million nonengineered wood building is expected to face more than half a million dollars in hazard-related damages over 50 years, while a $10 million engineered-concrete building is expected to face only $165,000 over the same period. MIT’s research is particularly useful to Seattle’s low- to mid-rise residential sector because residents are more vulnerable to the weather-related hazards than other parts of the country. In other news, the NRMCA coalition also released a new video looking back at Chicago’s construction development in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the use of noncombustible materials in the city ever since. ? www.buildwithstrength.com
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