US building infrastructure needs 21st century upgrades

More than half of US buildings are in natural disaster risk areas. That’s according to a new University of Colorado study that determined that the majority of homes, businesses, and other buildings in the contiguous United States face significant risks from floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires. The risk only increases because climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.

If we act now, we can upgrade American buildings to make them more resilient to structural threats and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That is why it is so important that the infrastructure debate goes beyond the proverbial roads and bridges to prioritize buildings: homes, schools, hospitals, offices and civic centers.

Buildings contribute about 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Architects estimate that 75 percent of existing US buildings require renovation to meet the emissions reduction goals needed to mitigate climate change. Through initiatives such as the 2030 Commitment, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is collaborating with engineers, developers, and civic leaders to make buildings carbon-neutral within 10 years.

We have the technology and know-how to get there. But federal funding is necessary. In the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, even $300 billion could go a long way toward making buildings not only more sustainable but safer.

Infrastructure construction financing can support seismic retrofits to protect against earthquake damage; Grants to modify schools, hospitals, and civic centers to serve as community “resilience hubs” – safe places of shelter when disaster strikes; and incentives to increase adoption and enforcement of updated building codes. Ensuring building codes keep up with the latest science and technology is essential to reducing emissions and protecting communities from the recurrence of extreme weather.

With the issue of wages such a sticking point for Democratic and Republican negotiators, the economic benefits of modernizing building infrastructure are pivotal. Weather and climate-related disasters killed nearly 4,000 people and caused more than $550 billion in damage between 2014 and 2019, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — making inaction not only unacceptable, but costly.

Resilient buildings can save lives and money. The National Institute of Building Sciences estimates that cities that adopt model codes save $11 per dollar spent, federal mitigation grants save $6 per dollar spent, and private sector retrofits save $4 per dollar spent.

Making buildings more energy efficient promises to cut emissions, create jobs, and lower home energy bills by up to $2,200 a year. This is real savings for taxpayers, and it rises to the level of society. Take schools. The Government Accountability Office’s 2020 report found that 54 percent of public schools need at least one major modernization of their building system — with repairing or replacing old HVAC systems high on the list.

Cash-strapped school districts cannot afford the extra costs of inefficient HVAC systems—money better spent on textbooks and computers. Policymakers should include at least $100 billion in an infrastructure package as a down payment on the $870 billion, and the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that schools will need by 2029 to transition from D+ to AB on its infrastructure report card.

As the COVID-19 pandemic makes us all well aware, there is a healthy component to ventilation and other building systems as well. In other words, with schools finally reopening, GAO data warns that we are sending children into buildings at risk of poor air quality, as well as potential exposure to lead, mold, asbestos and other environmental hazards. These healthy design issues are a key part of architects’ guidance on reopening COVID, and should also be a priority for infrastructure investment.

This is just one way the pandemic has highlighted the impact of the built environment on wellbeing. He also emphasized last year’s systemic inequality. As the economy begins to recover, housing shortages remain an urgent problem. According to the Low-Income Housing Coalition, there are only 36 affordable rental homes for every 100 very low-income renting families. Federal policy is not helping to freeze the supply of affordable housing at 1999 levels. Architects are urging Congress to allocate $200 billion in affordable housing literally and figuratively to bring federal affordable housing policy into the twenty-first century.

It can be difficult to keep a clip of spray tape for school HVAC systems or hurricane-proof windows. But these construction investments have a daily impact on the environment, the economy, and the health of the community. Infrastructure has to be more than just getting from point A to point B. It’s about supporting health and opportunity in our everyday spaces – goals that are just as important as paving roads or upgrading railroads. To achieve lasting effects on infrastructure, Congress must preserve “the building” in rebuilding better.

Peter Exley, FAIA, 2021 President of the AIA. Exley is the co-founder of Architecture Is Fun, a Chicago-based architecture, design, and consulting firm. Dedicated to helping the next generation of architects, Exley has also been an assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for more than 25 years.

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