Disaster-Resilient Architecture-Need of the Hour?
We cannot stop natural disasters, but we can prepare ourselves to fight them.
$845 billion annual loss in global infrastructure, 1.23 million lives lost, and 4.2 billion people affected, all in the last 20 years. These are the mere statistics caused by climate change and natural disasters. It’s high time that disaster-resilient architecture stands at the forefront of future building designs, urging better planning. Let’s see how >>>
More than twenty years into this new century, and a 60% rise in the number of deaths from landslides, a 278% increase in deaths from wildfires, and a 340% increase in deaths from storms between 2022 and 2023.
Climate-fueled disasters are damaging roads, railways, power networks, and other vital infrastructure worldwide to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Disaster risk is taking on new shapes and sizes with every passing year. Disasters have never waited their turn, and consequences are multiplying and cascading, colliding in unanticipated ways.
It is impossible to create an architecture that is resistant to natural disasters. However, in this new environment, projects are strategically intended to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. Thanks to these below-mentioned inventions, civil engineers and architects can now prepare structures for disasters and tragedies and limit the damage a crisis can inflict.?
??Artificial Intelligence (AI)
??Big Data Analytics (BDA)?
AI for Better Preparedness
AI-based simulation tools can help designers predict how the building will react in a natural disaster when used in collaboration with BIM models. Material choices, HVAC system design, and building layout can all be tweaked based on simulation results, allowing designers to test and redesign buildings until they’re ready for a disaster—or, at least, avoid design oversights that could make buildings much less safe.
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BIM for Disaster Management and Response
BIM can help owners plan rescue and evacuation routes for fires and other crises more successfully. A system can even track evacuees as they walk through the building using a combination of building information modeling data and intelligent building technology, potentially guiding them to nearby exits or assisting in coordinating their movement based on the location of rescue teams.
Leveraging Big Data for Disaster Resilience and Recovery
Predicting, preparing, and responding to natural hazards is critical, and leveraging big data can make a significant impact. This data creates predictive models that inform stakeholders as to what immediate action is needed for effective recovery, even before help arrives. This helps in coordinating disaster management efforts, ensuring a more efficient response to future natural disasters.
A change must come.
Disaster risk management needs to be understood as an investment, going beyond relief and reconstruction to a dual approach of prevention, precaution, and preparedness. And that comes with the responsibility to upskill, learn, and grow beyond traditional methods. Building resilient communities, as well as climate mitigation, are essential parts of a safer future. No single person or profession can make a difference in this respect. However, government, architects, and civil engineers all need to stand together and be one powerful voice calling on others to adapt, be tech-oriented, and build smarter, disaster-resilient infrastructure to be better prepared for the future. ??
If you wish to learn BIM and invest in your professional growth, check out the BIM Professional Course for Civil Engineers and BIM Professional Course for Architects offered by Novatr .
Statistics credit: CDRI Report, UN Report, EM-DAT