PROJECTS
EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
Construction and Catastrophe: The Campaign for Safe Building
An Effort of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation and Stephen Forneris, AIA
Reconstruction in Haiti and Beyond: Codes and Safe Structures
As the international community reacts to the devastation after Haiti’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake in January 2010, reconstruction plans are coming into view. It is urgent that building codes and enforcement be required for all structures built in Haiti with international aid, and that donor groups and nations make every effort to help Haiti establish effective, long-term building codes based on the best knowledge available. At the same time, in preparation for inevitable earthquakes and other disasters worldwide, we must pursue similar efforts in other developing countries. We have seen growing interest in various constituencies in Latin America, coupled with a wider general understanding of the use and nature of building codes and their accompanying institutions.
Past Failures in US-Based Post-Disaster Aid
Large-scale international aid for reconstruction arrives in the wake of each major natural disaster. After the earthquake in Haiti, hundreds of millions of dollars in relief funds from international organizations, the US, and other countries have been pledged toward its reconstruction. If that money is not used to build safe structures, the new buildings will kill thousands, even hundreds of thousands, the next time a hurricane or earthquake comes to Haiti.
We have made this mistake before. In 2001, a major earthquake killed almost 3,000 people in El Salvador. The US government provided $100 million in reconstruction funds, just as it had following a similar earthquake 15 years earlier. That money funded failed efforts: the new buildings in El Salvador did not meet the minimum construction standards for seismic resistance that would be required in the USA.
Underlying Factors of the Gap in Knowledge
The ongoing failure to provide or demand proper technical building knowledge owes much to an understandable desire to leave building decisions in the hands of the local authorities. However, building codes are not cultural impositions. They are, essentially, mathematical and technical guidelines that fortify structures in the face of natural disasters. To be sure, local customs and special interests can work their way into regulations, but the largest part of any building code deals with universal physical and geological forces. Those forces destroy buildings and communities without regard to the culture of the people who live in them.
The shocking destruction in Haiti has been attributed to shoddy construction, lax enforcement, and government corruption. The truth is both sadder and simpler. Poor building materials were certainly used, but the greater deficiency has been in knowledge. Due to the absence of national building codes and regulations in Haiti, much of the local construction work is completed by individuals who do not have sufficient information to judge accurately the strength of materials under stress; fewer still know in any detail the techniques of safe construction. Haiti has no national building codes: there have been no regulations to corrupt or inspectors to bribe. In 2004, Haiti began to develop a national building code with the Organization of American States (OAS); the project was put on hold in 2005. The recent earthquake shows the cost of this delay.
Changing the Legacy of Internationally Funded Rebuilding Programs
An adequate building program can be established for Haiti in two interdependent steps:
- The creation of an immediate emergency building code system to guide all new structures funded by international relief funds. One good practical approach would be to rely on a working building department in North America. Vancouver, BC, or San Diego, for example, are seismically similar to Port-au-Prince, and their building departments would have the technical background and experience to oversee reconstruction in Haiti. Plans could easily be reviewed in the home office. But on-site reviewers would also be needed, along with experienced inspectors – many of whom could no doubt be found willing to spend a month or more of their time to help in Haiti.
- The development in Haiti of a complete building code and a culture to support it. This process will take at least 10 years; it will include an initial close study of the country’s soil and geological conditions. Judging from models used in countries facing similar hazards, it will be necessary to adapt it to the local environment. Once an agreed-upon code is prepared, education on the code and its administration should be provided regularly to all stakeholders, including manufacturers, the labor community, and the Haitian government. In the meantime, the implementation of best practices and basic code guidelines can ensure that new buildings are being built with new attention to their safety and durability.
Working with established experts, Haitian professionals can learn to implement a basic building code, review plans for code acceptance, handle building permit applications, properly inspect structures, and recommend and approve modifications of the model codes required by local circumstances.
Building department fees in many US jurisdictions amount to about 1% of the construction costs. These fees pay for the maintenance and development of building codes through the city’s building department fees. We suggest that 2% of any building aid to Haiti be invested in the same kind of program: 1% for a sustainable long-term building code development program, and 1% for the expansion of an existing building department for the proper short-term administration of foreign funds into Haiti. The International Code Council (ICC) model code, used by most US and Canadian municipalities as well as other codes and standards organizations, can lend technical support to the program. An experienced international agency, such as UN-HABITAT, could provide leadership and help to develop best practices. Other potential partners include USAID, American Institute of Architects, ASTM International, and the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, among others.
Progress to Date and Future Goals
The overwhelming destruction and devastating loss of life suffered in Haiti’s recent earthquake could have been lessened with building standards that protected their inhabitants. As the volume of conversation about rebuilding in Haiti grows, it is crucial to ensure that future structures are safe and built to last. The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation is currently working with ICC to develop a plan for the distribution and enforcement of the International Building Code in Haiti and other developing countries. At the same time, conversations around forging a new model of international rebuilding are currently underway with various independent reconstruction projects in Haiti, major American foundations, and members of the press. Earthquake Resistant Housing: An Illustrated Manual for Building a Safe Home, a manual for single-family dwelling construction written by Stephen Forneris with the support of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, currently provides guidelines for construction in illustrated English and Spanish (open-source and free, it is available online at http://www.sdrubin.org/projects/earthquakes); an English/French version is in the final stages of production. We hope to continue to expand the conversation and related action, bringing in lending institutions, insurance companies, and a wide array of international partners to address this issue together.
(This background paper was prepared by architect Stephen Forneris and Bruce Payne, Executive Director of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation. Revised: July 16, 2010.)
Stephen Forneris, AIA, is an associate principal at Perkins Eastman with 15 years of experience in planning, design and contract documents for residential, institutional, and commercial buildings. He has also developed master plans for housing and educational communities. He began his career in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and continues to work there and in New York.
Mr. Forneris holds a license to practice architecture in New York State and in Ecuador. He is also a former New York State Building Code enforcement official. Mr. Forneris regularly publishes articles on architecture and construction in the United States and internationally. He worked in concert with Senators Dodd and Lieberman to introduce the Codes and Safety for the Americas (CASA) Act in 2001, intended to improve education and disaster mitigation in Latin America, and is committed to continuing the effort to create a culture of building code development and enforcement in disaster-prone communities.
Safe Housing Manual - full version (updated 04/12/10)
