Industry publication, December 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Industry Should Gear Up Now formance Standards developed during the eneigy crisis of the 1980s. Such rankings not only would help in decision- ; For Guide to Risk Assessment making but also could be used in marketing buildings. One logical candidate to take the lead in developing such

s ince the world as we knew it changed on Sept. 11, many 'construction industry groups have organized conferences ' and meetings to consider how potential changes in design a scorecard system is the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, whose interdisciplinary task force on how to i improve the emergency performance of buildings is meeting i ' and construction can mitigate the impact of such acts of ter- for the second time on Dec. 9 in London. Another possibili- ; ' rorism on structures. But how far should we go? Should we ty is the National Institute of Building Sciences. They could ; be designing for blast resistance, security, bioterrorism or work with specific interest groups—fire, security, controls, i hazards of all kinds? So far, it has been just a lot of talk, with air-handling systems, building products and materials, struc­ ; few conclusions except that there might be a problem. tures and the like to develop the criteria for the rankings and ; the required matrices. Support for this initiative should come fi-om the federal Office of Homeland Security, U.S. General Services Admin- ( istration. Building Owners and Managers Association and ;

I other public and private owner organizations. The scorecards \ should be developed as soon as possible—not in a year but in she months or sooner. There’s no time to waste.

But we must start putting some of the talk, ideas and mus- Power Market Shows Signs j ings to work in order to help owners make necessary deci­ sions about security upgrades for their existing and planned Of Traditional Boom, Bust facilities and to help calm an understandably jittery general ® ome market events can be planned for and others cannot, ; public. Obut the construction industry and government are noto­ Not all buildings, facilities and infrastructure are potential rious for making the wrong decisions that contribute to ’ targets and devising a meaningful risk assessment guide is the boom-bust cycles. This is counterproductive to the efficient ‘ key to determining how far they should be hardened against mobilization of people, equipment and materials and con­ ; attack. For example, what is the likelihood of a car bomb tributes to loss of productivity. attack against a particular building or facility? A plane attack? The power market is showing A bioterrorist attack? Or, how about the risks associated tvith all of the symptoms of this dis- ; an otherwise unremarkable building in close proximity to a ease. Uncertainty in the j signature building, train station, arena or bridge? Once the risk is determined, the industry also should sug­ gest what kind of remedial action needs to be taken in order I \ 1990s over deregulation of power in the U.S. slowed , powerplant construction to meet that risk. Does the building at risk really need con­ crete planters to keep truck and car bombs at bay? How about laminated glass near the base? How about battery-pow- : ered lights in stairwells? Is there a real need for blast-resistant aJ while owners sorted out what the new rules would ; be and how to make money. '' The resulting pent-up de- Wl J concrete or structural redundancy? How much money ' should be spent? mand for electricity hit the U.S. like a ton of bricks. Between 1999 It’s time for the industry to step forward and produce a and 2001, about 83,000 Mw of new capacity has come on line ' comprehensive tool to help owners and others trying to make and there are projections of another 300,000 Mw to 400,000 those decisions. It should give them ways to evaluate and Mw in the pipeline. Much of the proposed capacity will nev- rank how their specific facility would likely perform in an er be built, to the relief of many. But there is enough moving ; emergency, based on the physical attributes of the building, forward to tax the manpower and other resources in the ; its components and materials, and life safety, security, air industry. In the last three years, for example, demand for handling and management systems. union boilermakers has risen 54%. Some crews are working S With its new Anthrax Matrix, the U.S. Occupational Safe- seven 12-hour-a-day shifts at powerplant projects. 2 ' ty and Health Administration is on the right track, but too The crunch is being exacerbated by arbitrary Environ­ ; narrow of a gauge: The guide is designed only to help mental Protection Agency deadlines for tightening up emis­ I employers assess the risk of exposure to anthrax in the work- sions at certain coal-fired powerplants. Owners would like a I : place and guide them in taking precautions against the haz­ short one-year extension of those deadlines to gain some o ard. breathing room. New powerplant work is projected to drop Buildings might be ranked in a manner similar to the in a year or so and the feds can help ease the blow to the

h Energy Star ratings for products, or the Building Energy Per- industry and the public with such an extension.

128 ENR/December 3, 2001

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