In recent years, weather conditions have been shaken up by the effects of climate change. Winters get warmer while the number of natural disasters we see each year seems to increase. Some builders may hesitate to adjust to these conditions, but according to construction lawyer Kimberly Hurtado, the time to act is now.
In her recent article for Idaho Business Review, she writes that climate change is making it a challenging time for designing and constructing buildings, roads and other structures. But the industry can cope by exploring methods such as prefabrication and robotic assembly of building materials, embodied water and fire diversion strategies, as well as the use of new composite materials.
“For example, deformable structural material is being 3-D printed, using additive manufacturing and building information model technology,” Hurtado writes. The material temporarily twists and bends instead of staying static, allowing it to respond to the movement of the Earth, as well as flooding and temperature changes.
Hurtado also stresses the importance of builders ensuring insurance policies address losses that can come from natural disasters during and after construction. “At a minimum, broad-form coverage builder’s risk insurance should be obtained to protect against losses for structural collapse and water-related losses,” she advises.
