Now that proposed Superstorm Sandy-triggered changes to New York City zoning are out for public review, building owners, designers and contractors are eagerly awaiting the second piece of the post-Sandy regulation puzzle: proposed modifications to the city's building code. The adjustments to the two sets of regulations should go a long way toward aiding the design and construction of buildings that are safer and more resilient when exposed to floods and other major climate-related events, says Robert D. LiMandri, New York City's commissioner of buildings.
After the storm, the city increased the flood elevation standards required under the building code by including an additional 1 or 2 ft of required elevation, known as "freeboard." Owners of buildings severely damaged or destroyed by last October's storm are required to comply with the flood-resistant construction standards of the building code when they rebuild.