BECAUSE

RESILIENCE IS EVERYTHING

Severe weather events are increasing in frequency and the amount of devastation they bring is intensifying. Resilient design principles are essential in ensuring that buildings and communities can effectively withstand and recover from disaster.

Concrete block is the ideal material for integrating resilience into architectural design. It’s strong, sustainable, cost-effective and stylish. But don’t take our word for it.

CHECK OUT WHY RESILIENT DESIGN USING CONCRETE BLOCK IS THE RIGHT CHOICE.

RESILIENT DESIGN IS NEEDED EVERYWHERE

Click hazard to view level of risk on map.

Map information provided by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and International Building Code (IBC)

Hurricanes - High or Moderate Risk
Strong Winds - High or Moderate Risk

Map information provided by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and International Building Code (IBC)

Earthquakes - High or Moderate Risk
Tornadoes - High or Moderate Risk

Map information provided by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and International Building Code (IBC)

Wildfires - High or Moderate Risk
Hail - High or Moderate Risk

Map information provided by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and International Building Code (IBC)

Termites - High or Moderate Risk
Floods - High or Moderate Risk

About 7 in 10 Americans (72%) report their local community experienced at least one of these extreme weather events in the past 12 months: *

  • Severe weather (flood or intense storms)
  • Rising sea levels
  • Long stretches of unusually hot weather
  • Major wildfires
*Pew Research Center, July 2024

Resilience

comes standard with concrete masonry

Thermal mass

Thermal mass helps to keep occupants comfortable by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night, reducing temperature fluctuations and operational energy demand.

COST-BENEFIT OF RESILIENT DESIGN

A report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Allstate found that every $1 invested in disaster resilience saves $13 in reduced damage, cleanup costs and economic disruption.

$1

$13

RESILIENCE NEWS
Continually updated with the latest information affecting resilient construction

Photo courtesy of Jandris Block. As climate extremes and environmental accountability coalesce, the need for more resilient structures has never been more apparent. More and more commercial real estate developers find themselves under the gun to rebuild at a feverish pace after disaster strikes.   The critical question remains: when will we start constructing buildings that […]

CMC shares in the Code Council’s vision to drive meaningful change through safe, affordable and sustainable structures, and concrete masonry units can play a key role. While concrete masonry units (CMU) are often praised for their strength, many of its economic and environmental benefits remain underutilized or overlooked altogether. Last October, I spoke at the […]

Many of today’s structures succeed in meeting the minimum standard of safety: saving lives. But what about peoples’ livelihoods? Total-loss scenarios can largely be prevented with CMU construction, so communities and businesses are better able to bounce back when disaster strikes.
Despite being a construction staple for generations, the economic and environmental advantages of concrete masonry often underutilized or unknown altogether. With block, designers don’t have to choose between looks and longevity, or sacrifice strength for stewardship—a distinct advantage when the name of the game is doing more with less.

RESOURCES

Explore the resources below for more insights on how to incorporate concrete masonry to enhance the resilience of your designs.

LEARN

Build your CMU IQ with FREE online courses.

WHY BLOCK?

Discover how block delivers 
it all – strength, style, sustainability and more.

DESIGN

FREE resources — project support, design guides, calculators and more.

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