SEATTLE SAME POST PRESENTS
The Future of Building Code: Going from Life Safety to Functional Recovery
Maximilian Dixon, Hazards and Outreach Program Supervisor at the Washington Military Department, oversees the state’s geological hazards and preparedness programs and brings extensive experience coordinating disaster risk reduction efforts across all levels of government.
He will discuss Washington’s groundbreaking Functional Recovery Building Code Standard Feasibility Study, the first of its kind in the nation, and how the state is exploring ways to ensure buildings not only protect lives during an earthquake but can also return to service quickly to support community recovery.
A building can protect everyone during an earthquake and still be unusable afterward. Functional recovery asks whether buildings, their systems, and supporting infrastructure can return to their intended function within an acceptable period following a disaster. Washington is the first state in the nation to undertake a state-focused Functional Recovery Building Code Standard Feasibility Study, a multi-year effort exploring practical options for incorporating functional recovery into the Washington State Building Code. The study includes outreach to communities across the state to understand their unique needs and identify the facilities and services most critical to recovery.