2 HSW Credit Hours

As climate change accelerates the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the architectural profession faces an urgent challenge: designing buildings that do more than withstand disasters—they must continue to function, protect, and serve. This course introduces the concept of functional recovery, a forward-looking approach that integrates resilience, sustainability, and occupant wellbeing into every phase of design and construction.

Participants will explore how resilient design strategies can ensure that buildings remain safe, healthy, and operational during and after disruptions such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and heatwaves. The course examines the intersection of health, safety, and welfare (HSW) with resilience principles, emphasizing how proactive design decisions can reduce risk, enhance community recovery, and extend building lifespans.

Through case studies, technical frameworks, and performance-based design examples, learners will gain insight into how to apply resilience strategies that align with emerging standards and codes, including FEMA P-2090/NIST SP-1254, RELi 3.0, LEED Resilience Pilot Credits, and ASHRAE 189.3.