flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

In Houston, proposed rules would require building above 500-year flood level

Codes and Standards

In Houston, proposed rules would require building above 500-year flood level

Change would impact 85,739 pieces of property.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | April 5, 2018

City leaders in Houston are considering new floodplain rules that would require buildings to be built above the 500-year flood level.

Houston has experienced three “500-year floods” between 2015 and 2017. The current building code requires buildings to be able to withstand a 100-year flood.

The change would affect 85,739 pieces of property that were not previously in a regulated area. Some Hurricane Harvey victims are concerned that they would be forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to rebuild their homes to the new standards.

Homes already in the rebuilding process, though, may not be affected.

Related Stories

| Mar 1, 2012

California bill aims to cut costs for commercial building energy retrofits

A bill in the California Assembly would allow the state to pool together property owners’ energy-retrofit loans.

| Feb 29, 2012

Carvalho appointed Shawmut Safety Director

He has been a driving force behind multiple safety-orientated initiatives at Shawmut, including Safety Week, the creation of an online safety manual, and the implementation of a new safety reporting and tracking system. 

| Feb 23, 2012

Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold

A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.

| Feb 23, 2012

Federal agencies fixed on leasing LEED-certified space

The federal government is especially focused on renting LEED-certified spaces.

| Feb 23, 2012

Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center

The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.

| Feb 23, 2012

New Virginia statewide building code goes into effect March 1

After March 1, all building plans in Virginia must adhere to the 2009 code that was adopted a year ago.

| Feb 23, 2012

Privatizing flood insurance could lead to new code requirements

One thing that could pave the way toward private flood insurance would be NFIP reforms, like requiring new construction in flood-prone areas to be elevated.

| Feb 22, 2012

ACI BIM manual for cast-in-place concrete in development

The improved communication, coordination, and collaboration afforded by BIM implementation have already been shown to save time and money in projects.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Green

Tool helps construction and renovation projects with CalGreen compliance

One Click LCA recently launched a new software tool to help building teams comply with Part 11, Title 24, of the California Code of Regulations—CALGreen. The regulation is the nation’s first state-mandated green building code to include embodied carbon emission control as a mandatory component, effective from July 1, 2024.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021