Library

Catalog describing FEMA preparedness seminars from 2021 including preparedness and natural hazards topics.

State building code containing general building design and construction requirements relating to fire and life safety, structural safety, energy efficiency, and access compliance; based on the 2021 International Building Code.

Report assessing building codes for the 18 Atlantic and Gulf coast states which are most prone to hurricanes, as of 2018.

A guidebook helping builders in hot-humid climates design and construct homes for energy efficiency, durability, health, safety, and comfort.

Report providing builders in marine climates with guidance for building homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Report describing measures that builders in mixed-humid climates can use to build homes that have whole-house energy savings of 40% over the Building America benchmark with no added overall costs for consumers.

Article from the Sierra Club explaining 5 steps to take to ensure your home's resistance to wildfires, including site maintenance and roof construction guidelines.

Document describing advancement in factory built housing innovations.

Article describing tree health, environmental considerations, and details on how to preserve trees.

A brochure educating homeowners on how to protect their home during seismic events.

Report describing testing and analysis on deep energy retrofits of existing single-family homes in the U.S.

Paper describing a proposed method for quantifying tree and vegetation evapotranspiration effects on city climate

Guidance document from the UN environment programme on climate-resilient buildings and communities practices, including guidance on heat waves, drought, hurricanes, and flooding.

Guide developed to help contractors, building operators, and city officials successfully adopt cool roof and pavement technology.

Document describing three methods for elevating a home out of the flood zone.

Report providing product manufacturers, fabricators, contractors and installers, design professionals, owners, and real estate developers with technical performance and cost guidance for scalable zero-carbon-aligned new construction pathways and retrofit packages to achieve zero carbon retrofits and...

Factsheet describing the motivation for adopting the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code and how the 2021 IECC Assemblies Tool developed by PNNL can be used to find IECC compliant whole-house assembly drawings.

Fact sheet describing best strategies to bring ductwork on single-story homes with a slab-on-grade foundation in hot, dry climates into the conditioned envelope of the home intending to highlight the pros and cons of multiple ductwork integration strategies, including traditional duct systems in...

Research study describing how envelope modifications in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and domestic hot water and renewable resources can result in considerable energy reductions, using the first full year of detailed data collected about a single-family home that experienced a series...

Report providing guidance on wet floodproofing crawlspaces, unfinished basements, and garages.

Report providing guidance to homeowners and business owners on protecting crawlspaces from flood damage.

Fact sheet describing an innovative aerosol-based sealing technique for tightening building envelopes in new homes, involving pressurizing the structure and dispersing an aerosol sealant "fog" to autonomously identify and seal leaks, with real-time feedback through a standard blower door and laptop...

Study from Appalachian State University on passive solar design to take advantage of local climate zones for energy conservation.

Report describing the experience gained from AIA’s Disaster Assistance Program with first-hand accounts of disaster response and recovery, case studies and other best practices, including approaches to designing buildings to be more adaptable to uncertainty.

Fact sheet describing air-sealing concerns and remedies, including HRV/ERV installation, caulking, spray foam, and weatherstrip installation.

Article describing shade trees and how to plant, maintain, and replace them.

Report providing information regarding the benefits and challenges associated with the installation of earthquake-actuated automatic shut-off valves (ASVs) or remote-control valves (RCVs) to stop the flow of natural gas into buildings in the event of an earthquake or rupture of the gas line.

Paper describing an experiment to quantify shade tree impacts on cooling-related electricity consumption, finding that there may be sizable benefits in hot regions.

Report that collected field data from a whole-home program in Illinois are utilized to compare marketplace-installed measures to the energy saving optimal packages previously developed for 15 housing types.

Safety brochure from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) describing the dangers to children of furniture tipping over if it is not securely anchored.

Website providing consumers with information about the risk to children from appliances and furniture tipping over and ways to anchor furniture and appliances to prevent this hazard.

A publication highlighting recommendations that contribute to improved overall performance in the structural shell and focus on good connection details to tie together exterior walls, roofs and floors.

Wall bracing calculator simplifying the design of residential structures that comply with 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018 or 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) wall bracing requirements.

Report covering moisture and leakage issues associated with spray foam insulation application to the underside of roof sheathing.

Power Point PDF presentation on historical architecture in New Mexico

Report explaining how to develop, practice, and maintain emergency plans that reflect what must be done before, during, and after a disaster to protect people and their property.

Guidance from HUD, EPA, NIH, and FEMA for workers who deal directly with asbestos.

Webpage providing mapping tool for obtaining ground snow load, based on ASCE 7-10, for any location in the contiguous United States, with the exception of locations requiring a case study due to extreme local variations in ground snow loads. Fee required for some data.

Web-based mapping tool offering a fast, reliable way to look up key design parameters specified in Standard ASCE 7-10, 7-16, or 7-22 for a specific address or location which is free to use and can look up data for eight different environmental hazard types: wind, tornado, seismic, ice, rain, flood...

Technical fact sheet describing ways to construct asphalt shingle roofs to be more resistant to high winds and hurricanes; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Report describing methodology to assess and improve the accuracy of whole building energy analysis for residential buildings.

A report that evaluates the force it takes to crack stucco of various thicknesses.

Report assessing the accuracy of HEST as it was being developed and to provide information useful to DOE program managers and HEST development team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

A basic guide walking through the various types of valves useful in mitigating the effects of earthquakes and other seismic events on natural gas pipelines for residential use.

Document providing background and approach for the prep work necessary prior to adding attic insulation - focusing on combustion safety, ventilation for indoor air quality, and attic ventilation for durability.

Report about a project that examines implementation of advanced retrofit measures in the context of a large-scale weatherization program and the archetypal Chicago, Illinois, brick bungalow.

Article by the Canadian Government on attic ventilation and considerations for moisture and ice dams.

Webpage from Suntegrity Solar describing different backup power generator options to prepare for future power outages.

Fact sheet providing information on building-scale and utility-scale battery storage for disaster resistance.

Information sheet from FEMA on preparation for extreme heat, including measures for keeping homes cool.