Harbor Cay Condominium Collapse

Introduction

Constructed facilities (which include buildings of all types and their service systems, and public works and utilities for transportation, power, communication, water supply, and waste disposal) shelter and support most human activities. They are a principal element of the Nation's wealth, valued at about $20 trillion in year 2000 dollars, with the approximately $1 trillion annually invested in new construction and renovation amounting to about one-eighth of the Gross Domestic Product. Their quality is vital to industrial productivity and everyone's quality of life. Their safety from unwanted fires and other natural, accidental and willful hazards is critical for life safety, avoidance of injuries, protection of property, and national security.

Building and fire research programs seek to provide knowledge bases for decisions supporting functionality, economy and safety at all stages in the life cycle of constructed facilities. The relevant spectrum of knowledge is broad, almost unbounded. Fire phenomena include ignition, growth and suppression of fires, the effects on individuals of fires and combustion products, and the effects on society of fire losses and investments in fire safety. The aspects of performance of constructed facilities include structural stability, durability of materials and equipment, environmental control for building occupants, functionality for the intended purpose of the facility, the costs of construction, operation, maintenance and renovation, and all other social and environmental effects. Therefore, building and fire research involves physical, engineering, life and social sciences. Moreover, this knowledge must be expressed in practices useful to owners, occupants, designers, constructors, maintainers of constructed facilities, and fire services and building regulatory officials responsible for public safety.

Architecture and Acoustics

From the time in the late 60s when John Eberhard and James Wright began to rebuild the Division of Building Research, Architectural Research and Environmental Psychology were seen as important program and growth areas. CBT was formed in 1972 with an Architectural Research Section in its Technical Evaluation and Applications Division and a Sensory Environment Section in its Building Environment Division. Most Acoustics research had been transferred to the Engineering Mechanics Division, but this returned to CBT in 1978 with the establishment of the National Engineering Laboratory and the elimination of the Engineering Mechanics Division. Eberhard was a strong advocate for advancing NBS's building technology program and worked hard to understand users needs for technologies. He said, “We don't produce cities as abstract things, but as places people can use. Yet even today (late 60s) we don't know how to relate the human to their environment (in urban areas).”

Quantitative knowledge of how the built environment affects human health, safety and behavior is essential to providing functional, safe and economical constructed facilities. Architects are responsible for many or most of the early decisions affecting the usefulness, safety and economy of buildings. CBT should work closely with architects to identify and provide the measurements, performance prediction methods and standards they need. Throughout the 70s these areas received very little directly appropriated funding and CBT received no support from NBS for initiatives to increase their funding. Nevertheless, CBT and its ...