Global Summit on Issues in Performance-Based Building Regulations, Washington DC, Fall 2003

Ove Arup & Partners Massachusetts Inc, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Many countries around the world have either introduced performance-based building regulations or are in the process of doing so. Rationales range from downsizing of government, deregulation, and facilitation of trade, to increased design flexibility and reduction in unnecessary costs. With the global transition to performance-based building regulatory systems, there is a need to understand the impacts such a transition will have on the construction industry, on society and on the regulatory environment. Among the complex questions are: What does performance mean? How is it measured and regulated? What might be the impacts of a global performance-based building regulatory system on national economies and populations? What must be done to "get things right" in this new environment? Are the new regulations adequately addressing societal expectations and requirements for the performance of buildings, and more fundamentally, what are societal expectations for buildings and how are they incorporated and regulated? Additionally, policy initiatives may converge on the building regulatory system, such as sustainability, security, and housing affordability. Although these issues vary somewhat by country, the challenges are similar, and there is much to be gained by discussing the challenges and lessons learned from countries that have implemented performance-based building regulatory systems, to see how we should plan for the future. As a means to advance our knowledge base and encourage further discussion on the issues from international, national, and local perspectives, the IRCC (Inter-jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee) will hold a global policy summit in Washington, DC, on 3-5 November 2003. The Summit provides the opportunity to better understand the breadth and depth of policy issues and research needs associated with performance regulation and associated impacts on society. Bringing together academic experts, high-level policy makers and regulatory officials, and interested and affected stakeholders from across the United States and around the world, to discuss key issues, identify potential solutions, and draft a roadmap for undertaking research and addressing policy challenges of performance building regulatory systems will broaden understanding of critical issues and stimulate research in a variety of key performance regulatory policy areas. A key outcome of the Summit will be a roadmap for understanding and addressing the policy needs for these regulatory systems at national and intemational levels. The roadmap will be sent to building regulatory agencies and researchers worldwide, with the aim for each country to implement, study, or utilize as appropriate. The target size for the Summit is 200 -250 people. The format is a combination of presentations and panel discussions, with dedicated evening discussion sessions, over a two and a half day period. The speakers and the majority of the participants will be invited, and will include congressional/ministerial, national, state/province, and local government policy makers and regulatory developers, representatives of key special interest and key stakeholder groups, and leading policy experts and analysts from academia, research institutions and the private sector. The Summit will be facilitated by the National Research Council and will be held at the National Academies building in Washington DC.