Over the past decade there has been an exponential increase in human and property loss from natural hazards. Yet it can be difficult for building owners to determine what investment they should make to mitigate property damage from future hazards. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSHub) has developed a new tool, Break Even Mitigation Percent (BEMP), to answer that question. By using a model based on the FEMA Benefit Cost Analysis tool to estimate hurricane damage across the Gulf Coast and East Coast, the researchers at CSHub quantified the investment needed to support decision-making.

In the model, researchers found the break even cost for a mid-rise concrete apartment structure based on a 50-year time period to be a 3.4% initial investment. That is, a wood mid-rise structure is expected to face $0.505M in hazard related damages over 50 years and the engineered concrete building is expected to face only $0.165M in hazard related damages over 50 years given the BEMP.

The MIT CSHub brings together leaders from academia, industry and government to develop breakthroughs using a holistic approach that will achieve durable and sustainable homes, buildings and infrastructure in ever more demanding environments.