FEMA P-798, Natural Hazards and Sustainability for Residential Buildings (2010)

FEMA P-798 examines current green building rating systems in a broader context. It identifies green building practices—the tools of today’s green building rating systems—that are different from historical residential building practices and that, unless implemented with an understanding of their interactions with the rest of the structure, have the potential to compromise a building’s resistance to natural hazard events. This document discusses how to retain or improve natural hazard resistance while incorporating these green building practices. While most common green building practices provide sustainability advantages with little or no effect on structural performance or durability, others require reevaluation of the building’s structural design or detailing to retain its integrity during natural hazard events. Often, only minimal design modifications are required to maintain natural hazard resistance.