National Building Museum Exhibition: Designing for Disaster

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The American Red Cross and the GDPC have partnered with the National Building Museum to present Designing for Disaster, a 15 month-long exhibition exporing a variety of disaster risk management topics—ranging from environmental risk assessments to durable building design strategies—and showcasing research and innovations. Exhibition highlights include:

A partially deconstructed “safe room” built to withstand tornado-force winds and flying debris.
A “wall of wind” which allows visitors to test various roof shapes against simulated hurricane-force winds.
A button-activated set of moving stairs which shows how expansion joints at the University of California, Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium would perform in the event of an earthquake.

The National Building Museum is increasingly viewed as a thought leader and resource center for both professionals in the building industry and the general public. Red Cross collaboration on the exhibit focuses on the following three areas:

Public Programs – The GDPC is sponsoring three panel discussions designed to apply exhibit themes to international contexts. Discussions focus on urban settings and international case studies in order to highlight strategies organizations are using to promote resilience.
Technical support – The Red Cross worked alongside architects, urban planners and other emergency management professionals to provide technical guidance for the exhibition as part of the Designing for Disaster Advisory Council.
Resources – The Red Cross shares resources—including informational products and mobile applications—with the NBM in conjunction with the exhibition and its public education programs.