By Jacob Bugge
Writer, engineer, MSc, Veddinge
Since my contribution in no. 12, Construction standards should take climate changes into account, I have received an answer from the Chairman of the ISO, Technical Committee 98, Bases for design of structures. The complete answer is found at www.future.bugge.com. An excerpt:
"The problem of the climatic variations and possible influence on the actions on structures was discussed in 2002 at the plenary meeting of ISO/TC98. As a result, we tried to initiate a working group that may consider this problem in detail and perhaps to prepare a new series of ISO Standards. However, this initiative was not supported by the countries-members of ISO/TC98 and until now such a Working Group could not be set up... We would suggest that you may intervene in the Danish Standardization Committee to present such an initiative at the nearest annual meetings of ISO/TC98 and TC98/SC3 in December 2006 and we will be more than happy to set up a Working Group in that subject.”
In addition, I have learned about the ATV (Academy of the Technical Sciences) report Effects of climate changes − adaptations in Denmark from September 2003, which may be downloaded at: http://www.atv.dk/c/C1.html. In the section “Action is needed here” it says:
“A number of areas, particularly the building trade, rely on rules, codes of practice, and standards, that are based on experience. It is no longer sufficient to act on the basis of experience and analyses of existing data. We should also currently adapt rules and standards to a changing climate.”
Further about safety:
“A general recommendation is that wherever you can add a significant extra safety with a relatively small extra cost you should do so if a possible incidence, eg flooding, have great consequences.”
And about buildings:
“... most of the buildings erected the next 20 years must be expected to be still in use in 2100.”
Weighty recommendations over three years. Why are the standard folks dawdling?