Expert Alert

Building resiliency is key in adapting to extreme weather events

Image of Richard Graves

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (10/20/2022) —  Across the United States, extreme weather events like Hurricane Ian are increasing in number and intensity, leaving destroyed property and displaced people in their wake.

In light of this rise in extreme weather events, Richard Graves, an associate professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Design and director for the Center for Sustainable Building Research, is available for comment on how society can better prepare buildings and infrastructure.


Richard Graves, AIA


“Architects need to create communities and buildings that are not only sustainable but resilient. For example, running power lines underground and building structures further away from coastlines to avoid storm surges. The building community needs to transform the fundamental performance of the built environment to mitigate impacts, adapt to, and isolate from the dynamic changes occurring.”


Richard Graves is an associate professor in the College of Design and director for the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses include energy and climate change, equitable designs, sustainable materials, and creating regenerative and resilient communities to respond and adapt to stress and change in a dynamic global environment.

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About the College of Design
Located in a major design city and in one of the largest research universities in the U.S., the University of Minnesota's College of Design encompasses a full range of design disciplines—including landscape architecture, architecture, retail merchandising, and the design of interiors, graphics, apparel, and other products. Faculty, students, and staff aim to advance the quality of manufactured objects and our natural, built, and social environments through sustainably resilient, socially responsible, civically engaged, and human-centered design collaborations.

About “Expert Alert”
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