LESSONS LEARNED FROM 9/11: THE REPORT OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER BUILDING CODE TASK FORCE

摘要

The September 11th terrorist attacks and subsequent collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) Twin Towers and building number 7 WTC were a national tragedy that had an enormous impact on New York City, more than the obvious physical damage. Before 9/11, New York City was commonly acknowledged to have one of the most stringent building codes in the United States. The aftermath of these attacks caused us to rethink our codes in relation to high-rise building safety. The lessons learned from the tragedy had a practical application for improvements to our codes. To that end, the New York City Department of Buildings convened the World Trade Center Building Code Task Force (Task Force) to review current building design, construction and operating requirements for high rise office buildings, and to determine if modifications were needed to ensure public safety. The Task Force brought together a broad coalition of affected groups, including experts from both the public and private sectors (government, academia and industry) and survivors of the attacks. It was this deliberate consensus building that ensured the success of the Task Force. In February 2003, the Task Force released its findings, recommending changes to the way that high-rise office buildings are designed and how they function during an extreme event. The Task Force focused its efforts in four main areas. The resulting recommendations, described below, serve public safety and are realistic and practicable.