The New Jersey Institute of Technology established the Center for Resilient Design in late 2012 – in the immediate aftermath of Super Storm Sandy. The Center’s founding mission was to serve as a resource to help New Jersey communities recover from the effects of Sandy – first as a special program within the Hillier College of Architecture and Design and then as a full-fledged center within the university.
These activities soon evolved into broader explorations of how these same communities could become more resilient in the face of future events. Building on lessons learned in New Jersey, the Center has become a research, technical assistance, and training institution focused on improving the resilience of buildings and communities in the face of natural disasters and other stresses to inform and support disaster-resilience initiatives in other jurisdictions across the US and beyond.