Climate adaptation · Physical risk · Operational continuity
BRI: identify risks and strengthen building resilience
A guide for developers, owners, FIBRAs (Mexican REITs) and investors who need to understand their assets’ exposure, assess resilience measures and document decisions with IFC’s Building Resilience Index.
Building Resilience Index · New and existing buildings and portfolios · Updated September 2026
The framework
What is the Building Resilience Index?
The Building Resilience Index, or BRI, is a digital framework developed by IFC to identify location-specific natural and climate hazards, review the measures built into a building and communicate its resilience level through a standardized rating.
BRI does not only ask which hazard exists. It relates the site’s exposure to the building’s actual characteristics, mitigation measures and available evidence to review its physical integrity and operational continuity.
The framework can be used on new and existing buildings. In design stages it helps anticipate requirements before decisions become costly; in operating assets it helps recognize gaps, prioritize interventions and prepare an improvement path.
14
hazards grouped into wind, water, fire and geo-seismic risks within the BRI framework.
1,500+
disasters affected more than 190 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2000 and 2022.
NR–AA
is the rating scale; the “+” sign recognizes recommended operational continuity measures.
Exposure
Four hazard families, assessed from the asset
The analysis starts from the location, but it does not end with a map. Applicable hazards must be checked against the building’s design, construction, operation and specific measures.
Wind
Downbursts, tornadoes and storms such as cyclones, typhoons or hurricanes.
Water
Urban, coastal, river and flash flooding; storm surge and tsunami.
Fire
Local fire and wildfire, considering exposure, protection and continuity.
Geo-seismic
Subsidence, volcanic activity, landslides and earthquakes.
BRI incorporates historical data and climate change projections for the relevant hazards. The applicability and depth of each review depend on the location, asset type and project scope.
Decisions
Identify, manage and communicate risk
01
Identify risk
Recognize the hazards relevant to the site and the building’s vulnerabilities, avoiding generic checklists without context.
02
Manage risk
Review resilience measures for physical integrity and operational continuity, from site selection to systems, materials and operation.
03
Communicate risk
Organize results and evidence through a rating understandable to owners, investors, lenders and insurers.
Resilience does not eliminate risk. It improves the building’s capacity to withstand, respond to and recover operations from adverse events within the assessed scope.
Technical scope
BRI complements the building code; it does not replace it
Building codes set essential minimum requirements, particularly to protect lives. BRI broadens the conversation to asset performance, property protection, reduced disruption and operational continuity.
Physical integrity
Reviews measures related to site, foundation, structure, façade, materials and building systems against the applicable hazards.
Operational continuity
Considers actions that help maintain or recover critical functions, services, access and operation after an event.
Evidence
Links each answer to drawings, reports, specifications, studies, photographs, protocols or verifiable records.
Information
What we need for a readiness assessment
The first step is a structured questionnaire. Its goal is to recognize the asset type, relevant hazards, level of development and quality of information before defining the final scope.
Asset and location
Key information
Address or coordinates, use, area, height, occupancy, stage and year of construction.
What it allows us to review
Project profile and potentially applicable hazards.
Site
Key information
Topography, geotechnical studies, hydrology, access, surroundings and utilities.
What it allows us to review
Exposure conditions and external dependencies.
Design and construction
Key information
Drawings, reports, specifications, structural systems, façade, MEP and fire protection.
What it allows us to review
Measures incorporated and documentation gaps.
Operation
Key information
Emergency plans, maintenance, redundancies, utility backup and recovery protocols.
What it allows us to review
Response capacity and operational continuity.
History
Key information
Past events, damage, claims, disruptions, repairs and improvements.
What it allows us to review
Observed vulnerabilities and the asset’s actual performance.
Goal
Key information
Self-assessment, design improvement, due diligence, portfolio, financing, insurance or verification.
What it allows us to review
Depth, owners, deliverables and work plan.
If information is incomplete, it is recorded as a gap. Specific evidence should not be replaced with a favorable assumption just to improve a rating.
Methodology
How we support a BRI assessment
01
Define the goal and universe of assets
We agree whether the work covers a building, a building type or a portfolio; we identify the project stage and how the results will be used.
02
Apply the readiness questionnaire
We review available information, owners, disciplines involved and gaps that must be closed before assessing measures.
03
Identify applicable hazards
We combine BRI location data with project studies and data to recognize the hazards that must be considered.
04
Assess measures and evidence
We coordinate the review of physical integrity and operational continuity, documenting compliance, open items, sources and limitations.
05
Prioritize improvement actions
We rank gaps by criticality, feasibility, stage, interdependencies and the opportunity to incorporate them in design, construction or operation.
06
Prepare self-assessment and verification
We consolidate answers and evidence for the platform. When verification is sought, we prepare the file for review by the corresponding authorized third party.
Rating
The result depends on the weakest link
BRI uses a standardized scale. The overall rating cannot exceed the lowest performance against an applicable hazard; that is why it is unwise to concentrate all resources on one hazard and ignore the rest.
NR
The building does not incorporate most of the recommended resilience measures.
B
It incorporates some recommended measures but retains relevant gaps.
A
It incorporates most of the recommended measures for the applicable hazards.
AA
It incorporates all BRI-recommended measures for the applicable hazards.
A rating with a “+” indicates that the recommended operational continuity measures are also met. Self-assessment and third-party verification are different stages; only the latter provides independent validation.
When to intervene
New projects and existing buildings
Planning and acquisition
Preliminary review of hazards, site constraints and due diligence needs before committing capital.
Concept and design
Early integration of criteria for site, structure, façade, MEP, protection and continuity, while they can still be changed.
Construction
Control of specifications, substitutions and evidence to ensure the assessed measures reach the built asset.
Operation
Review of maintenance, plans, redundancies, critical services and protocols that sustain response capacity.
Retrofit
Gap assessment and prioritization of interventions compatible with technical, operational and budget constraints.
Portfolio
Segmentation by building type and exposure to define which assets need in-depth analysis and where to start investing.
Strategy
From the rating to an investment decision
A useful assessment does not end with a letter. It must indicate which hazard controls the result, which measures are missing, which evidence is insufficient and which actions can reduce exposure or vulnerability.
Prioritization
Separates critical actions from desirable improvements and organizes decisions by stage, relative cost, dependency and urgency.
Information governance
Defines owners, formats, minimum evidence, official versions and update dates by asset.
Scaling
Turns lessons from the first assets into replicable guidelines without assuming the whole portfolio faces the same hazards.
Deliverables
What the organization receives
Readiness assessment
- Recommended scope and goal.
- Inventory of available information.
- Gaps and owners by discipline.
Hazard and measures matrix
- Applicable hazards by asset.
- Review of integrity and continuity measures.
- Status, evidence and comments.
Prioritized action plan
- Immediate, design and long-term actions.
- Dependencies and critical decisions.
- Path to improve documented resilience.
Platform file
- Structured, traceable answers.
- Evidence index.
- Preparation for self-assessment or verification.
Value for different stakeholders
One assessment, different decisions
Owners and developers
Reduce design gaps, protect asset value and steer investments that improve performance and recovery.
Investors and lenders
Improve visibility of exposure, implemented measures and information consistency across projects or portfolios.
Insurers
Access structured information that can support risk assessment, without replacing their underwriting models.
Operators
Relate infrastructure, maintenance and protocols to continuity of services and critical functions.
Design teams
Translate site risks into coordinated requirements for architecture, structure, façade, MEP and landscape.
Public sector
Complement codes and incentives with comparable information on resilience measures built into buildings.
Possible effects on financing, insurance or asset value depend on each third party’s policies and decisions. A BRI assessment does not on its own guarantee better commercial terms.
Sustainability and adaptation
How BRI relates to EDGE and other frameworks
EDGE focuses on efficiency and mitigation through energy, water and embodied carbon in materials. BRI complements that focus through adaptation and resilience to natural and climate hazards.
Mitigation
Reduces the emissions and resource use associated with the building. EDGE and carbon analyses support this dimension.
Adaptation
Reduces vulnerabilities and strengthens the building’s capacity to face adverse conditions. BRI structures this dimension.
An efficient building is not automatically resilient, and a resilient one is not automatically efficient. A complete sustainability strategy must coordinate both dimensions.
FAQ
The essentials before you start
Is BRI a certification?
It is an assessment and rating framework developed by IFC. The project can carry out a self-assessment and, where appropriate, submit it for independent verification by an authorized provider. The two states should not be confused.
Does it replace risk studies or specialized engineering?
No. BRI organizes the assessment and applicable measures, but it may require specific soil, flood, wind, fire, structural or operational studies. Nor does it replace code compliance.
Can it be applied to an existing building?
Yes. The framework can be used on new projects and existing assets. For the latter, it helps identify gaps and prepare a prioritized retrofit plan.
Does the platform automatically determine all hazards?
The tool provides location information, but the team must validate applicability with site data, project studies and local knowledge. A global map does not replace specific evidence when it is available.
Does a good rating guarantee the building will not be damaged?
No. The rating reflects the documented incorporation of recommended measures within BRI’s scope. No framework eliminates uncertainty or guarantees absolute performance against all events.
Does Recurso V perform the verification?
Recurso V can support the assessment, technical coordination, self-assessment, improvement plan and file preparation. Independent verification is the responsibility of the applicable authorized provider.
References
Sources and further reading
- Building Resilience Index: overview, hazards, measures and disclosure.
- IFC Building Resilience Index: brochure and rating levels.
- IFC and Bureau Veritas: global expansion of BRI verification services.
- IFC: standards for sustainable and resilient buildings.
- UNDRR and OCHA: Overview of Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean 2000–2022 (in Spanish).
- National Institute of Building Sciences: Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves 2019.
BRI, its requirements, availability and verification providers may change. Scope must be confirmed on the current official platform and documentation for each project and country.
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Next step
Which hazards control the resilience of your building or portfolio?
A readiness assessment identifies exposure, reviews available information and defines a realistic path to BRI assessment, improvement and eventual verification.