When it comes to design and construction, it pays to invest in disaster mitigation. That was a message from the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) this week, amid its annual Building Innovation conference. In a recent report for a multi-year study, NIBS found a national benefit of as much as $11 for every $1 invested into mitigation strategies around safety, the prevention of property loss and disruption of day-to-day life—all of which leading experts say should be a primary focus amid increasing costs for natural disasters.