DECEMBER 2009

Sealy, Stewart, Ryan, Marshall to Lead 2010 Institute Board of Directors

The 2010 Institute Board Officers from left, new Board Chair Jim. Sealy, Secretary James Ryan, Vice Chair RK Stewart, and Treasurer Mortimer Marshall.

The 2010 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors is now in place. The Executive Team includes Jim. W. Sealy as chair, RK Stewart as vice chair, James “Tim” Ryan as secretary, and Mortimer M. Marshall. Jr., as treasurer.

Jim. W. Sealy, FAIA, NCARB, HFES, Hon. ICC, is an architect and consultant to the design, codes, construction and legal profession. RK Stewart, FAIA, NCARB, Hon. FRAIC, Hon. JIA, Hon. RAIA, LEED AP, is an associate principal in the San Francisco office of architecture firm Perkins+Will. James “Tim” Ryan, CBO, is the code administrator for the city of Overland Park, Kan. Mortimer M. Marshall, Jr., FAIA, FCSI, NOMAC, is president of The Marshall Group, a family-owned architecture, structural engineering, contract management and general contracting firm in Reston, Va.

In September, the Institute’s Nominations Committee recommended the slate of officers and returning board members, as well as a new member, Steven R. Winkel, which the Board unanimously approved. Read the full release.

Thousands Attend Institute Annual Meeting, Ecobuild America

Attendees take notes during the BETEC Symposium, one of a number of events held during the Institute's Annual Meeting.

The first National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Meeting to be held in decades was a resounding success. The Institute hosted the Annual Meeting in conjunction with Ecobuild America earlier this month in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 architects, engineers, facility managers and other members of the design and construction team attended the combined event.

Many Institute councils and committees convened over the course of the week. From FEDCon to the Institute’s Annual Reception and Awards Banquet, the four-day event provided a great opportunity for industry professionals to get involved, have fun and increase their knowledge. Read all about the activities and see the pictures.

Coad Recognized for Board Service

William J. Coad, PE, FASHRAE, will retire from the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors when his term ends December 31. Earlier this month at the Institute’s Annual Reception and Awards Banquet, Coad was recognized for his service and Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA, FACHA, presented him with an award of appreciation.

“The people who have been my employees, employers and my clients were my best friends. For that I thank God,” said Coad, upon accepting his award. “I have developed many more friends because of the three short years I had on the Board of NIBS. For that I thank all of you.”

Coad, who is President of Coad Engineering Enterprises, was elected to the Board in 2007 as a professional engineer in the public interest category. He served on the Awards, Budget and Finance, and Nominations Committees, is a member of the High Performance Building Council and served as liaison for the Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council.

He also chaired the High Performance Building Task Group, which submitted a report assessing high performance buildings to the U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, Coad testified before the House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.

Meet the Board

The "Meet the Board" section provides readers with the opportunity to get to know more about the 21 individuals who make up the 2009 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors. In this issue, we focus on Carl F. Baldassarra. Baldassarra is a fire safety representative in the industry category. He serves on both the Awards Committee and the Strategic Plan and Development Committee. Read more about Baldassarra.
 

 

Advanced Materials Council Meeting Scheduled for January

The Institute will host the first meeting of the Advanced Materials Council on January 13-14, 2010. Sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, Infrastructure and Geophysical Division, the meeting will bring together key participants from national laboratories, universities involved in advanced materials research, government agencies, and industry. Tasks include initializing development of the Advanced Materials Database, identifying additional members of the Advanced Materials Council and discussing the creation of an Advanced Materials Journal.

BSSC to Convene January 20 for Annual Meeting

The Building Seismic Safety Council will hold its Annual Meeting January 20, 2010, in Burlingame, Calif. Following the meeting, the BSSC Code Resource Support Committee will convene January 21-22 to develop public comments on the results of the International Code Council’s code hearings, held in Baltimore earlier this fall. Representatives of standards development organizations are being invited to meet with the committee on the morning of January 22 to participate in a discussion of the administrative updating of standards with seismic implications. Read the agenda and register.

New Committee to Oversee Development of Coastal Surge Model

A new committee established by the Institute will help the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) evaluate development of a fully functional coastal storm surge module for use with its HAZUS-MH loss estimation tool. The Coastal Surge Model Oversight Committee will assess an update of existing approaches for storm surge characterization as well as the development of a functional module for estimating the damages and losses from combined hurricane wind and flood coastal events. Learn more about the committee.

VA Hospital Facilities to Undergo Seismic Assessment

The National Institute of Building Sciences is helping the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to perform a seismic assessment of 50 hospital buildings. The Institute is currently in Phase 1 of the 12-month, two-phase project. On December 1, VA representatives, Institute staff, the Oversight Committee, and subcontractors met in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Phase 1 evaluation approach and methods. Find out more about the project.

2009 HAZUS Conference Proceedings Now Available

No need to fret if you missed the HAZUS Conference this year. The entire conference proceedings are now available online. The 3rd Annual HAZUS Conference took place in Raleigh, N.C., August 10-12. This year’s conference brought together approximately 200 new, experienced and interested users of HAZUS-MH; first responders; local government decision makers; planners and GIS specialists. A wide range of sessions occurred. The proceedings are available on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website. Download the proceedings.

Agencies Present 2010 Budgets at FEDCon

With construction stimulus funding on the minds of many attendees, the Institute’s FEDCon conference, held Dec. 8, was extremely well attended. Each year at FEDCon, federal agencies address their building plans and budgets. This year, Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, kicked off the event. The place was standing room only when Stephen Ayers, AIA, LEED AP, Acting Architect of the Capitol, delivered the lunchtime keynote address.

Speakers from a number of federal agencies presented their upcoming design and construction budgets, programs, events, and market outlook. George O. Lea, Jr., FCMAA, PE, CCM, Chief Military Branch Engineering and Construction, Military Construction and Civil Works Programs at the U.S. Corps of Engineers; Joseph E. Gott, PE, Chief Engineer and Director Capital Improvements Business Line Naval Facilities for the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command; Joseph S. Hockaday, Branch Chief, MILCON West, at the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment; Charles Matta, FAIA, Acting Public Building Service Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Programs and Professional Resources, National Office of Design and Construction at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA); and Lloyd H. Siegel, FAIA, Director, Facilities Strategic Management Office of Construction and Facilities Management at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs all gave presentations on their agency programs.

Martin J. Weiland, PE, and Michael Sullivan from GSA’s National Recovery Program Management Office Public Building Services addressed stimulus funds and federal high-performance buildings. Judy Marks, Hon. AIA, Associate Director for the Institute’s National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, gave a presentation on stimulus funding and tax credits for educational facilities. View the presentations.