 Focusing on the Total Building
 National Institute of Building Sciences Vice President
Earle W. Kennett discusses the benefits of Total Building Commissioning during a High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition briefing, held on Capitol Hill yesterday. The event opened with welcome remarks from Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Russ Carnahan (D-MO), co-chairs of the High Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus. Also included were presentations by Michael J. King, Director of Engineering Specifications at ARCOM Master Systems, and Tim Hawthorne of the National Fire Protection Association. Total Building Commissioning is the systematic process of ensuring that the performance of a facility and its systems meet the design intent and the near- and long-term functional and operational needs of the owner and occupants.
Learn more.
High-Performance Building Paper Published in Quarterly Journal
The Fall 2009 issue of Innovations, a quarterly journal published by MIT Press, includes a paper, “High-Performance Buildings,” by National Institute of Building Sciences President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA. The theme of the volume is “Energy for Change: Creating Climate Solutions.” Green’s submission is one of the more than 20 pieces. The MIT Press will host an event November 24 at the National Academies to showcase the journal. It will include a panel discussion, “Time for Change: Reframing the Conversation on Energy and Climate.”
Register for the event.
Rodgers Receives Bobby J. Fowler Award
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National Institute of Building
Sciences Board Member Emory Rodgers (center) accepts the Bobby J. Fowler Award
from International Code Council Board President Adolf Zubia (left) and Code
Council Board Member and Awards Committee Chair Tim Ryan (right), who also is an
Institute Board Member. The Fowler Award is the most prestigious of the Code
Council awards.
Read more.
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Meet the Board
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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 Susan S. Klawans and RK Stewart. Klawans represents contractors in the industry category. Stewart is an architect in the public interest category. Read more about
Klawans and
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Klawans |
Stewart |
December Summit to Focus on
Security, Energy, Environmental Sustainability
A group of more than 50 leaders from key sectors will convene this December in Washington, D.C., to develop a roadmap for the successful integration of building security design measures, applications, materials and systems with the innovative and advanced applications of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The Security, Energy and Environmental (SEE) Summit, to be held December 2-3, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, Infrastructure and Geophysical Division. The invitation-only event, hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences, brings together leaders from government, national laboratories, associations and organizations, universities, and the private sector. It will feature a talk by University of Minnesota Assistant Professor Blaine Brownell; federal agency and professional society briefings; and presentations from three nationally recognized leaders in building security, sustainability and energy conservation.
Swedish Agency Takes Part in VA Medical Center Training
A delegation from the Swedish Fortifikationsverket Agency experienced some hands-on training during their October visit to the United States. While visiting the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.V., the group learned how to apply Rapid Visual Screening Assessment (RVSA).
Following training from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contractors on site, the visiting delegation
also performed a DHS 452 Security Assessment of the facility.
The National Institute of Building Sciences coordinated and hosted the delegation through a joint DHS/VA Security Assessment Program. The four-day visit began at the Institute with a meeting of representatives from the DHS, VA and Fortifikationsverket giving overviews of VA security assessments, RVSA, and DHS 452. The delegation then traveled to Martinsburg, where the guests attended three days of meetings and training. The Swedes expressed appreciation to DHS, VA and Institute staff for the outstanding program and were thrilled to see the beautiful
West Virginia countryside.
This is What Makes a Successful Disaster Recovery
A new questionnaire allows the American people to provide input on what they think a successful disaster recovery looks like. A new working group will use this raw material, as well as information from stakeholder forums and other research, to prepare a report for the President of the United States. At the President’s request, the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Housing and Urban Development are co-chairing the new Long-Term Disaster Recovery Working Group. Composed of secretaries and administrators from more than 20 departments, agencies and offices, this high-level, strategic initiative will provide operational guidance for recovery organizations and suggestions for future development.
Take the questionnaire.
Applying Energy Efficiency Programs on Campus
Karl Brown, Deputy Director of the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE), presents examples from the California University at Merced during the High Performance Building and Energy Efficiency Roundtable (HPB&EER)
meeting, held yesterday at Institute Headquarters. Brown reviewed the work that CIEE is doing in the area of energy efficiency in both new and existing building construction. The Merced campus applied programs to achieve deep efficiency for its building energy systems. Applications ranging from residential to high-technology processes found in buildings such as laboratories, clean rooms, and data centers were included in the presentation. The
next roundtable meeting will occur during Ecobuild
America, December 9.
BETEC Symposium in December to Highlight Retrofitting
Chair Wagdy Anis, AIA, LEED-AP, and the Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) invite you to take part in their one-day, annual symposium on December 10 in Washington, D.C. This year’s program, “Retrofitting Building Enclosures for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability,” will feature sessions relating to the latest building enclosures research, including case studies and technical reports on retrofitting curtain walls, advanced glazing and window technologies, EIFS, and reducing air leakage. The BETEC
Symposium takes place at the Washington Convention Center in conjunction with the National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Meeting and the Ecobuild America Conference, which run from December 7-10.
Find out more information or register.
Online Registration Now Open For BEST2 Conference
Register online now to join the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Building Enclosure Council-Portland for the “Building Enclosure Science & Technology (BEST2)” conference in Portland, Ore., April 10-12, 2010. This biennial event helps building industry professionals hone in on specific performance aspects of building systems designed for high energy efficiency, good indoor climate, and long-term performance. This year’s conference is themed “A New Design Paradigm for Energy Efficient Buildings.” Register by January 31 to take advantage of early-bird rates. Check the
BEST2 web site for program details and conference updates.
Come Witness the Future of Specifying in the Making
The future of specifying is near—learn how it will benefit your
business. The Specifiers Properties information exchange (SPie), to be held
during Ecobuild America, will showcase how a common data standard can help
designers and specifiers to manage their requirements and select and specify
products. This new technology will have an enormous impact on the industry. See
how the comparative costs against conventional practice can lead to a win-win
proposition for designers, specifiers, product manufacturers and trade
associations. SPie is FREE and open to all registered Ecobuild American
attendees. Find out more.
Build Hospital BIMStorm Live
Kimon Onuma, FAIA, of Onuma, Inc., (center) and Igor Starkov of Tokmo (right of
screen) demonstrate the power of BIMStorm during a live presentation of Build Hospital BIMStorm in Washington, D.C. With the help of cloud computing, the two worked with stakeholders in Oslo, Norway, on a hospital being designed interactively by an international team. The presentation, which occurred at the National Institute of Building Sciences Headquarters, was the first use of the Institute’s new audio/video conferencing system. The
multi-stage event, which began in September, will climax at
Ecobuild America December 8 -10.
NCS Version 4.0 Revision Cycle Begins in December
The next revision cycle of the United States National CAD Standard® (NCS) will open Monday, December 7. This revision cycle is designed to solicit proposals to amend NCS Version, 4.0, which will lead to the creation of the next version of the NCS. The Ballot Submission Period, which opens December 7, is scheduled to run through February 6, 2010.
Read the NCS Announcement.
Access the Latest H1N1 Flu Information for Schools
With the H1N1 Flu pandemic affecting schools all over the
country, the U.S. Department of Education’s
H1N1 Flu Information webpage assists schools in disseminating health information, planning for staff and student absences, and maintaining a learning environment during a flu outbreak.
In addition, the federal government is sponsoring the
Flu.gov website, which provides extensive guidance for schools, including planning checklists for child care and preschool, school districts, colleges and universities.
Visit the page for school professionals.
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