Institute Calls for Industry Participation to Assist Haiti
In the wake of the devastating 7.0–magnitude earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 13, the National Institute of Building Sciences has asked the United States codes and standards community to help provide guidance in the reconstruction of the island nation. The Institute would like assistance in the development of a tool kit for use in rebuilding
Haiti. Organizations and/or individuals who are interested in getting involved in this beneficial program should respond by February 1.
Find out how to participate.
Institute Streamlines
Membership Dues Structure
With a goal of increasing collaboration among a diverse membership without increasing dues, the National Institute of Building Sciences has restructured its membership categories and simplified enrollment. In the past, all of the Institute’s councils and committees maintained separate memberships with multiple dues categories. Members who wanted to participate in more than one program were required to sign up for multiple memberships and pay multiple dues. The simplified
structure facilitates cross-participation and involvement in numerous programs. Under the new dues structure, members pay one annual fee for membership to the Institute, which makes them eligible to participate on any or all of the Institute councils with no additional dues payments required (although there may be additional requirements for participation in some activities). Increased involvement from members will allow the Institute to more effectively tackle the many different industry issues and areas of interest. The Institute’s website will be updated with this new structure by February 1.
See the new dues schedule.
Institute Promotes Kennett, Lloyd, Marks
The National Institute of Building Sciences recently recognized three employees for their dedication and commitment to the organization. Earle W. Kennett, John G. Lloyd and Judy Marks received promotions to new positions within the Institute. Earle W. Kennett is now Senior Vice President – Chief Operating Officer, John G. Lloyd is Vice President – Chief Financial Officer, and Judy Marks is Director of the Institute’s National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF).
Read the release.
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 2010 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors. In this issue, we focus on John P. Kelly. Kelly represents building owners in the industry category. He serves on both the Budget and Finance Committee and the Government Affairs Committees.
Read more about Kelly.
Building Better Homes in the Face of Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Floods
 The recent earthquake in Haiti brings into focus the importance of constructing homes and other low-rise buildings to withstand such catastrophic events. The Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) developed a guide for the U.S. Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) that addresses earthquake damage mitigation for both new and existing homes. The publication,
Homebuilders’ Guide to Earthquake Resistant Design and Construction (FEMA Publication 232), and a number of other resources are available for
download.
BSSC to Re-examine Seismic Design Approaches
BSSC is beginning a pilot study to address basic issues surrounding simplified seismic design procedures as part of its new five-year contract with FEMA. The study’s Project Management Committee first convened in December.
Learn more about the project.
UN Announces 2009 Disaster Figures
More than 55 million people were affected by extreme weather disasters in 2009, according to preliminary figures from the United Nations International Disaster Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat. Of the 225 disasters that occurred, 224 were weather related, accounting for 55 million people out of the 58 million people affected, 7,000 of the 8,900 killed, and $15 billion out of the $19 billion in economic damages. The 2009 figures released by the Belgian World Health Organization collaborating Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters cover the period from January through November.
Read the release.
BSSC Board Member to Serve on ASTM Board
Robert D. Thomas, a member of the BSSC Board of Direction and president of the National Concrete Masonry Association, has been elected to the ASTM International Board of Directors for 2010-2012. An ASTM International fellow and Award of Merit recipient, Thomas has served as a member and chaired a number of ASTM committees.
Read the full ASTM release.
HAZUS Posters Selected for ESRI Map Book
Two of the FEMA Mitigation Directorate’s HAZUS maps have been selected for publication in the
2010 ESRI Map Book, Volume 25. The book, which is published annually, will be released in July at the ESRI Conference in San Diego. The featured posters are
Sugar House Earthquake Mitigation Return on Investment and
ShakeMap-Based HAZUS-MH Loss Estimation Maps.
The BEST Place to Be This April
 Get the best information on how to design building systems for higher energy efficiency, good indoor climate and long-term performance at the Building Enclosure Science & Technology (BEST2) Conference in Portland, Oregon, April 12-14, 2010.
Join the National Institute of Building Sciences and 2010 host Building Enclosure Council-Portland for this biennial event and hone in on specific performance aspects of building systems. The conference, themed
"A New Design Paradigm for Energy Efficient Buildings," will run in three tracks—energy efficiency, whole building and fenestration—and feature an expert panel on whole building commissioning. Choose from more than 70 classes, including a session by noted building envelope expert Joseph W. Lstiburek, and earn continuing education units (CEUs).
Time is running out to take advantage of early-bird rates.
Register now.
NCEF to Be Resource for Haiti Assistance
The U.S. Department of Education, as part of their response to the situation in Haiti, will be calling upon the Institute’s National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) to provide technical assistance as Haiti begins to repair and replace their destroyed school buildings. The NCEF website home page currently has a number of links related to earthquakes and schools.
Visit the NCEF site.
COBie Challenge to Meet at NFMT Conference
The Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie2) Challenge will be held at the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference for the second year in a row. Don’t miss the chance to see what advancements the industry has made in the last twelve months as software companies test the development of this international open standard for the delivery of facility operations, maintenance and management. Software companies interested in demonstrating their product’s compliance with the format can still register to make a presentation.
Learn more about the COBie2 Challenge.
Putting the Focus on Science and Math Education
The American Architectural Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation convened a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Design Workshop earlier this month and staff from NCEF was asked to serve as a resource. STEM is a new approach to teaching this important curriculum. The workshop, held January 5-7 in Washington, D.C., brought together STEM experts from around the country to work with a resource team of a dozen design and education professionals. The combined groups explored STEM education and school facility design with the goal of developing new and innovative models for learning environments that enhance the efforts of teachers and students.
Green School Success Stories
NCEF Director Judy Marks was one of three experts to give presentations to a meeting of the Congressional Green Schools Caucus, held January 19. Marks spoke about stimulus spending for green schools and highlighted success stories from around the country. The Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Ben Chandler (D-KY), Michael McCaul (R-TX), and Jim Matheson (D-UT), aims to raise awareness of the benefits of green schools, lead the policy discussion on the topic in various forums, create legislative opportunities for the collective efforts of the caucus members, and provide members of Congress with constituent outreach resources.
Learn more about the Caucus.
Farewell to a WBDG Advisory Committee Member
Thomas Llewellyn Jenkins, an architect at the U.S. Courts Facilities and Security Branch and former Whole Building Design Guide Advisory Committee member, passed away Oct. 14 of esophageal cancer. The National Institute of Buildings Sciences staff extends our condolences to his family and friends.
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