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May 1-3
NAHB National Green Building Conference
Salt Lake City, UT
May 3-4
AAMA Southeast Region 2011 Spring Meeting
Charlotte, NC
May 10
International Masonry Institute Seminar
Bowie, MD
May 10-11
USGBC
2011 Government Summit
Washington, DC
May 10-13
13th Canadian Conference on Building Science and
Technology
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
May 12-14
AIA 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition
New Orleans, LA
May 17
BETEC Board of Direction Meeting
Washington, DC
May 18
Consultative Council Meeting
Washington, DC
May 18
Coordinating Council Meeting
Washington, DC
May 18
buildingSMART International Advisory Board Meeting
New York, NY
May 19
Board of Directors Meeting
Washington, DC
May 19
SeaBEC Symposium on Building Enclosure Innovation
Seattle, WA
May 19-20
buildingSMART International Council Meeting
Johnston, RI
May 21-24
NRA Show 2011
Chicago, IL
May 22-26
NAOHSM Annual Convention & Trade Show
Hershey, PA
May 23-29
High Performance Building Week
May 25-28
EDRA42 Chicago
Chicago, IL
June 5-8
North American Masonry Conference
Minneapolis, MN
June 5-8
AAMA National Summer Conference
Oakbrook, IL
June 12-15
NFPA Conference and Expo
Boston, MA
June 15-16
29th West Coast Energy Management Conference
Long Beach, CA
June 20-23
National Healthy Homes Conference
Denver, CO
June 25-29
ASHRAE Annual Conference
Montreal, QB, Canada
June 26-28
BOMA International Conference
Washington, DC
July 7
FEMP First Thursday Seminar
July 25-28
NCSL Legislative Summit 2011
Louisville, KY
August 4
FEMP First Thursday Seminar
NEW ISSUE
Journal of Building Information Modeling (JBIM)
Journal of Building Enclosure Design (JBED)
Journal of Advanced and High-Performance Materials
(JMAT)
Journal of Hazard Mitigation and Risk Assessment (JHAZ)
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April 2011 |
Codes and Standards Study Heads to Industry Leaders for Review
The National Institute of Building Sciences is taking a look at how codes and standards are developed in the United States and wants to get feedback from industry association leaders.
In late 2010, the Institute’s Codes and Standards Committee undertook a project to examine the promulgation procedures and policies of various codes and standards development organizations to better understand the procedural differences among organizations.
The initial phase of the project resulted in a compilation of the different organizations’ procedures. Earlier this month, the Codes and Standards Committee shared the initial results of the study with the organizations’ leaders to confirm the accuracy of the information compiled. Once the information is confirmed, the Committee will continue to the next phase. The completed report
is expected to be published later this year.
Witnessing Schools of the Future
 Institute President Henry L. Green discusses project design with a student from one of the nationally recognized middle school teams who participated in
The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) annual School of Future Design competition in Washington, D.C.
Learn more about the event.
Congressional Briefing Focuses on Preparing for Earthquake Hazards
Chris Poland, Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standards Committee on Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Structures, addresses the audience during the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition Briefing on Capitol Hill. This month’s event, hosted by the Institute, focused on earthquake hazards and the nation’s buildings.
Throughout the year, the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition provides lunch briefings on Capitol Hill to inform members of Congress and their staffs about important building-related topics. This month’s event, hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences, focused on earthquake hazards and the nation’s buildings
Following the recent string of earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and Japan, many people have raised questions about the ability of buildings in the United States to resist seismic activity.
Presenters included American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standards Committee on Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Structures Chairman Chris Poland; ASCE 7 Subcommittee on Seismic Loads Chairman John Hooper; and Federal Emergency Management Agency HAZUS Project Manager Eric Berman. Institute President Henry L. Green, served as moderator for the event.
Read the full story.
Save the Date: High-Performance Building Week Will Be Here Soon
Mark those calendars! The third annual celebration of High-Performance Building Week will be May 23-29. High-Performance Building Week is the perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of high-performance buildings to federal, state and local policymakers and the general public. Now is the time to begin planning activities.
High-Performance Building Week is one of a number of activities sponsored by the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC). The National Institute of Building Sciences is a member of the Coalition’s steering committee.
See the schedule of events.
NPS Guidelines Address Sustainability in Historic Buildings
The National Park Service (NPS) rolled out new guidelines to help improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings while preserving their historic character.
The Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings offer practical advice to building owners, developers and preservation practitioners. The guidelines show recommended – and not recommended – approaches to projects, from solar panel installation to heating and air conditioning upgrades to weatherization and insulation.
The National Park Service’s Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program incentivizes more than $4 billion in private investment in historic preservation annually. To be eligible for the tax credits, construction projects must comply with
the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for Rehabilitation. The guidelines are supplementary to the standards.
The new guidelines were developed with assistance from the preservation community, including other federal agencies, the development community, state and local governments, as well as private individuals. They are the latest in a series of NPS publications created by its Technical Preservation Services Division that offer usable, how-to advice for historic preservation.
View the new guidelines.
Limited Time Extension: NBIMS Ballots Due Wednesday, June 1
Don’t miss the chance to submit changes or updates to the National BIM Standard – United StatesTM (NBIMS-US) Version 2. The open period for NBIMS-US ballot submissions has been extended
30 days to allow authors additional time to complete ballots they are working to submit.
The buildingSMART alliance is currently working on NBIMS-US Version 2 and is looking to all members of the industry to participate in the process. This will be the first full consensus release of the NBIMS. The Alliance is accepting ballot submissions to update current sections of the standard and to expand it to cover the latest standards, practices and technologies.
Since NBIMS Version 1-Part 1 was first released in 2008, a number of new processes have evolved, including information exchange standards for construction operations and product specifications. To ensure the standard reflects the needs of all parts of the building industry who participate in construction, it is imperative that both individuals and organizations provide input to the standard. The extension of the deadline to Wednesday, June 1, is not expected to change the final delivery date of the standard.
Learn how to get involved in the process.
Department of Education Starts Green Ribbon Schools Program
Institute Praises New Award for Sustainable Educational Facilities
The National Institute of Building Sciences praises the White House, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the establishment of a new awards program to recognize schools that are creating healthy and sustainable learning environments and teaching environmental literacy. Green Ribbon Schools will be run by the Education Department with the support of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the EPA.
The Green Ribbon Schools program reflects President Obama’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency and preparing today’s students for jobs in fields that provide clean energy solutions. Through the Green Ribbon schools program, the Education Department, the EPA and CEQ
will recognize schools for energy conservation, creating healthy learning
spaces and teaching environmental literacy.
Learn more about the program.
The Institute’s own National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) strongly supports the development of green schools. The NCEF website provides a number of resources to assist communities in planning, designing and constructing sustainable facilities.
Visit the NCEF Green Schools page.
WBDG Hits Another Big
Milestone: 4 Million Downloads
The WBDG Whole Building Design Guide®, the premier online resource for professionals, students and the general public to find building design information, has just a hit a major milestone. In March, for the first time ever, the site surpassed four million document downloads in one month
(4,264,604 to be exact).
The WBDG site is the largest online portal for building sciences in the world. It is a comprehensive, internet-based portal that provides building professionals with access to a wide range of federal and private sector, building-related
guidance, criteria and technology. Through categories such
as Design Guidance, Project Management, Building Information Modeling, and Operations & Maintenance, the site creatively links information across traditional professional disciplines to encourage integrated thinking on “whole building” performance.
Haven’t been to WBDG yet?
Visit the site.
What’s on WBDG: Federal High Performance and Sustainable Buildings
The Federal High Performance and Sustainable Buildings section of the Whole Building Design Guide website provides the key information federal personnel need to meet high-performance and sustainable buildings requirements. The section includes:
Policy Background,
identifying Executive Orders (EOs), laws and regulations that define federal high-performance and sustainable building (HPSB) requirements, including EO 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA);
New Construction & Major Renovation,
including the federal requirements for new construction and major renovations,
which state that at least 15% of the agency’s existing buildings (above 5,000
gross square feet) must meet the Guiding Principles by fiscal year 2015 and
agencies must make annual progress toward 100-percent conformance with the
Guiding Principles for their building inventory;
Existing Buildings,
covering the requirements per EO 13514 that at least 15% of each agency’s existing facilities and building leases (above 5,000 gross square feet) meet the Guiding Principles by the end of fiscal year 2015; and
Supporting Technical Guidance
that address other key HPSB strategies.
To find out about the Guiding Principles for Sustainable New Construction and Major Renovations, the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Existing Buildings and the above topics, visit the
WBDG Federal High Performance and Sustainable Buildings section.
GSA Sustainable Facilities Tool is a One-Stop Online Resource
The U.S. General Services Administration has a new one-stop online resource to help project personnel make decisions about sustainable building principles, materials and systems. The Sustainable Facilities Tool will assist team members with identifying and prioritizing cost-effective, sustainable strategies for small projects that do not normally engage workplace consultants or designers. Users can better understand and select environmentally preferable solutions for renovations, alterations and leases.
One key feature is a three-dimensional (3D) interactive walkthrough of office interiors and material comparisons that prompts visitors to consider multiple aspects of office performance and suggests detailed material and system choices to help green the workplace. The website also features sustainable metrics, links to essential regulations and guidelines, case studies and an easy-to-navigate user interface. It provides useful information to meet and exceed sustainability mandates, including the Guiding Principles for Federal Leadership in High Performance and Sustainable Buildings and other mandates of Executive Order 13514.
Check out the Sustainable Facilities Tool.
AAMA Releases Voluntary Tornado Specifications
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has released a specification, AAMA 512-11,
Voluntary Specifications for Tornado Hazard Mitigating Fenestration Products, for testing and rating building components that may be exposed to tornados and similar extreme wind and rain conditions.
Learn more about the new standard.
ANSI Workshop Tackles
Small Business
Preparedness
On May 25, the American National Standards Institute Homeland Security Standards Panel (ANSI-HSSP) will host “Achieving Preparedness through Standards Implementation: Challenges and Opportunities for Small Businesses.” The workshop will focus on the unique needs of small businesses in preparing for unforeseen challenges.
Read about the workshop.
The OGC Seeks Participants for 3D Interoperability Experiment
On May 26, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is launching a three-dimensional (3D) Portrayal Interoperability Experiment (IE) addressing urban planning and landscape visualization. The deadline for participating is May 22.
Download the details.
Auburn Survey Looks at BIM to Streamline LEED Certification Process
Auburn University is looking for professionals involved in the design and construction of sustainable buildings to participate in a 10-15 minute survey. The purpose is to assess the feasibility of using building information models for performing sustainability analyses.
Take the questionnaire.
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