Building Sciences E-Newsletter - National Institute of Building Sciences

Operations and Maintenance for Historic Structures
Using historic structures can inherently clash with preserving them. Codes, accessibility, life safety and other needs can conflict with a historic structure's character-defining features. This section helps professionals address these challenges.

Journal of Building Information Modeling (JBIM)

Journal of Building Enclosure Design (JBED)

February 2011

Institute Applauds Obama for Better Buildings Initiative

The National Institute of Building Sciences applauds the Obama Administration on the announcement of its Better Buildings Initiative. On February 3, following on his call for action in the State of the Union speech, President Obama announced a plan to improve the energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020. The Institute, through its councils, projects and other activities, strongly supports the development of energy-efficient, high-performance buildings. It has a multi-faceted and coordinated program to support the advancement and delivery of high-performance buildings. Find out more about the Institute and the Better Buildings Initiative.

Delegation Gets a “Prime” View in Zurich

Members of a U.S. delegation visit the Prime Tower, a building under construction in Zurich, Switzerland. The guests of the Swiss government, including Institute President Henry L. Green, met with leaders, discussed policy issues and visited facilities during a week-long tour of the country. Read the story.

U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Slated for October 13

Each year, the U.S. standards community celebrates the important role standards play in the economy. This year’s theme, "Advancing Safety and Sustainability Standards Worldwide," recognizes the crucial role of standards, codes and conformity assessment in assuring the health and safety of people and the environment, both today and for future generations. Standardization speeds innovation, facilitates harmonized trade, and boosts consumer and government confidence in products, services, systems and processes. The annual reception and dinner will be held October 13 in Washington, D.C. The Institute is a member of the event planning committee. Learn more about the event.

Institute Staff Visits ASTM Headquarters

Institute President Henry L. Green (center left) and Presidential Advisor Ryan Colker (center right) visit with representatives at ASTM International Headquarters in West Conshohocken, Pa., to discuss programs and opportunities to work together. ASTM is a globally recognized leader in the development of international voluntary consensus standards, with 12,000 ASTM standards in use around the world. Pictured from left: ASTM Director of Public Policy and International Trade Anthony Quinn, ASTM Vice President of Technical Committee Operations Katherine Morgan; ASTM President Jim Thomas, Henry Green, Ryan Colker, ASTM Director of Developmental Operations Pat Picariello, and ASTM Manager of Technical Committee Operations Steve Mawn.

Berman among Magazine’s “Federal 100” for 2011

Eric Berman, Hazus project manager at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has ranked among the top “Federal 100” for 2011, as compiled by Federal Computer Week magazine. The Federal 100 Awards recognize government and industry leaders who have played pivotal roles in the federal government’s information technology (IT) community. Each year, the magazine’s readers nominate those individuals who have gone above and beyond their daily responsibilities to make a difference in the way technology has transformed their agency or accelerated their agency’s mission. Berman has had a long-standing relationship with the Institute and Hazus, a software program that allows communities to model hazardous events to better prepare for mitigation efforts. He and the other winners will receive their awards in March at a gala in Washington, D.C. Learn about the awards.

New Reports Set a Path to Net-Zero-Energy Commercial Buildings

The Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium (ZECBC) has released two new reports, Next Generation Technologies: Barriers and Industry Recommendations for Commercial Buildings and Analysis of Cost & Non-Cost Barriers and Policy Solutions for Commercial Buildings. Commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the reports highlight the need for new approaches in technology research and deployment, holistic building design and financing as critical elements to further advance energy efficiency in the commercial buildings sector.

An industry consortium of leading national organizations, ZECBC identifies barriers and makes recommendations to industry stakeholders for achieving net-zero-energy commercial buildings. The National Institute of Building Sciences serves on its steering committee. Download the reports.

The Daily Energy Report Article Highlights Integrated Building Design

A recent article in The Daily Energy Report, written by Institute Program Director Richard Paradis, focuses on using integrated design to reach energy reduction goals. The article, “Integrated Building Design is Critical for Optimizing Energy Efficiency,” emphasizes the importance of using a whole building design approach to achieve high-performance buildings.

In reaching the goal of net zero energy use by 2030, Paradis writes, “….We cannot achieve these stringent energy conservation goals by continuing to design buildings and systems the way we did in the past, where the architect, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer independently, in isolation from each other, designed their part of the building using long-standing rules of thumb.” Read the article.

Winnipeg to Host Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology

The Manitoba Building Envelope Council (MBEC) will host the 13th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology May 10-13 in Winnipeg. This biennial conference (a sister conference to the BEST Conference series) provides professionals with a forum to share practical building science research, knowledge and field experience. This year’s event will emphasize innovations and ideas still under development and illustrate how techniques and technology have helped to move the building science industry forward to where it is now and into the future. More than ever, the industry is being challenged to meet higher standards, use greener technologies, devise new sustainable solutions and design highly efficient buildings. Presentations will address how these goals affect research as well as current and future practices. For more information on topics being discussed, keynote speakers and for registration information, visit the website.

NFMT Place to Be for BIM, FM, WBDG, FMOC, COBie and SPie

Institute friends are invited to attend the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference and Expo (NFMT) for FREE. The event will be held March 15-17 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md.

NFMT has a comprehensive curriculum of 120 sessions, including educational sessions on building informational modeling (BIM), sustainable facilities management (FM) and whole building design. Seminars of interest include: The Many Faces of BIM, Developing a Workforce Strategy for Sustainable Facilities Management and the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG). Don’t miss the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) Case Study & Help Desk scheduled for March 16 or the Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee meeting on March 17. See the list of Institute activities.

NCEF Report Highlights Federal Spending in School Facilities

The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) has released a new report, Federal Spending on PK-12 School Facilities, a companion piece to the earlier report, State Spending on PK-12 School Facilities, made available in January. The new report, developed by the 21st Century School Fund with support from the Clearinghouse, examines funding for elementary and secondary public education facility construction and modernization. Read the report.

Construction FutureTech Examines IT Business, Design Issues

An upcoming industry conference, hosted by McGraw-Hill Construction’s Engineering News-Record (ENR), brings together business and information technology (IT) leaders in architecture, engineering and construction to examine the business and design issues driving advanced systems. The Construction FutureTech Conference is scheduled for April 6 in New York City. Speakers will discuss how applying cutting-edge technologies can give firms a competitive advantage and add overall profitability. Early adopters will confer how they are leveraging improvements in business processes and engineering data coordinating and exchange to accomplish projects. The National Institute of Building Sciences is a supporting sponsor of the event. Therefore, Institute members receive $200 off the standard rate and pay only $295 to attend. Register.

The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.

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