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April 6
Construction FutureTech Conference
New York, NY
April 6-7
AAMA Western Region
2011 Spring Meeting
Tempe, AZ
April 7
FEMP First Thursday Seminar
April 12-14
2011
Energy Efficiency Global Forum
Brussels, Belgium
April 12-15
ABC EdCon & Expo
San Antonio, TX
April 18-20
Green California Summit
Sacramento, CA
Special discount of 20% for NIBS members with promo code "NIBS" (all caps)
April 20-21
Green IT Summit
Washington, DC
April 21
ASHRAE Webcast: "Ground Source Heat Pump Systems - Putting the
Earth to Work for You"
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 25-28
EDRA42 Chicago
Chicago, IL
June 5-8
North American Masonry Conference
Minneapolis, MN
June 10-13
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
Journal of Building Information Modeling (JBIM)
Journal of Building Enclosure Design (JBED)
NEW
Journal of Advanced and High-Performance Materials
(JMAT)
NEW Journal of Hazard Mitigation and Risk Assessment (JHAZ)
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March 2011 |
Institute Sees Japanese Disaster as Wake-Up Call for the United States
Nation's Communities Are Vulnerable
The effects of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami last week will be felt for years to come. The National Institute of Building Sciences urges the United States to take this tragedy as a wake-up call to ramp up this nation’s preparedness efforts.
“The tragedy in Japan is a harsh reminder that our communities and citizens need to be more proactive in preparing for potential disasters,” said Chairman Jim. W. Sealy, FAIA, of the Institute’s Board of Directors. “... It’s important that people and jurisdictions examine the potential risks for their area of the country, prepare for the realistic possibility of a disaster and take steps to reinforce their homes and businesses as needed to protect their families and communities.”
View the full story.
Special Ecobuild Exhibitor Packages Available for Institute Members
Though it still seems far away, things are ramping up here for the 2011 National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Meeting. Scheduled for December 5-9 in Washington, D.C., the event will be held in conjunction with the Ecobuild America Conference at the Washington Convention Center. It is a great opportunity for product manufacturers and service providers to reach Institute members and the wider building community. Ecobuild America is offering a special package especially for members of the Institute.
Become an exhibitor today.
World Standards Day Paper Theme Announced
Get those pens ready. The U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee (of which the Institute is a member) and the Society for Standards Professions (SES) have announced the 2011 World Standards Day paper competition. This year’s theme is “Advancing Safety and Sustainability Standards Worldwide.” Winners will receive cash prizes of up to $2,500. Winning papers will appear in the SES journal,
Standards Engineering. The deadline for paper submissions is August 12.
Read the rules.
Inaugural JHAZ Focuses on Building Resilience
  The inaugural issue of the Journal of Hazard Mitigation and Risk Assessment (JHAZ) addresses a subject especially relevant to recent events: building to mitigate risk. The new journal from the National Institute of Building Sciences, under the sponsorship of its Multihazard Mitigation Council, focuses on decreasing the nation’s losses from disaster events while also promoting community preparedness, sustainability and resilience.
Read more about this free online periodical.
FEMA Publishes Introduction to NEHRP Provisions
Understanding the basis for the seismic regulations is important to many people outside the technical community. To help the general public understand the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released
Earthquake-Resistant Design Concepts: An Introduction to the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures.
The 2009 edition of the Provisions (FEMA P-750), compiled by the Building Seismic Safety Council, and the building codes and consensus standards based on its recommendations are highly technical documents intended primarily for use by design professionals. The new
Introduction to the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions is intended to provide individuals without a technical background with a readily understandable explanation of the intent of earthquake-resistant design and requirements of the Provisions.
Learn more about the new publication.
2014 Provisions Update Committee Meets
The Provisions Update Committee (PUC), the body responsible for updating the
NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, met in California March 22-23 to review progress on developing the 2014 edition. The agenda included briefings on the February earthquake in New Zealand, the Japan earthquake/tsunami, simplified seismic design procedures and several other topics. The group also resolved the PUC ballot comments on adoption of ASCE/SEI 7-10
Minimum Design Loads of Buildings and Other Structures as the primary reference standard for the 2014 Provisions. The group plans to meet again in mid-September.
See what the PUC is doing.
NIST Releases Report of Sofa Super Store Fire
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released its final report on the
June 18, 2007, fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charlestown, S.C. That fire trapped and killed nine firefighters, the highest number of firefighter deaths in a single event since 9/11. Based on the findings, the study team made 11 recommendations for enhancing building, occupant and firefighter safety nationwide.
Read the NIST release.
FEMA Releases Paper on Japan Earthquake, Tsunami
Michael Mahoney, a geophysicist at FEMA NEHRP and a Coordinating Committee member of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP), has written a paper on the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The paper,
The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami and What They Mean for the U.S., compares in depth the building codes used in Japan and the United States and addresses what could happen if a similar event were to occur in the United States.
Read the FEMA document.
BETEC Board Ballots Are Due April 15
Calling all Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) members. Completed ballots for
the BETEC Board of Direction are due this Friday, April 15.
At BETEC’s December 2010 meeting, the board voted to nominate three people for election to the BETEC Board: Ann Kosmal, AIA, LEED-AP, Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, Public Buildings Service, GSA, Washington, D.C.; Robert A. Magoon, Jr., RA, LEED-AP, Project Manager, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.; and Whitney Okon, Assoc. AIA, Applied Building Sciences, Charleston, S.C.
BETEC members, vote now.
Institute Honors Vijay Gupta on his Retirement
Earle Kennett presents Vijay Gupta with an American flag, which flew over the U.S. Capitol in Gupta’s honor.
Some 50 friends, colleagues and family members joined Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, and
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Earle Kennett March 11 to celebrate the retirement of Vijay Gupta, PE, FASHRAE, former chief mechanical engineer, Office of Design and Construction Programs of the U.S. General Service Administration’s Public Buildings Service. The Institute hosted a luncheon at the City Club Franklin Square in Washington, D.C., in honor of Gupta’s 35 years of dedicated GSA service. Institute representatives presented him with a certificate of appreciation and an American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol in his honor. Gupta’s friends also presented him with a reproduction of Robert Birks’ iconic bronze bust of John F. Kennedy, Gupta’s hero and a main driver in his decision to adopt the United States as his homeland in 1962. The Institute wishes Vijay Gupta and his family many more happy years together and hopes to glean his advice and wise counsel from time to time on future projects.
Help to Shape NBIMS Version 2
It is not too late to help shape the National BIM Standard – United States™
(NBIMS-US). The NBIMS Project Committee is still accepting ballots. After
ratifying the Rules of Governance, the committee began accepting ballots to the
NBIMS on March 7 and will continue to accept submissions until May 2. To build
the broadest consensus possible, NBIMS needs representation from across the
building industry. The best way to ensure the standard represents all industry
perspectives is to submit a ballot. Ballots can include proposed changes to
existing text, new text, new sections or even new standards.
Get
involved on the Project Committee.
Beyond Green™ Awards Recognize High-Performance Building
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council announced the results of its 2010 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Awards last month. Two events in Washington, D.C. showcased the winners. The first, held in partnership with the High-Performance Buildings Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC), occurred on Capitol Hill. The second event was hosted at the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture. Magnify Credit Union, which received top honors, and the other recognized projects will appear as case studies on the Whole Building Design Guide website, be featured on the SBIC website and used in SBIC educational programs. The 2010 jury, which was comprised of industry members, included Institute Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Earle Kennett.
View the award winners.
What's On WBDG: Whole Building Design Guide
Highlighting Educational Facilities
 
Educational facilities are becoming
increasingly specialized. For example, classrooms intended for preschoolers are
fundamentally different from those that best serve high school seniors or the
training of mid-career professionals. Today, even the traditional idea of
"classroom" as an instructor-focused learning space is changing. Information
about a range of educational facility types is available on WBDG:
Child Development Centers including preschool and day-care;
Elementary, including K through 8th grade;
Secondary, including high school and junior college; and
Training Facility, including computer centers and teleconference facilities.
Copyright Implications of Consensus Voluntary Standards in Regulation
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has released a white paper to help educate U.S. standards developers, government officials, and other stakeholders about the importance of copyright in standards. The paper examines the copyright implications of incorporating voluntary consensus standards by reference into regulations and discusses the significance of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-119.
View the white paper.
EERI Sends Team to New Zealand to Bring Back Lessons
The U.S.-based Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) traveled to New Zealand March 9 to document the effects of the 6.3 earthquake that struck Christchurch February 22. The team will bring back lessons for U.S. practice and academia. The team is organized under the auspices of EERI’s Learning from Earthquakes Program, which has sent reconnaissance teams to investigate hundreds of damaging earthquakes over the past forty years.
Read the EERI release.
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