Back to Projects List

WHOLE BUILDING DESIGN GUIDE (WBDG):

WBDG is a comprehensive, internet-based portal to a wide range of federal and private sector, building-related guidance, criteria & technology.  It creatively links information across traditional professional disciplines to encourage integrated thinking and a “whole building” performance.  Users can access WBDG information via: 1) Design Guidance, 2) Project Management, 3) Operation and Maintenance, and 4) Mandates/References.  Through the categories, users are directed to topical resource pages prepared by industry/government experts.  These pages provide information and links to federal and private criteria on the particular subject.  The WBDG’s goal, “...to provide a web portal for the uniform access and use of facility information in a knowledge based management environment,” is achieved by providing users of the portal a single point access to public and private sector criteria through the Construction Criteria Base (CCB) library.  Since the Whole Building Design Guide was inaugurated in 2001, its usage has grown to approximately 1.9 million unique visitors annually, and more than 1.6 million documents are downloaded per month. The following services, programs and guidelines are also found on the WBDG portal:

• CONSTRUCTION CRITERIA BASE (CCB)  www.wbdg.org/ccb/ccb.php  - CCB is a comprehensive online library of over 10,000 design criteria, other construction documents and executable programs from federal and private organizations.  CCB brings together guide specifications, technical & design manuals, and much more, from a single online source, the WBDG.

• BUILDING ENVELOPE DESIGN GUIDE  www.wbdg.org/design/env_introduction.php - Under guidance from the Federal Envelope Advisory Committee, NIBS has developed the Building Envelope Design Guide.  The new resource on the WBDG is a comprehensive guide for exterior envelope design and construction for institutional/office buildings.  Though specifically intended for Federal Government agency projects, the information in the guidelines is also applicable to many privately developed projects–whether of a commercial or institutional nature–which are essentially similar in use and construction to equivalent government structures.

• WBDG CONTINUING EDUCATION www.wbdg.org/education - Under the guidance of the WBDG Education Subcommittee, NIBS has developed eight continuing education distance learning courses.  The courses are targeted towards architects, engineers and facility owners/managers seeking greater proficiency in the concepts of the “whole building” approach to design, required to obtain continuing education credits to maintain professional licenses.  The WBDG CES program is a source of AIA learning units for licensed architects.  The courses offer introductory and specific applications for design objectives, building types, and operations and maintenance.  The program released in December 2007 is available on the WBDG.

• PROJNET^SM  www.wbdg.org/tools/projnet.php?c=1 - Project extranet (ProjNet^SM) is an internet-based service that allows the secure exchange and processing of design and construction information among authorized business partners.  ProjNet offers a suite of tools to manage owner-related business processes including design reviews, bidder inquiry, requests for information and construction submittals reviews. ProjNet facilitates the formal oversight, control, review, management, and secure exchange of complex project documents among and between all project stakeholders.

• TOTAL BUILDING COMMISSIONING (TBC)  www.wbdg.org/project/buildingcomm.php - TBC is an industry-wide program to develop a comprehensive set of building system commissioning guidelines.  TBC is the systematic process of ensuring that the performance of the facility and its major systems meet the design intent and the owner/occupant functional and operational needs.  The program’s goals are: 1) effective documentation of owner performance requirements; 2) effective documentation of design intent; 3) identify & perform tests that show the building and its systems function as required, and 4) to provide a comprehensive and appropriate basis for the training of building operators.  NIBS and ASHRAE have developed Guideline 0-2005: The Commissioning Process. ASHRAE is currently developing Guideline 1: HVAC Systems and NIBS has released Guideline 3-2006: Exteriro Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process based on Guideline 0.

• MECHANICAL INSULATION DESIGN GUIDE  www.wbdg.org/design/midg.php - The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) through the National Mechanical Insulation Committee (NMIC) has developed the Mechanical Insulation Design Guide (MIDG) to provide a comprehensive source of information on the performance, use, testing and standardization of mechanical insulation in buildings and industrial facilities. MIDG will assist specifiers and users of mechanical insulation in the design and specification of mechanical insulation systems for a wide range of applications. MIDG, like WBDG, is an evolving web-based resource that is continually augmented with updated and new information and is structured as a “vertical portal”, enabling users to access increasingly specific information on mechanical insulation. The MIDG was launched January 7, 2008.