Make plans to join us for Building Innovation 2014 – the National Institute of Building Sciences second annual Conference and Expo. During this event, the Institute will celebrate its 40th anniversary as an advocate for the building industry and explore innovative solutions for Advancing Life-Cycle Performance. The weeklong event scheduled for January 6-10, 2014, in Washington, D.C., will include activities and information presented by the Institute's councils and committees. Sign up to receive Conference updates to stay informed.

Consultative Council to Release 2012 Report May 14

Each year, the National Institute of Building Sciences Consultative Council produces an Annual Report of findings and recommendations aimed at improving the built environment. As Congress struggles to balance numerous priorities, the Consultative Council recommendations reflect deliberations by leaders from across the building industry to improve building performance, implement effective codes and standards, increase resilience to hazards, and support multidisciplinary research and development. The Council will unveil the 2012 Report at a briefing, to be held May 14, from 9:30 to 11:00 am, in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Get the details.

Just one of a number of activities scheduled during High Performance Building Week (HPBW) 2013, the briefing is hosted by the High Performance Building Caucus and will include a welcome from Representatives David McKinley and Peter Welch, Co-Chairs of the Caucus. Ron King of the National Insulation Association and Immediate Past Chair of the Consultative Council, will moderate the event, which will include presentations from representatives of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the International Code Council (ICC), all of which are Consultative Council members. See the Briefing Agenda.

Hays Recognized as Vanderbilt Distinguished Alumni

The Vanderbilt University School of Engineering has inducted Steve M. Hays, PE, CIH, FAIHA, into its prestigious Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Chairman of the Board at Gobbell Hays Partners, Hays is a former chairman of the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors and the longest-ever appointed member to sit on its Board (from 1995 to 2012). Hays joins 56 other Distinguished Alumni members who have been honored by Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering. Read the release.

Summit Focuses on Off-Site Construction

Representatives from the off-site construction sector discuss opportunities for collaboration in research and outreach related to performance metrics. The group convened April 22 in Washington, D.C., for a Summit on Off-Site Construction hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Modular Building Institute.

Institute Exploring Lifelines Risk, Resilience Program Concept

The National Institute of Building Sciences is exploring the feasibility of a committee on Lifelines Risk/Resilience Measurement and Management. If established, the committee would be a national collaborative effort focused on improving security and resilience of lifeline infrastructures, metropolitan regions and state and local governments. The committee’s program would build on the ANSI/AWWA J100, a well-tested, SAFETY Act-designated national consensus standard method for infrastructure risk/resilience analysis and planning. The tool would be modified to address metropolitan regions and the interdependencies of their infrastructures. Implementation would be through an open-source, J100-certified tool, Program to Assist in Risk and Resilience Examination (PARRE), developed by AEM Corporation. Learn more about the Lifelines Risk and Resilience Measurement and Management Program.

BSSC Member Ballot Due in Two Weeks

In March, the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) sent the first group of ballot proposals for the 2014 National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) to member organizations. Member organizations have until Friday, May 13, 2013, to vote on the ballots, which, if approved, will become part of the 2014 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions For New Buildings and Other Structures. Learn more about the 2014 NEHRP Provisions update.

High-Performance Building Week is May 12-18

High-Performance Building Week (HPBW) is just two weeks away! Scheduled for May 12-18, 2013, and sponsored by the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC), this will be the fifth annual celebration of HPBW. HPBCCC and its member organizations, including the National Institute of Building Sciences, have a number of activities planned for the week in Washington, D.C. The Institute will release its 2012 Consultative Council Report the morning of May 14 at an HPBCCC briefing on Capitol Hill. That evening, the HPBCCC will host a reception to welcome the two new co-chairs of the High Performance Building Caucus, Representative David McKinley and Representative Peter Welch. Throughout the rest of the week, there will be meetings, tours and briefings. View the HPBW schedule.

Last Chance to Register in Advance for
2013 Sustainability Conference

This week is the last chance to register in advance for the 2013 International Concrete Sustainability Conference, scheduled for May 6-8 in San Francisco. Hosted by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA), a member of the National Institute of Building Sciences, this eighth annual sustainability conference will provide the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research and solutions for sustainable concrete manufacturing and construction. Experts will present on the latest developments related to design, specifying, manufacturing, testing, construction, maintenance and research of concrete as it relates to sustainable development. The Institute is a co-sponsor of the event, which will be held at the Hotel Sofitel San Francisco Bay, located in Redwood City, Calif. Register online, fax in a registration form or register on site. View the conference details.

buildingSMART^® International Releases IFC4

After 6 years of hard work and many review and quality assurance cycles, buildingSMART^® International has released the next generation of its flagship international standard, Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) – first as an International Data Model Standard, IFC4, and, second, as an International Standard, ISO 16739.

This marks the beginning of a new era for building information modeling (BIM) standardization. IFC is the foundational standard for data used in design, construction, facility maintenance and all other aspects of a building’s life cycle. It is an inherent component of the National BIM Standard-United States™. Though not used directly by the end user, IFC instead provides software developers, and thereby the entire industry, with a common international standard to use to standardize interoperability. IFC4, once implemented by software developers, will ultimately save hundreds of billions of dollars a year by eliminating the need for end users to re-create and re-enter information. IFC4 is the next edition of IFC 2x3 Version 2. Read the Release. Learn about IFC4.

Select Group of Software Vendors Comply with Certification 2.0

buildingSMART^® International (BSI) has announced the first group of software vendors to comply with Certification 2.0. Certification 2.0 is a comprehensive testing procedure that BSI uses to ensure that vendor software is in compliance with Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and does what it is purporting to do. Certification 2.0 is currently being used to certify compliance with IFC 2x3 Version 2 but will also be used to certify IFC Version 4 once software vendors have been able to incorporate that standard in their software.

Four software packages have been certified for export to date, including Autodesk Revit Architecture, Graphisoft Architecture, Nemetschek Allplan and Scia Engineer. In addition, 35 other software capabilities are currently undergoing the certification testing process. Find out more about Certification 2.0. See the list of software vendors participating in the certification process and an up-to-date list of those who have met the certification criteria.

UK Government, UK Construction Industry Receive Fiatech Award
for Use of BIM

Fiatech selected Her Majesty’s Government and the United Kingdom (UK) construction industry as recipients of its highest honor, the James B. Porter, Jr. Award for Technology Leadership. Her Majesty's Government has encouraged a whole sector approach to building information modeling (BIM) through the UK Government Construction Strategy, a four-year program that mandates collaborative BIM on all centrally procured projects by 2016, irrespective of value.

Her Majesty’s Government has created collaborative BIM processes, protocols and data sets for information management for the capital and delivery phases of construction projects using BIM. Additionally, BIM data are now being used for procurement transactions as well as to bridge delivery and operational life cycles. The Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie), which is part of the National BIM Standard-United States™, is among the arsenal of tools the UK Government is using for its BIM implementation effort. Find out more.

New Agreement Ensures Wall and Ceiling Industry
Is Represented in NBIMS-US™

The contractors, suppliers and manufacturers of acoustics systems, ceiling systems, drywall systems, exterior insulation and finishing systems, fireproofing, flooring systems, insulation and stucco are increasingly using building information modeling (BIM) in their work. To ensure the National BIM Standard-United States™ (NBIMS-US™) accurately references the needs of these allied trades, the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance™.

“Our Association is proud to be part of this far-reaching endeavor that serves to extend the benefits of technology standards to our Walls and Ceilings partners and their affiliates,” said AWCI Technical Director Lee Jones. Learn more about the AWCI MOA.

CERL, East Receive CETI Awards for
Bold Steps in Research and Development

Fiatech established the Celebration of Engineering & Technology Innovation (CETI) Awards to recognize significant achievements in technology research, development and implementation. In March, Dr. E. William (Bill) East and his employer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), were among nine honorees to receive 2012 CETI Awards.

East was recognized for his efforts during a 33-year career as a research civil engineer, which have resulted in methodologies and related software tools that solve long-standing, systemic design quality and project management challenges during a building’s life. He has provided numerous solutions for automating tasks that are now being adopted on national and international levels, including ProjNet^SM. East was instrumental in defining the methodology used to create the industry’s first national, facility life-cycle information exchange standards as part of the National Building Information Modeling Standard-United States™ (NBIMS-US™) Committee.

ERDC-CERL was honored for its work on the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie). The buildingSMART alliance™ NBIMS-US™ COBie standard is a breakthrough that allows building stakeholders to easily manage enormous quantities of facility and asset information during a building’s life. The COBie standard was developed as the latest innovation in ERDC-CERL’s ProjNet^SM suite of products. It uses a spreadsheet and is based on an open-source data exchange standard (ISO 16739). COBie recently has been successfully deployed in projects for NASA, the U.S. Department of State Overseas Building Operations for new embassies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters. Learn more about the Awards.

COBie Challenge for Facility Management Draws a Crowd at NFMT

Nearly 350 people attended the Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie) sessions, held March 12, 2013, at the National Facility Management and Technology Conference (NFMT2013) in Baltimore, Maryland. This year, the NFMT program included a trilogy of sessions focused on the COBie Challenge theme and the importance of facility management data to support decision making. A separate session addressed the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide^® and historic preservation. In addition, the Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee meeting included a presentation on the new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Program. The 2013 COBie Challenge for Facility Management closed with the presentation of vendor results. Seven facility management software vendors were in attendance. See who participated. View the results.