Building Innovation 2013 Conference Recap
 The calm before the storm at Building Innovation 2013. Monday morning, before registration opens, the exhibit hall is empty. It would later be full of hundreds attendees and exhibitors. More than 560 attendees took part in the Institute's inaugural conference exceeded expectations.
To say the inaugural Building Innovation 2013: National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference and Expo, held January 7-11, 2013, at the Marriott Washington at Metro Center in Washington, D.C., exceeded expectations would be an understatement. With 562 attendees, 97 presenters, 37 sponsors, 20 committee and council meetings, 15 exhibitors, eight symposia, four keynote speakers, two receptions and a banquet, the week-long event often filled the room capacity of the hotel venue. Focused on Improving Resiliency through High Performance, the conference brought together a wide range of experts in a variety of fields to address the latest building industry advancements and offer real-world solutions for improving security, disaster preparedness, performance, sustainability, information resources and technologies for our nation's buildings and infrastructure. Here's a quick recap of the week's activities.
Institute Welcomes 2013 Board, Says Farewell to Retiring Directors
The National Institute of Building Sciences welcomes a number of new members to its Board of Directors this January and says goodbye to retiring directors.
Joseph Donovan, the Honorable Stephen Ayers, Cindy Davis, Joy Marshall Ortiz and Richard Hayter are the newest members of the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors.
Three members are retiring from the Board: John F. Bender, Emory R. Rodgers and Jim. W. Sealy. Learn more about the 2013 Board of Directors.
Institute Honors 2012 Award Winners
Each year, the National Institute of Building Sciences recognizes individuals and organizations that have provided outstanding service to the Institute, the building community and the nation. The 2012 recipients included the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA), Tom Gay, The American Institute of Architects and Steve Hays.
The Institute issues a call to industry for nominations to identify potential award recipients. In the summer of 2012, the Awards Committee reviewed the submissions and selected winners from the nominees, based on how their work meets the mission, objectives and goals of the Institute. Find out about the 2012 winners.
Save the Date: Building Innovation 2014 
Make plans now to be there as the National Institute of Building Sciences celebrates its 40th anniversary and explores innovative solutions for Advancing Life-Cycle Performance during their second annual conference and expo. Building Innovation 2014 is scheduled to take place January 6-10, 2014, at the Marriott Washington Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. Find out more and sign up for updates.
Institute Hosts SABIT Delegation Focused on Energy Efficiency
Richard Paradis provides a delegaton of international construction professionals with a virtual tour of the WBDG website.
The Institute has become a favorite destination for delegates of the Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) Program. This program of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration builds partnerships and provides technical assistance by training Eurasian business leaders in U.S. business practices. Most recently, on January 16, the Institute hosted a delegation from the SABIT Energy Efficiency in Construction Group Program. The group consisted of 17 directors of companies and organizations from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.
Earle Kennett, Institute Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, provided an overview of all Institute programs, while Richard Paradis, Director of the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide, provided a virtual tour of the WBDG, with a particular focus on the energy conservation and sustainable design resources available on the site.
This is the fourth SABIT delegation hosted by the Institute over the last two years. With the positive response from all sides, all indications predict that future SABIT delegations will earmark the Institute as a ‘must see’ on their U.S. visits.
Congratulations on a Distinguished Career
Institute President Henry L. Green (left) and Chairman RK Stewart (right) present Bob Neary with a plaque in recognition of his distinguished service. Neary, who is retiring after 42 years with the Veterans Administration, has served in two key positions at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As Acting Executive Director, Office of Construction & Facilities Management, he was responsible for managing many of the Department of Veterans Affairs capital asset programs including: major construction, leasing, and architectural and engineering policy and advice. As the Director of the Office of Operations for CFM, Neary directed a multi-disciplined professional staff with the knowledge and experience to respond rapidly to Veterans Health Administration, National Cemetery Administration, and Veterans Benefits Administration requests for assistance on a broad range of design and construction problems, from details to Facility Condition Assessments for entire networks. Neary's responsibility for design and construction of VA's major construction program covered an $11.0 billion inventory of active projects across the country and included the acquisition, management, and disposal of real property assets for VA nationwide.
Institute staff has worked with Neary for most of the last quarter of his service to VA. The Institute recognizes his commitment to improving all phases of building planning, design, and construction and our nation's built environment.
SBIC Honors 2012 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Award Winners
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) celebrated the winners of the 2012 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Awards at a luncheon held in their honor January 10, during Building Innovation 2013. The Beyond Green™ Awards recognize those initiatives that shape, inform and catalyze the high-performance building market, as well as the real-world application of high-performance design and construction practices. The annual awards program is open to all who apply. Read the full story. See photos of the 2012 winners.
Call for Papers for Airtightness Workshop
Abstracts Due Feb. 8
The National Institute of Building Sciences Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC); the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC); and TightVent Building and Ductwork Airtightness Platform have issued a call for papers for the AIVC Airtightness Workshop/Third TightVent Workshop on Building and Ductwork Airtightness. With the theme, Design. Implementation, Control and Durability: Feedback from Practice and Perspectives, the workshop will be held April 18-19, 2013, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. View the call for papers.
Representatives Recognized for Work to
Advance High-Performance Buildings
Representative Russ Carnahan (center) addresses the audience at the Institute's Annual Awards Dinner, upon receiving a plaque from Get Moy (far right), Chairman of the High Performance Building Council (HPBC), and Doug Read (second from right), Chairman of the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (HPBCCC), for his service to advance the cause of high-performance buildings. Also shown are Institute President Henry L. Green (left) and Institute Chairman RK Stewart.
Congressman Carnahan, a Democrat, and Congresswoman Judy Biggert, a Republican, who was not present at the event, co-chaired the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus (HPBCC). Together, they worked to educate Congress on the benefits of high-performance buildings, sponsoring monthly educational events on a variety of high-performance building related topics. The two distinguished members of the 112th Congress were not re-elected, but their legacy and commitment to this important cause will continue.
"This is one of the things that I did in Congress that was the most fun," said Carnahan, upon accepting his plaque. "You've been doing it since before it was cool."
Registration Open for the AIVC Airtightness Workshop
Register now for the AIVC Airtightness Workshop/Third TightVent Workshop on Building and Ductwork Airtightness scheduled for April 18-19, 2013, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The workshop will highlight the latest developments in sealing techniques; durability; test methods and analyses; and challenges and solutions for high-rise buildings, as well as programs and networking activities that address airtightness issues. Attend this workshop to hear answers to those important airtightness questions: How should airtightness be specified and controlled? How does airtightness change with time; how can one assess and minimize this; and how does that affect the building's overall performance over its lifetime? What are the limits of today's solutions in high-rise buildings? View the workshop schedule of events. Register now. Find out about exhibiting.
Discussing the Building Science Behind High-Performance Homes
Institute President Henry L. Green (on stage, left) and Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) FORTIFIED Program Manager Fred Malik answer questions following a standing-room only presentation on building sciences for high-performance homes. The two gave the session during the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders Show last week in Las Vegas. The presentation is available for download.
AIA, NIBS Launch Building Research Information Knowledgebase
Digital Library Will Serve as Repository for Peer-Reviewed Research
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) have developed the Building Research Information Knowledgebase (BRIK), an interactive portal offering free online access to peer-reviewed research projects and case studies in all facets of the built environment, from pre-design through occupancy and reuse. With contributions from government agencies, architecture firms, academics and research groups, the initial online offering will focus on healthcare facilities, learning environments and high-performance building types and contain 500 different reports. Learn more about BRIK.
NBIMS-US Project Committee Establishes V3 Teams
The Project Committee for the nation's building information modeling (BIM) standard has established the subcommittees and workgroups for development of the third edition of the standard. The National BIM Standard-United States™ Version 3 Project Committee has created six Subcommittees and is planning for six Workgroups. View the Subcommittee and Workgroup member lists.
IEEE Awards Paradis Lifetime Membership
  Richard Paradis, Program Director for the Whole Building Design Guide and a number of other Institute projects, received exciting news January 1. He was awarded lifetime membership with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). IEEE is the world's largest professional association for the advancement of technology. The association is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Paradis has been an IEEE member for more than 40 years. He joins an esteemed group. Less than 7% of the IEEE 400,000 members are life members.
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