Three Ways to Save: Building Innovation 2014

Take advantage of these three ways to save when attending Building Innovation 2014 — the National Institute of Building Sciences Second Annual Conference & Expo, to be held January 6-10, 2014, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. One: Save on Registration. Online Conference registration ends December 31, 2013, at midnight EST. Register now to save $100 or more off onsite registration! Two: Save on Hotel Accommodations. The Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, located at 2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007, is the location of the Conference and the most convenient place to stay. A special discount rate of $179 is available for Conference attendees who reserve their room by Sunday, December 15, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. Be sure to mention the National Institute of Building Sciences and "Building Innovation 2014" when making reservations to secure the discounted room rate. Make your reservations online or call 202-328-2000 or 877-212-5752. Three: Save on Local Transportation. Attendees planning to fly into Washington, D.C., for the Conference are also eligible to receive a discount on transportation to and from local area airports. SuperShuttle and ExecuCar are offering Building Innovation 2014 attendees shuttle service at a discounted rate. Get $2 off one-way and $5 off round trips on the shared SuperShuttle and 10% off all fares on the ExecuCar. To receive your discount, make your reservation online, or call 1-800-BLUE-VAN (258-3826). Be sure to mention the group code "MRGWY" to receive the Building Innovation 2014 discount.

Ayers Elected to National Academy of Construction

The National Academy of Construction (NAC) elected National Institute of Building Sciences Board Member Stephen T. Ayers as a member of its 2013 class. Ayers, who has served as Architect of the Capitol since 2010, was recognized by the NAC for transforming project delivery processes at the U.S. Capitol and caring for the nation’s historic treasures through inspired leadership, extraordinary vision and personal commitment. The NAC is composed of engineers, construction users, designers, constructors, consultants, attorneys, sureties and academics in the industry. Membership in the Academy, one of the most elite organizations in the construction industry, is by invitation only upon nomination and election by the full membership. The 2013 class includes 25 new inductees selected from more than 250 industry leaders considered during the NAC’s rigorous nomination and election process. Ayers was inducted October 20 during the NAC Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. Learn more about the 2013 NAC class.

Participants Wanted to Develop
Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines Job Task Analyses

The National Institute of Building Sciences Commercial Workforce Credentialing Council (CWCC) is seeking qualified practitioners to assist in the development of job task analyses for the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines, a set of voluntary national guidelines to improve the quality and consistency of commercial building workforce training and certification programs. As the industry coordination body, the CWCC, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is looking for a broad range of current industry practitioners to participate in a job-task analysis study for the following five energy-related job categories: Building Energy Auditor, Building Commissioning Professional, Building Operations Professional, Energy Manager and Facility Manager (for Government Facilities). Applications and nominations are due Tuesday, December 4, 2013. Read the release.

Institute Commends White House on Effort to Address Impacts of Climate Change

The National Institute of Building Sciences commends the White House on a new Executive Order to address the impact of climate change. On November 1, President Barack Obama released the Executive Order, “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change.” The Order calls for the establishment of an interagency Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience; examination of existing federal programs for opportunities to address climate change-related risks; and providing data, information and risk-based decision support tools to assist government and the private sector in preparing for the impacts of climate change. In a letter addressed to the co-chairs of the newly established Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA outlined the importance of mitigation activities. Learn more.

Get a Glimpse into the 7th Dimension: Building Innovation 2014 Keynote to Address Life-Cycle Performance in 7D

Each day of Building Innovation 2014 will include a Keynote Luncheon that highlights a different perspective from the building industry. On Thursday, January 9, the topic will be “Life-Cycle Analysis – A 7D Future,” presented by Bob Prieto. Find out how complex replaces simple, dynamic replaces static, uncertainty replaces certainty in Prieto’s presentation about the seventh dimension (7D) of building information. Prieto will explain how the capital asset industry is being driven to new performance regimes by growing complexities, a focus on sustainability, longer asset lifetimes, uncertain futures and emerging resiliency requirements. Don’t miss the chance to hear Bob Prieto during the Building Innovation 2014 Thursday Keynote Luncheon sponsored by Acuity Brands. Find out more.

CEC launches North American Green Building Library

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) launched its new online library of green building resources this week, which features close to 400 publications, databases and articles.

Ryan Colker, National Institute of Building Sciences Presidential Advisor and Director of the Institute’s Consultative Council, serves on the CEC’s task force. This online resource is one of several initiatives that the CEC and its task force of trilateral experts on green building have carried out as part of the CEC’s work to improve conditions for green building construction in North America. To access news and analysis of green building construction in the North American region and beyond, from green policy initiatives and financing models to training materials and integrated design approaches, visit the North American Green Building Library.

NBIMS-US™ Contributor Robert "Bob" Smith, PhD, Dies

Active member and committee participant Robert “Bob” Smith, PhD, passed away in his sleep on October 31. Bob was a member of the Institute’s buildingSMART alliance™ (bSa) and participated actively on the National BIM Standard-United States (NBIMS-US™) Project Committee. As a volunteer, he freely contributed his knowledge and insights on the Implementation Subcommittee for NBIMS-US™ V2 and the Terminology Subcommittee for NBIMS-US™ V3. Bob co-authored and sponsored the Building-Life Cycle BIM Ontology Project, which was approved by the bSa Executive Committee. Continue reading.

NCS Ballot Voting Period Now Open
Runs through January 15

The voting period to weigh in on the nation’s leading computer-aided design (CAD) standard is now open. Members of the Project Committee for the United States National CAD Standard® (NCS) are called to vote during the voting period, which runs from November 19, 2013, through January 15, 2014. There are an unprecedented 255 amendments on the ballot for NCS Version 6 (V6). Users who own NCS Version 5 and are eligible members of the NCS Project Committee are asked to participate in the NCS V6 development process. Only members who have been on the Project Committee for at least 84 days prior to the opening of the ballot voting period are eligible to vote. Eligible members who fail to vote will lose their membership on the NCS Project Committee. The ballot voting period closes January 15. Read the NCS announcement.

The comment period on the nation’s building information modeling (BIM) standard is now open. Members of the National BIM Standard – United States® (NBIMS-US™) Version 3 (V3) Project Committee have until December 27 to provide input on the NBIMS-US™ V3 ballot items reviewed and vetted by the NBIMS-US Technical, Standard Practice and Terminology Subcommittees.

Participants submitted 41 ballot items for inclusion in the NBIMS-US™ V3, including seven Information Exchange ballot items, six of which were approved and one was rejected; 11 Reference Standard ballot items, all of which were approved; 12 Standard Practice ballot items, four of which were approved or approved as noted, three rejected and five withdrawn; and 11 Terminology/Glossary ballot items, six of which were approved and five withdrawn. The ballots are now ready for Project Committee review and comments. Read the announcement.

January 2014 Challenge puts
Newest BIM Information Exchange Standards to the Test

The buildingSMART alliance™ (bSa), in conjunction with the Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee, spearheads the IE Working Group. This meeting, which is free and open to the public, is where participants will present the latest progress and the Working Group will set the course of information exchange development for the year. Information exchange standards are intended to streamline the delivery of building information through the life of capital projects. To see the testing of information exchange standards in action, don’t miss the January 2014 buildingSMART alliance Challenge!

NBIMS-US™ Project Committee Members to Present
at Autodesk University

Fortune, who is BIM/IT Director at Bullock Tice Associates, serves on both the NBIMS-US PC and the United States National CAD Standard® (NCS) PC, and chairs the NCS BIM AdHoc Task Team. Christian, who is VDC Lead Vertical Designer at Kiewit Corporation, chairs the NBIMS-US Standard Practice Subcommittee (SPS) and is secretary of the NBIMS Planning Committee. Grady, who is BIM Manager at CRB, serves on both the NBIMS-US SPS and the NBIMS-US Product Development Subcommittee. All of the speakers serve on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BIM Committee. See the course description.

Take Advantage of FEMP's Free Training to Earn IACET CEUs

The Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is now an authorized provider of continuing education units (CEUs) recognized by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). FEMP's IACET accreditation demonstrates high-quality training that supports the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act. FEMP partners with the National Institute of Building Sciences to offer FEMP E-Learning Courses and First Thursday Seminars on the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide®. WBDG currently hosts more than 30 FEMP courses. Read the release. Take a FEMP course.