Building Innovation 2015 Conference & Expo Coming in January:
Reserve Your Space Now

Your opportunity to interact with building industry professionals and stakeholders seeking the latest information on building science, technology and ways to collaborate to improve the built environment happens in nine months. Building Innovation 2015: The National Institute of Building Sciences Conference & Expo is set for January 12-15, 2015, in Washington, D.C. You are invited to sponsor and/or exhibit as we explore innovative solutions for Creating High-Performing Resilient Communities. The Institute’s third annual event provides affordable opportunities to show your support for your industry and build awareness of your organization’s positive contributions to the building community. To find out more about sponsorship, exhibitor and advertising opportunities, download the event prospectus. Visit the Conference website for more information on the event.

Industry Proposes Innovative Method for Implementing Green Construction Code

Representatives from across the building industry have come together under the leadership of the National Institute of Building Sciences to develop a new approach to meeting energy efficiency requirements. This “Outcome-based Pathway,” which the group submitted as a proposed code change to the International Green Construction Code (IgCC), appears in the monograph of IgCC proposed changes that the International Code Council released Friday, March 15, for public review. The proposed code change will be heard by the IgCC Energy/Water Committee during the International Code Council’s Committee Action Hearings, to be held this April 27 through May 4, in Memphis, Tennessee. See what it covers.

Job Task Analysis Workshop Focuses on Government Facilities

Attendees hold a brainstorming session about job duties during the Energy Performance and Sustainability in Government Facilities Job Task Analysis (JTA) workshop. This latest in a series of JTA workshops was held at the National Institute of Building Sciences office on March 18-20. The facilitated session involved 15 subject matter experts from the Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other federal agencies. Over three days they defined the duties, tasks and knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) required for early-career federal facility managers. It is the first step in creating a federally-sponsored training-based certificate program aimed at the most basic aspects of the Federal Buildings Personnel Training Act (FBPTA). Learn more about the program.

Green Addresses World of Modular Attendees

National Institute of Building Sciences President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, spoke to 600-plus attendees at the World of Modular show in San Antonio, Texas. The 2014 Modular Building Institute Meeting focused on Greener, Faster, Smarter. President Green provided an introduction of the Institute and its programs, particularly the new Off-Site Construction Council, and encouraged attendees to get involved. View Green’s presentation.

IRVS Tool First to Receive ISC Certification

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&D) Resilient System Division’s Integrated Rapid Visual Screening (IRVS) Tool (for which the Institute’s Integrated Resilient Design Program provides support) recently received certification from the DHS Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Validation Review Board and is now considered ISC CERTIFIED. The IRVS ISC is the first tool to achieve this distinction.

The Board completed a review of the IRVS plusISC Tool (Version 4.1n) and found it to meet all of the requirements outlined in the ISC Standard Operating Procedure for Risk Assessment Data Tool Validation. ISC reviews are required of all federally owned and leased facilities occupied by federal employees that are not on military bases. Get more information on the ISC process. Owners and managers of federal employee-occupied facilities, with a valid need to know about security procedures, can request a copy of the IRVS ISC.

IRVS Tool Highlighted in CIP Report

The most recent issue of the CIP Report, published by the George Mason University School of Law’s Center for Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&D) Resilient System Division’s Integrated Rapid Visual Screening (IRVS) Tool. The article, Using the Integrated Rapid Visual Screening Tool to Conduct Physical Security Site Market Surveys of Commercial and Federal Facilities, co-authored by the Institute’s Integrated Resilient Design Program Director Roger Grant, also provides information on how the IRVS Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Tool can be used to support the federal leasing process. It also addresses how the IRVS ISC has been used to evaluate federally leased space in Arlington County, Virginia. Read the full article.

Reminder: Design Guidelines for the Visual Environment
Public Comments Due April 4

Only a few weeks are left for stakeholders to submit comments on the latest draft of Design Guidelines for the Visual Environment. The 60-day public review period ends on April 4. The National Institute of Building Sciences Low Vision Design Committee (LVDC) created the Guidelines to assist design professionals and others in accommodating a growing segment of the population who live with the spectrum of vision disorders that contribute to low vision, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa and cataracts. Everyone is invited to make comments, suggestions and edits to the draft. Reviewers are encouraged to contribute supporting information, such as published data, to assist the LVDC in validating the accuracy of the content. Download the Guidelines. Mark up the draft using the “Track Changes” function in Word, and submit your comments on or before the April 4 deadline.

BEST4 Conference Preliminary Program Announced
Save the Date: Join Us in Kansas City, April 12-15, 2015

The Building Enclosure Science and Technology (BEST4) Conference Technical Committee has released the preliminary program for BEST4 on the conference website. Some 60 topics, addressing all facets of building envelope research, design and operations, will be part of the triennial conference, united under the umbrella theme of “Performance-Driven Architectural Design.” Many of the industry’s most respected practitioners, researchers and educators will join forces to present their findings that define and measure performance excellence of building enclosure materials, components and systems, as well as the whole building.

BEST4 registration will open in the fall. Until then, keep up-to-date with the conference’s plans and features as they develop by visiting the BEST4 website. Sponsors and Exhibitors: Download the event prospectus for rates and exhibition details.

NBIMS-US™ V3 Voting Results Are In

The results are in on proposed updates to the nation’s building information modeling (BIM) standard. Members of the Project Committee for the National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3 (NBIMS-US™ V3), who had from February 12 – March 18 to get their votes in, have passed the ballot. All twenty seven (27) items on the ballot were approved by over two thirds of the non-abstaining members who cast their votes. More than 91% of the NBIMS-US PC members voted on the V3 ballot. Though tallied on March 18, the Planning Committee will officially ratify the results during its next meeting. The finalized NBIMS-US™ V3 is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2014.

New Report Looks at Condition of America’s Schools

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, has released a new report, “Condition of America’s Public School Facilities.” The report provides national data on public school facilities, such as the condition of 17 building systems and features, the condition of seven outdoor features, the estimated cost of repairs / renovations / modernizations required to put the school’s on-site buildings in good condition, the year the school’s central instructional building was constructed and last renovated, and the year of the school’s last major building replacement/addition. View the new report.

Next FEMP Seminar Set for April 3

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) will host a new FEMP First Thursday Seminar April 3, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm ET. New Developments in Federal Building Energy Efficiency Standards will provide both public and private sector audiences an opportunity to get up to date on the latest federal building energy requirements. The free course will be taught by Mark Halverson, an engineer in the Building Energy Systems Group at Pacific Northwest National Lab, and is worth .2 International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET) Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Register now. 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®. See what other courses are currently available.