|
NIBS, RICS Sign MOU Recognizing Shared Goals to Improve Building Performance
 Neil Shah, Managing Director, Americas, for RICS (left) and National Institute of Building Sciences President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA (right), shake hands in Washington, D.C., on July 14, upon signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations to advance and promote the building sciences.
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recognized their mutual interest in the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance buildings when they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) July 14 to advance and promote the building sciences. The MOU serves to cement the relationship of these two leading organizations that share a mission to advance the built environment. The MOU also supports the development of coordinated approaches to tackle important industry issues such as resilience, sustainability and the workforce. Read the release.
Standards in the House: WSD Committee Hosts Event on Capitol Hill
Institute President Henry L. Green addresses the audience during a standards event on Capitol Hill hosted by the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee.
Congressional staffers from both sides of the aisle came together June 24 for a discussion on how standards and conformance help foster the technological innovations and safety measures that citizens rely upon every day. More than 50 people attended the event, which featured speakers from the American National Standards Institute, National Institute of Building Sciences and Consumer Electronics Association, along with exhibits by a number of standards developing organizations (SDOs) from the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day (WSD) Planning Committee. Entitled “Standards in the House: How Standards Protect the Nation’s Citizens,” the event, located in the Rayburn House Office Building, was hosted by Rep. Chris Stewart.
Many other countries have a top-down system, where a single government agency drives the standards and conformance activities that will govern its products, systems and services. In the United States, the system is bottom up, which means that it is primarily voluntary, private-sector led and marketplace driven. As a result, there are multiple SDOs in this country, each working in response to a specific marketplace need. The U.S. government participates actively in the standards-setting process and often relies upon private-sector standards and conformity assessment solutions in its regulations. Read more about the event.
At Building Innovation 2016, Tracks Facilitate Collaboration to
Achieve Resilience
During Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fourth Annual Conference & Expo, January 11-15, 2016, in Washington, D.C., the Institute will engage the entire building community in developing solutions for Achieving a Resilient Future. Through two collaborative tracks, the Conference will examine efforts underway within multiple segments of the industry to facilitate discussions on different facets of the built environment and develop coordinated strategies for resiliency. Each track will feature two stand-alone symposia over the course of two days that will build towards a common approach to achieving resilience.
Track 1: Guidance and Groundwork: People, Processes, Tools and Technologies to Reach Resilience will include the Industry Leadership & Advocacy Symposium – People and Processes to Reach Resilience, and the Information Resources & Technology Symposium – Tools and Technologies to Reach Resilience.
Track 2: Preparation and Performance: Realizing Resilience through Incentives will include the Facility Performance and Sustainability Symposium – Realizing Resilience: Incentives for Owners and Operators, and the Security and Disaster Preparedness Symposium – Realizing Resilience: Incentives for Local Leaders and Lifelines.
Stay tuned for the full Conference schedule and upcoming program announcements. Read the announcement. To learn more about Building Innovation 2016, sign up to receive news and updates.
ICC to Host Annual Golf Outing to Honor Burton, Support Future Leaders
  The International Code Council (ICC) Past Presiding Officers (PPOs) is hosting the 1st Annual Ron Burton Golf Outing Sept. 27 at the Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach, California. The Golf Outing celebrates the life and work of William Ronald “Ron” Burton. A renowned code expert, Ron was a member of the National Institute of Building Sciences and served as the Building Owners & Managers Association International (BOMA) representative on the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), High Performance Building Council (HPBC) and Consultative Council.
The PPOs, with the support of the ICC Board of Directors, has undertaken this effort to honor an industry leader, as well as to provide training and resources to address the critical need for future leaders in the building safety profession. Funds raised at the golf outing will support the education of new and emerging code officials, with training starting in 2016. Learn more about the Ron Burton Golf Outing.
OSCC Wants to Know What Software AECs Use for
Off-Site Construction Projects
Survey Ends Friday, August 7
The Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC) is conducting a survey of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals to assess the role of software in delivering off-site constructed projects. The OSCC is interested in understanding which software tools industry participants are currently using. The OSCC will compile the responses into a report, which will be distributed to the industry at a later date. The survey closes Friday, August 7 at 5:00 pm EDT. Read the release. Take the software survey now.
NCGBCS Calls for New Board Members
Updated Charter Expands Board to Include Non-Governmental Representatives
To those people who have wanted to serve on the National Institute of Building Sciences National Council of Governments on Building Codes and Standards (NCGBCS) Board of Direction but are not government representatives, now is the time to get involved. NCGBCS, otherwise known as the Council of Governments, has changed its charter to allow expanded participation from non-governmental members, including openings on the NCGBCS Board itself. Organizations and individuals who have an interest in serving are encouraged to submit an email of intent no later than August 28, 2015. Find out more.
NIBS Will Co-Host Offsite Construction Expo
Free for Qualified Attendees Who Register by July 31
In a recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC), 93 percent of respondents indicated that they had implemented some form of offsite construction process in the past twelve months. However, up to this point, there has not been a focus on this expanding sector of the building industry. The Offsite Construction Expo, to be held September 23-24, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, D.C., changes that by putting the spotlight directly on offsite construction.
This two-day event, hosted by NIBS, the Modular Building Institute (MBI) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), will feature keynote speakers NIBS President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, and AGC Chief Economist Kenneth D. Simonson; exhibits; educational case studies to be presented each hour on the expo floor; and a meeting of the OSCC. The event is free to qualified attendees who register by Friday, July 31. Read the release. 
2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions Now Available
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) 2015 Edition of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures. The 2015 NEHRP Provisions marks the ninth edition of this technical resource document since its first publication in 1985.
The National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) prepared the 2015 Provisions under contract to FEMA. For this cycle of the Provisions, the 21-member BSSC Provisions Update Committee developed and balloted proposals with the input of 9 issue teams and 3 study groups with a combined total of 80 members, who devoted a tremendous amount of volunteer time into the development process. The Provisions proposals were reviewed and balloted by BSSC member organizations representing the nation’s seismic community. Download the 2015 NEHRP Provisions to view the results of their efforts.
Sign up Now for August Cybersecurity Workshops
Learn the Techniques to Better Protect Building Control Systems
The National Institute of Building Sciences is sponsoring introductory and advanced Cybersecurity Workshops Wednesday, August 19, and Thursday, August 20, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Institute's headquarters in Washington, D.C. The workshops are designed to help facility professionals learn how to make their buildings more secure and reduce the risks. The Introduction to Cybersecuring Building Control Systems Workshop and the Advanced Cybersecuring Building Control Systems Workshop, both taught by Michael Chipley of The PMC Group LLC, are geared to help architects, engineers, contractors, owners, facility managers, maintenance engineers, physical security specialists, information assurance professionals—essentially anyone involved with implementing cybersecurity in the facility life cycle—to learn the best practice techniques to better protect their facilities. Can't make the August dates? Other dates are available. Learn more.
BSSC Introduction to Project 17 Webinar Presentation Now Available
On June 25, the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) hosted a webinar by Ronald Hamburger, chair of the BSSC Project 17 Planning Committee, to prepare structural and seismological engineers and the seismic community to weigh in on the improvements and coordination of the future U.S. Geological Survey hazard and seismic engineering design value maps. The one-hour presentation, “An Introduction to Project 17 Development of Next-Generation Seismic Design Value Maps,” viewed by 156 attendees, is now available for download. View the presentation.
Recognize Excellence in High-Performing, Resilient Buildings and Communities
Nominate One for a Beyond Green™ Award
 Now is the time to highlight those buildings, initiatives and innovations that shape, inform and catalyze the high-performance planning, design, construction and operations processes. The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) has issued the Call for Entries for its 2015 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards. The Beyond Green™ Awards are a great way to recognize projects and activities that contribute to making high-performing, resilient buildings and communities.
The deadline to apply for the 2015 Beyond Green™ Awards is Friday, September 4, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Take this opportunity to recognize a deserving high-performance project, particularly one that addresses resilience. The application process is now available online. Read the release. Submit an entry today!
BEST4 Conference Proceedings Now Available on the BRIK Website
This April, the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and the Building Enclosure Council-Kansas City hosted the fourth BEST Conference Building Enclosure Science and Technology® (BEST4) in Kansas City, Missouri, to focus on “Performance-Driven Architectural Design.” The BEST4 program included more than 60 technical presentations, covering such topics as: building envelope commissioning processes and practices; net-zero energy buildings; high-performance detailing; design that considers climate change; NFPA 285 and fire testing; and dynamic daylighting and glare control. Those presentations are now available online via the Building Research Information Knowledgebase (BRIK) website, www.brikbase.org.
The BEST4 presentations, as part of the new BRIK database, are and will remain free and open to anyone, as has been true for all the research from BEST Conferences in the past. However, NIBS and American Institute of Architects (AIA) members can try the new extended information portal for access to thousands of pieces through EBSCO Discovery Services. (The extended service is free through September.)
Read the announcement. View the BEST4 presentations. Create a BRIK account.
Volunteers Wanted for the Solar Decathlon in Irvine
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for volunteers to assist at the Solar Decathlon 2015, taking place October 8-18 at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. This award-winning competition is also a free public event. Tens of thousands of people visit the Solar Decathlon village to see the inspiring home designs and practical energy solutions on display by competing colleges and universities. Volunteers help make this event possible by serving as greeters, docents, shuttle bus speakers, visitor liaisons, registration volunteers, Education Day mentors, site operations water delivery/retrieval assistants and more.
A Resource Sponsor for the Solar Decathlon, the National Institute of Building Sciences, along with publishing partners, The American Institute of Architects and the Construction Specifications Institute, provided the student teams and organizers with complimentary licenses to use the United States National CAD Standard® Version 6 online.
Sign up to become a Solar Decathlon volunteer.
buildingSMART alliance Releases NBIMS-US™ Version 3
 Last week, following a multi-year effort, the National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance® released the latest edition of the nation’s consensus-based standard governing building information modeling (BIM). From planning and design through construction and operations, the National BIM Standard-United States® (NBIMS-US™) Version 3 (V3) covers the full life cycle of buildings.
“BIM is a powerful tool that can change the way our industry designs, constructs, operates and maintains facilities,” said the vice chair of the NBIMS-US™ V3 Project Committee, Jeffrey W. Ouellette, Assoc. AIA, IES. “The National BIM Standard-United States® Version 3 provides industry professionals with the necessary guidance to set that process in motion.”
The National BIM Standard-United States™ Version 3 is available FREE as a downloadable PDF. Read the announcement. Download the standard.
buildingSMART alliance® Announces New Member Communications Schedule
As part of its recent reorganization, the buildingSMART alliance® (Alliance) Executive Committee is now the Alliance Board of Direction (BOD). With the goal of better serving the Alliance membership, Sponsors, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Holders and Subcommittee chairs, the Alliance BOD has announced a new communication schedule.
Here is a recap of the communication schedule: weekly Monday meetings for the Board of Direction (operational business call for BOD officers only); bi-weekly Monday meetings for Board of Direction and Subcommittee Chairs; bi-monthly meetings for Sponsors/MOA Holders (third Tuesday of every other month); and quarterly meetings for all members. Prior to each call, the Alliance BOD will email an invitation with an agenda to participants. The goal of the new communication schedule is to present all Alliance stakeholders with the information specific to their involvement and encourage a two-way dialogue on topics that matter to them.
buildingSMART alliance® Calls for Subcommittee Volunteers
The buildingSMART alliance® Board of Direction is currently accepting volunteers for the Subcommittees outlined in the 2015 Strategic Plan, including openings on the Thought Leadership, Information Standards, Proven Practices, Education, Communications, Membership and Industry Liaisons Subcommittees. For a detailed view of the Subcommittee roles and responsibilities, view the Subcommittee Guidelines. To volunteer to serve on an Alliance Subcommittee, fill out the online form. | 
