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Just One Last Chance to Save on Building Innovation 2017
We’re only 3 weeks away from Building Innovation 2017: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference & Expo, January 9-12, 2017, at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. Don't miss the chance to be there where Science meets Design® as the Institute connects industry professionals to concentrate on Collaborating for a High-Performing Future.
Online registration ends on Saturday, December 31, 2016, at 11:59 pm ET. Register before then and save $150 or more off onsite registration! Why pay more for four enriching days packed with three keynote addresses; 45 presenters in 16 educational sessions offering 24.5 continuing education units; four social networking events; two inspiring award ceremonies; and a chance to see the latest products and resources on exhibit? Register now!
2017 FEDCon® Keynote Will Highlight National Park Service
Celebrates 100 Years of Stewardship to America’s National Parks
 Each year, FEDCon® gives private-sector architects, engineers, contractors and manufacturers insight into what one federal agency in the U.S. federal government has on its list of construction projects. The 2017 FEDCon® Keynote Breakfast, scheduled for Thursday, January 12, 2017, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, during Building Innovation 2017: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference & Expo, will spotlight the National Park Service, in celebration of its centennial anniversary.
During the 2017 event, Mr. Shawn Norton, Branch Chief for Sustainable Operations and Climate Change at the National Park Service, will share his insights into the work currently underway at the federal agency. Tying into the conference theme of Collaborating for a High-Performance Future, Mr. Norton also will discuss how the National Park Service’s team of architects, planners, park rangers, contractors and consultants effectively work together with federal, state and local agency representatives to preserve America's treasures for future generations.
Come to the FEDCon® Breakfast Thursday, January 12, and get an inside look at the National Park Service as it heads into its next hundred years of providing stewardship to America’s national parks. Come for the FEDCon® Keynote Breakfast or attend the full Conference. Online registration ends December 31. Register now.
Building Innovation 2017 Full Schedule of Events
Monday, January 9, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Institute Set to Raise Membership Rates
For the first time in more than 25 years, the National Institute of Building Sciences will increase annual membership dues for its individual members, beginning February 1, 2017. This nominal increase in dues will adjust for inflation, yet it still remains in line, or below, the membership fees of other building industry-related organizations.
With this increase in membership dues, the Institute will be able to effectively continue its ongoing efforts to lead the industry and support advances in building sciences and technology, improve the performance of the nation’s built environment, reduce waste and conserve energy and natural resources. Read the Release. Not a member yet? Don’t wait. Join now at the old rate and save!
Congressman Introduces Legislation to Invest in Plumbing Research
On December 6, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Penn.) introduced legislation intended to promote federal investment in research to ensure the data used in the development of U.S. plumbing standards reflects the 21st century’s more water-efficient technologies. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Plumbing Research Act of 2016 (H.R. 6424) would direct NIST to reconstitute its plumbing research laboratory, identifying mismatches between old data and newer, water-efficient products that undermine from an infrastructural standpoint the conservation such products are intended to provide. For many decades, NIST ran a plumbing laboratory, but, due to budgetary constraints, it was disbanded in the early 1980s.
The proposed legislation also addresses the health risks associated with potentially faulty data, including the threat of Legionella bacteria, which is responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, and sewer backups that can result from inadequate water flow through pipes sized inadequately to sufficiently transport solids. Funding the plumbing research laboratory has been a recommendation of the National Institute of Building Sciences Consultative Council’s Moving Forward Report for the past several years, as well as a priority of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), a Consultative Council member. Read the IAPMO release. View the introduced bill.
BSSC Holds Meetings on 2020 NEHRP Provisions
 The Provisions Update Committee (PUC) meets November 30 in California.
The National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC), under the sponsorship of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is working on the tenth edition of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures, the 2020 NEHRP Provisions. The BSSC Project 17 Committee, which is developing rules for the new seismic design maps for the Provisions, met November 29 in Burlingame, California, to review presentations by its five Work Groups. The following day the Provisions Update Committee, which develops, ballots and reviews proposals for the Provisions, met to review presentations by eight of its nine Issue Teams. Learn more about the NEHRP Provisions.
BSSC Schedules 2017 Webinar Series on Construction Materials
The National Institute of Building Sciences Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) will host, under the sponsorship of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a new 2017 webinar series focused on construction materials addressed in the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) publications.
The one-hour webinars will be based on three documents produced by the BSSC and published by FEMA in the 2015 NEHRP Provisions cycle, including FEMA P-1050, 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for New Buildings and Other Structures; FEMA P-1051, 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions: Design Examples; and FEMA P-1052, 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions: Training and Instructional Materials. The series, which will address reinforced concrete; precast concrete; structural steel; composite steel and concrete; wood; and masonry, begins January 27. Read the release. Sign up now for the January webinar.
Experience Mars City at Building Innovation 2017
Help Inspire the Next Generation of Building Professionals
Take part in a special session to help build the future workforce during Building Innovation 2017—the National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference & Expo. On Day 1 of the Conference, Monday, January 9, 2017, at 3:30 pm, attendees can participate in a presentation of the National Institute of Building Sciences Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Program and the Future Workforce Program to discover ways to inspire, engage, educate and employ the next generation of building industry professionals. The session will feature a demonstration of the Mars City Facility Operations (Ops) Challenge created by the Institute, Total Learning Research Institute (TLRI) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Then, on Tuesday, during the exhibition hours from 10:00 am until 6:30 pm, Conference participants can take a virtual tour of the Mars City developed by KieranTimberlake. See the next generation of the building information model (BIM) of the Mars City base initially developed by KieranTimberlake, Gilbane Building Company and Alderson Engineering.
Don’t miss your chance to experience the Mars City facility and find out how you can inspire the next generation to work in the building sciences. Learn more about the STEM Program.
Register to experience and inspire.Calling All Dreamers, Inventors and Thinkers
NASA Hosts 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge
NASA and its partners are holding a $2.5 million competition to build a three-dimensional (3D) printed habitat for deep space exploration, including the agency’s journey to Mars. The multi-phase challenge is designed to advance the construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.
If you are interested in space, construction, 3-D printing, materials or just being part of something big, consider being part of NASA’s next Centennial Challenge—the 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge. Registration for Phase 2 of the Challenge closes January 31, 2017. Get more information. Register and get official rules and documents.
BIM Article Deadline Extended for Spring/Summer JNIBS Issue
The editors of the Journal of the National Institute of Building Sciences (JNIBS) are seeking abstracts relating to building information modeling (BIM) for the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of JNIBS. The deadline for receipt of BIM-related abstracts has been extended to January 6, 2017. Submit your abstract for the Spring/Summer 2017 issue today.
Future 2017 issues will focus on BIM, as well as building enclosure design, workforce credentialing, low-vision design, off-site construction, resilience incentives and more. Don’t wait! Abstracts for the Autumn 2017 issue will be due on or before March 15, 2017. Interested in advertising? View the 2017 JNIBS Media Kit. | 
