Building Innovation 2017 Conference Program Goes Off the Track
Delivers Sessions Worth 24 CEUs
Building Innovation 2017: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference & Expo will take a new path for delivering educational content to engage the entire building community in effectively Collaborating for a High-Performing Future. During the four-day event, scheduled for January 9-12, 2017, in Washington, D.C., the educational programming will avoid the typical single-topic tracks. Instead the collaborative program will combine a variety of concepts and present diverse perspectives during each session to stimulate creative ideas, present new approaches and develop workable solutions for the entire building industry. Building Innovation 2017 sessions have received approval for a total of 24.5 Learning Units (LUs) from the American Institute of Architects, many of which are Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) hours. Plan to join us where Science meets Design® at Building Innovation 2017 and participate in this exciting program. Hear from leading experts, play a role in the process and earn educational credits. View the program and session details.
Early-bird rates end on Monday, October 31, 2016. Register now to save up to $250 off onsite rates.
Sponsor, exhibitor and advertisement spaces are are filling up. Claim your sponsorship or exhibitor space now! Download the Conference prospectus.
Jim Thomas Wins Ron Brown Leadership Award
James A. “Jim” Thomas, President of ASTM International, accepts the Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award from Dr. Ralph Paroli, Director Research and Development in Measurement Science and Standards at the National Research Council of Canada. Last night, the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day Planning Committee recognized Thomas, who is retiring this year, for his more than 40 years of work in standards development.
Each year, members of the U.S. standards community come together in Washington, D.C. to celebrate standards. This year’s theme was “Standards Build Trust.” The National Institute of Building Sciences is a member of the Planning Committee that organizes the U.S. World Standards Day Dinner and Reception. View photos of the event.
Georgetown University Course References CFIRE Report
The syllabus of an energy course at Georgetown University references a 2015 report written by the National Institute of Building Sciences Council on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. The report, Financing Energy-Efficiency and Renewable-Energy Projects — Public Equity Instruments: An Analysis of REITs, MLPS and Yieldcos, is one of five readings the class, STIA 402: Clean Energy Innovation taught by Dr. Varun Sivaram, will cover during a discussion on financing clean energy.
The CFIRE report examines the current and potential roles of three key equity investing structures in capitalizing the sustainable and energy-efficient development and retrofit of investment-grade commercial buildings and renewable-energy production. It evaluates the effectiveness of these vehicles—Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and Yieldcos—in accessing the public capital markets and recommends needed legislative and regulatory changes. View the syllabus. Read the report.
A Decade after Study, Institute Begins “Mitigation Saves V2”
Will Look at Disaster Mitigation Efforts, Use of Codes to Reduce Risk
The National Institute of Building Sciences Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC), with the financial support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the International Code Council (ICC) and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), is beginning a new study to look at the cost effectiveness of disaster mitigation efforts in the public sector, as well as the benefits of using codes to mitigate the impact of natural disasters in the private sector. The Institute is continuing to seek additional supporters as this research effort gets under way.
In 2005, the MMC completed an independent study, Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves, funded by FEMA, to quantify the future savings from that agency’s natural hazard mitigation efforts. The initial study established that mitigation saves money for the public sector. An even stronger case can be made if private-sector investments are included. However, the magnitude of the savings has yet to be quantified. This new study, which will deliver the cost-benefit data for a variety of stakeholders, should provide the demonstrable proof. Read the announcement.
How Business Continuity Can Contribute to Community Resilience
Focus of November 15 MMC Webinar
Many experts believe that, as the heart of each community’s economic base, private-sector businesses need to be a significant part of each community’s resilience efforts. The National Institute of Building Sciences Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) will host a webinar, “How Does Business Continuity Contribute to Community Resilience?” on Tuesday, November 15, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET, to describe the importance of including business continuity (BC) planning activities when discussing community resilience planning.
Learn what BC and business continuity management (BCM) mean in the private sector; find out about key BC references for selected industries; and hear about good practices as defined by disaster recovery and BC professional associations. During the webinar, presenter George Huff will provide evidence to support the case that in numerous ways, BC planning activities of private-sector businesses are complementary to, and consistent with, the six-step planning processes for the built environment and infrastructure systems set forth in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Planning Guide for Community Resilience. Sign up for the webinar.
Workshop: What to Do When Building Control Systems Get Hacked
Don’t miss the workshop that answers the question of what to do when building control systems have been hacked or taken over by ransomware. Intended for building owners, facility managers, engineering, physical security, information assurance and other professionals involved with the design, deployment and operation of building control systems, the “Your Building Control Systems Have Been Hacked, Now What? Workshop,” sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, will be held Tuesday, December 6, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, in Arlington, Virginia.
The workshop will provide a combination of classroom learning modules and hands-on laboratory exercises to help attendees learn how to detect, contain, eradicate and recover from a cyber event. Taught by Michael Chipley, PhD, GICSP, PMP, LEED AP; Daryl Haegley, OCP, CCO; and Eric Nickel RCDD, CEH, CEP, the workshop is built around the Advanced Control System Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) developed by the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), which provide detailed step-by-step guidance to respond to a cyber attack. Register today.
Time Is Up to Nominate Projects for a 2016 Beyond Green™ Award
Submissions Due Monday, October 31
There is only one business day left to nominate a project for the 2016 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards. Recognize a building, initiative or innovation that is shaping, informing and catalyzing the high-performance planning, design, construction and operations processes. Once selected, the winners of the Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building & Community Awards will be invited to present their projects and receive their awards at a special Beyond Green™ Awards Luncheon, to be held during Building Innovation 2017: The National Institute of Building Sciences Fifth Annual Conference and Expo, the week of January 9-12, 2017, in Washington, D.C. The awards presentation gives winners an opportunity to share their project results directly with leaders in the building community, highlighting the challenges and opportunities they faced while supporting delivery of high-performance buildings and communities.
The deadline to apply for the 2016 Beyond Green™ Awards is Monday, October 31, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. ET. With only one business day to go, don’t miss the chance to recognize a deserving high-performance project. Submit an entry today!
Reminder 2017 DOE Race to Zero Deadline is November 1
The 2017 Team Application deadline for the U.S. Department of Energy Race to Zero Student Design Competition is November 1st. The Race to Zero is a competition that inspires collegiate students to become the next generation of building science professionals through a design challenge for zero energy ready homes. Through participation in this competition, future architects, engineers, construction managers, and other professionals will gain the skills and experience to start careers in clean energy and generate creative solutions to real world problems.
Teams must consist of at least one faculty advisor and at least three students, but can be larger. Students may be from a single department or the team can be multi-disciplinary. Following acceptance, students will work on their final designs starting this fall and ending next spring. The competition itself will take place April 22-23, 2017, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Each selected team will be invited to present their designs in front of expert juries, learn from other team presentations, attend presentations by thought-leaders and tour the internationally recognized facilities at the NREL. Learn more. View photos from the 2016 event. Questions? Email racetozero@ee.doe.gov.
Public Review of National BIM Guide for Owners Closes October 31
There is still time to submit comments on the new guideline to help building owners and their design teams utilize building information modeling (BIM). The public review of the National BIM Guide for Owners (NBGO) draft ends Monday, October 31.
Responding to the industrywide need for increasingly savvy and project-involved building owners, the National Institute of Building Sciences, with the support of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), ASHRAE, Building Owners and Managers Association International (BOMA) and International Facility Management Association (IFMA), compiled a carefully balanced, integrated team that has worked for the past year to craft the first NBGO. The current draft is available for download on the National Institute of Building Sciences website. Please download the Excel worksheet provided on the website, fill in your comments and e-mail your completed sheet by October 31 to Stephanie Stubbs.
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