Institute’s Longest Serving Board Member Retires from Practice

Institute President Henry L. Green (left) and Institute Chairman RK Stewart (right) present Steve Hays with the Mortimer M. Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

Steven M. Hays, PE, CIH, FAIHA, FACEC, chairman of GHP Environmental + Architecture and past president of the National Institute of Building Sciences, has retired. A founding partner of Gobbell Hays Partners, Hays celebrated his retirement in March.

Hays first got involved with the Institute in 1980, when he became a member of the Institute and the Consultative Council. In 1995, Hays was appointed to the Board of Directors by President William Jefferson Clinton. He served on the Board until September 2012, serving as vice chairman from 1998-99, chairman from 2000-01 and continuing as a board member until his replacement by a presidential appointment. Hays has the distinction of being the longest serving presidential appointee on the Board of Directors, with over 17 years, serving throughout the entire terms of President Clinton, President George W. Bush and into the third year of the Obama Administration.

Hays had many roles on the Board; most notably he chaired or served on every Strategic Planning Session during his appointment to the Board. He continued to serve as the voice of history, providing insights and foresight in planning for the future of the Institute. In 2012, he received the Mortimer M. Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, the Institute’s highest honor, which goes to someone who has demonstrated a lifetime of dedication to the mission and goals of the Institute. The Institute staff and Board wish him all the best in his retirement.

Nominations Wanted for Institute Board

The National Institute of Building Sciences Board Nominations Committee is currently seeking candidates to serve on the Institute’s Board of Directors. The Institute Board is comprised of 21 members. Six members are appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to represent the public interest. The remaining 15 members are elected and can represent either public interest or industry voices. The Board representation includes architects, builders, building owners, building standards developers, consumers, contractors, educators, fire safety professionals, local agency officials, product manufacturers, professional engineers, state agency officials and others. However, the majority of board members are required to come from the public interest category.

The three-year terms begin in January 2018. Nominations can be submitted for one or more candidates, but a separate nomination form must be completed for each. In preparing the election ballot, the Board Nominations Committee will give equal consideration to all submissions, whether single or multiple nominations are received. Although membership in the Institute is not a requirement for nomination or election, it is encouraged. Nominations must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. ET, Friday, July 14. Download the nomination form.

Call for Honor, Member Award Nominees

The National Institute of Building Sciences Awards Committee is currently accepting nominations for the 2017 Institute Honor and Member Awards. Each year, the Institute recognizes individuals or organizations that have made an exceptional contribution to the nation and the building community. Members of the building community will honor the recipients of this year’s awards during the 2018 Annual Awards Banquet, which will take place as part of Building Innovation 2018: The National Institute of Building Sciences Conference and Expo, to be held January 8-11, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Nominations must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. ET, Friday, July 14. Download the nomination forms: Member Award or Honor Award.

Submit an Abstract for the Winter 2017 JNIBS Issue

The editors of the Journal of the National Institute of Building Sciences (JNIBS) are beginning the process of compiling articles for the Winter 2017 edition, which will be published in December 2017. The Winter issue will offer a special focus on building information modeling (BIM), as well as articles on building enclosure design, resilience incentivization and more. Abstracts are due on or before June 15, 2017. Submit an abstract. Interested in advertising? Download the 2017 JNIBS Media Kit.

Institute Comments on FEMA Public Assistance Disaster Deductible
The National Institute of Building Sciences provided comments to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last week in response to a Supplemental Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SANPR) about the agency’s Public Assistance Program. FEMA is working to reduce the overall impacts of natural disasters by encouraging widespread adoption of mitigation measures. Reducing the impacts of hazards—rather than just transferring the impacts—requires a coordinated approach engaging both federal and state government. Through the SANPR, FEMA is introducing the concept of a deductible, which can be reduced by sensible investments in mitigation. In addition to commending FEMA on its leadership, the Institute offered a number of comments on the proposed program. View the Institute’s letter.

Don’t Miss Friday’s BSSC Webinar on Steel-Framed Buildings

There are only a few days left before the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) holds the next webinar in its 2017 series. “Design of Seismic Force-Resisting Systems in Steel-Framed Buildings,” Friday, April 21, 2017, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET (11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT).

Institute Members Contribute to Disaster Assistance Handbook

The recently released third edition of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Disaster Assistance Handbook came out in late March. The updated guide, which is available free to help architects and other building professionals prepare their communities before and after a disaster occurs, has an expanded section on mitigation, resilience and long-term recovery. A number of the experts who served as authors and peer reviewers on the project are members of the National Institute of Building Sciences and include participants from the Board of Directors, Multihazard Mitigation Council and Building Seismic Safety Council. Download the handbook.

Institute Partners on Green Sports Alliance Summit
Staff to Moderate Session on Making Stadiums Sustainable

Learn how to make stadiums and arenas high-performing at the upcoming Green Sports Alliance Summit, to be held June 27-29 in Sacramento, California, at the Golden 1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings. With the theme “PLAY GREENER™: Engaging Fans, Athletes & Communities,” the Summit will focus on bringing about positive environmental and social impact across the fan base and surrounding communities. The National Institute of Building Sciences is a community partner for the event.

Earlier this year, the Institute and the Green Sports Alliance released a report that looks at ways the nation’s sports venues can make an impact by reducing their energy and water use. The Institute’s Presidential Advisor and Director of its Consultative Council, Ryan M. Colker, JD, will moderate a session that builds on those findings entitled “Make it Last: Sustainable Solutions for Existing Venues.” During the Thursday, June 29 session, attendees will learn how existing venues are finding sustainable solutions to modernize venue operations. Learn more. Register.

Write a Building Enclosure Abstract for BEST5
Submissions Due by June 15

The National Institute of Building Sciences Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) and the Building Enclosure Council – Philadelphia are seeking abstracts for papers for presentation at the fifth BEST Conference Building Enclosure Science and Technology™ (BEST5), to be held in April 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Submit an abstract on one of the following topics: Quality Management and Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx); Fenestration; Building Enclosure Assemblies; Solar Applications; Sustainability; Fire-Related Topics; New Materials and Systems; Building Retrofits; Case Studies; Whole Building Simulations and Verification; Sealants and Barriers; Building Dynamics and Controls; Thermal Insulation, Acoustical Materials and Radiant Technology; Zero-Energy Buildings; High-Performance Buildings; Infiltration, Air Exchange and Indoor Air Quality; Design and Commissioning; Designing for Severe Climates; and Large-Scale Testing. The BEST5 Technical Committee will select approximately 60 entries to give a conference paper or presentation; panel presentations; or poster presentation. Abstracts are due June 5, 2017.

bSa Seeks Member Input on ISS Business Process Model
Comments Are Due Monday, May 1

The buildingSMART alliance® (bSa) Information Standards Subcommittee (ISS) is seeking feedback from bSa members to help guide and prioritize the future creation of building information modeling (BIM) standards in the United States. 

In 2016, the ISS created a preliminary Business Process Model (BPM) for a prototypical medium-sized design and construction project, mapping out information exchanges over the course of a project. To validate this “process map”, the ISS is now asking members to look at the subcommittee’s assumptions and workflows, given the architecture, engineering, construction, owner and operation (AECOO) members’ professional experiences. The intent of this effort is to align the information exchanges in the validated BPM with the current National BIM Standard–United States® (NBIMS-US™), map out what the bSa has accomplished thus far and prioritize the BIM standards work that still needs to be done.

BIMForum Session Spotlights NBGO

A new guideline developed by the National Institute of Building Sciences to help building owners utilize building information modeling (BIM) was the topic of a recent session at BIMForum’s spring event, held earlier this month in San Diego, California. Johnny Fortune, immediate past chair of the Institute’s buildingSMART alliance® and BIM director at Bullock Tice Associates, gave a presentation about the Institute’s newly published National BIM Guide for Owners (NBGO).

Owners who have yet to implement BIM can find the information and process change overwhelming. Fortune’s presentation highlighted how NBGO could be used to help owners achieve BIM Done Right—a BIM-enabled, client-focused delivery approach and strategy that centers around owner desired outcomes—for their respective projects, regardless of the simplicity or complexity of the technology they have available. Owners can use the guide to help them get started with BIM implementation or refine their current processes. The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) community can use the NBGO as a tool to engage owners and guide discussions to better plan and understand the owner’s ultimate information objectives early in the project. Download the NBGO.