Building Innovation 2018: See What's on the Agenda

Building Innovation 2018: The National Institute of Building Sciences Sixth Annual Conference & Expo is taking place January 8-11, 2018, at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. Educational sessions being held over three days of the Conference will cover a wide range of topics that are relevant to the industry as a whole while uniting the entire community in addressing challenges in the built environment. The program schedule is full of activities that support the goals of the Institute in bringing the community together to seek solutions that Sustain. Strengthen. Secure. The four-day Conference provides an exciting, balanced, interactive and educational event. Custom-tailor your Conference education by selecting those individual session topics that best suit your interest and get the most out of Building Innovation 2018. Preview the Conference Program.

Come for the education; stay for the connections and collaborations. In addition to the comprehensive educational program, Building Innovation 2018 will provide great opportunities to network with colleagues, hear from leading experts, gain inspiration from award winners and see the latest technologies on exhibit.

Institute’s Longest Serving Board Member Has Died

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

Steven M. Hays, PE, CIH, FACEC, FAIHA, founding partner and chairman emeritus of Gobbell Hays Partners (GHP) Environmental + Architecture firm, and past chairman of the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors, passed away yesterday after an extended illness. He was 66. 

Hays joined the Institute in 1980, became a member of the Consultative Council and participated in many Institute projects over the years, among them the Indoor Air Quality Task Force, Project Committee for preparation of lead-based paint abatement guidelines, Task Force Steering Committee for preparation of asbestos abatement guideline specifications, Radon Standards Project Committee and Asbestos Project Committee.

In 1995, President William Jefferson Clinton appointed Hays to serve on the Institute’s Board of Directors as a professional engineer in the public interest category. Hays served as Vice Chairman from 1998-99, Chairman from 2000-01 and continued as a Board Member until his replacement in September 2012. Hays had the distinction of being the longest serving presidential appointee on the Board of Directors, with over 17 years, serving through the terms of President Clinton, President George W. Bush and into the third year of the Obama Administration. He held 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, Hays received the Mortimer M. Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, the Institute’s highest honor.

“In his 1995 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Steve noted, ‘I believe that NIBS serves a very valuable role in the building community and I have supported these objectives by my membership in the Institute…My first principle will be to help guide NIBS in serving the nation by improving building science and technology, especially as it addresses environmental issues.’ True to your vow of service, Steve, we thank you for your dedication and service to the nation,” said Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA. “You will be remembered as a champion for building science and technology.”

Hays received his bachelor’s degree in engineering/chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University and was inducted into Vanderbilt’s prestigious Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2013. He was a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygienists Association (AIHA) and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). In addition to teaching at several universities and presenting to professional groups, Hays co-authored two books.

Institute Wishes Paradis Well on His Retirement

Program Director Richard Paradis, PE (left), accepts a certificate from President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA in recognition of his eight years of work at the Institute. Paradis, who retired this week, was the program director for the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide® and the Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee. The Institute Board and staff congratulate him on his stellar career and wish him the best on his retirement.

Representative Hearing Highlights Person-Centered Care in Healthcare Facilities

Dr. Margaret Calkins, Executive Director of the Mayer-Rothschild Foundation, addresses attendees during the Institute’s Representative Hearing on Healthcare Facility Person-Centered Care August 31.

The National Institute of Building Sciences, through its Academy for Healthcare Infrastructure (AHI), held a Representative Hearing on Healthcare Facility Person-Centered Care August 31. Sponsored by the Mayer-Rothschild Foundation, the hearing included presentations by Stella S. Fiotes, AIA, Acting Principal Executive Director for the Office of Acquisitions, Logistics and Construction, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Stephen C. Wooldridge, PhD, PE, FACHE, Vice President, Integrated Real Estate and Facilities Services, at MedStar Health, and testimony from James E. Woods, PhD, PE, followed by a lively discussion. The Institute accepted written testimony through September 15. Once compiled, the Institute will issue a report of the findings.

SABIT Visits the Institute

Institute Presidential Advisor Ryan Colker introduces a delegation of international construction professionals to the Institute and its activities.

The National Institute of Building Sciences hosted a delegation this month from the Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) Program. The program of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration builds partnerships and introduces Eurasian business leaders to U.S. business practices.

NCGBCS Name Revised to Reflect Broader Participation

This past week at its September meeting, the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors voted to change the name of the National Council of Governments on Building Codes and Standards (NCGBCS) to reflect the expanded participation of its stakeholders.

NCGBCS has undergone a significant transition since it came to the Institute in 2011 as the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards (NCSBCS). Recognizing the multiple levels of government involved in the development and enforcement of codes and standards, the Council immediately expanded to include governmental representatives beyond state-level representatives. Then, in 2015, going even further to include the additional stakeholders that participate in the codes and standards process, the NCGBCS requested an update to its charter to change the make-up of its Board of Direction to include both governmental and non-governmental representatives.

Since the expansion, the Council has released a number of significant information resources to the public with the increased involvement of its non-governmental participants. Given these changes, NCGBCS asked the Institute Board to approve the name change. The newly revised name is National Council on Building Codes and Standards (NCBCS).

CFIRE Webinar Presentation Now Available Online

Wasn’t able to attend yesterday’s webinar, “Energy in Commercial Appraisals and Mortgages: Risk or Reward?” The Council on Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (CFIRE) has made it available to view online. The webinar, which highlighted an effort by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), looked at capturing energy performance in commercial building mortgages and appraisals. DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business have identified several potential interventions to properly account for energy factors in the lending process. The webinar included presentations from Paul Mathew, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Nancy Wallace, University of California-Berkeley; and Andrew White, JDM Associates. Download the presentation. View the webinar.

ICC Presents Check in Support of Mitigation

During the International Code Council (ICC) Annual Conference in Ohio, ICC Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims (from left), Vice President Jay Elbettar and President M. Dwayne Garris present National Institute of Building Sciences President Henry L. Green (right) with a $100,000 check for the new Mitigation Saves Study.

NIST Releases Video during National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month, but no one expected this year’s message to be so dramatically driven home. The events of the past few weeks make one fact resoundingly clear: every U.S. community faces the risk of disaster.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) introduced a new video, “When Disaster Happens, Will Your Community Be Prepared?” The program shows how cities, towns, counties and states can work with the NIST Community Resilience Program and its six-step plan to get communities ready for disasters so that lives and property are protected; businesses and essential services continue to function; and the overall quality of life is maintained. Learn more about NIST’s Community Resilience Program. Watch the video. 

Institute Bids Farewell to a Pioneering Industry Council

This past week, the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors voted to sunset the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC). Founded in 1980 as the Passive Solar Industries Council, the independent, non-profit organization that later became the SBIC was a pioneer advocate of the whole building approach to sustainable facilities. The founding members, consisting of major building trade groups, large corporations, small businesses and individual practitioners, understood that energy and resource-efficient design and construction are imperative to a sustainable built environment. The SBIC and its members viewed energy use and sustainability within a larger context of benefits related to productivity and overall efficiency, health and safety, serviceability and other performance factors.

In the 37 years since its founding, the initial resource-related goals espoused by the SBIC have become widely recognized within the industry through programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, the Green Globes certification and the increasing growth in Passive House design and zero-energy buildings. Further, the Institute’s other councils and the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide® website continue to bring the Beyond Green™ concepts to the broader building industry.

The Institute thanks the members of the SBIC for their role in achieving significant accomplishments over the past four decades. Learn more about the SBIC and the role it played in advancing high-performance buildings.

Spring Forward: Join Us for BEST5 in Philadelphia, April 2018

Plan to be there for the fifth BEST Conference Building Enclosure Science & Technology® (BEST5), to be held in Philadelphia, April 15-18, 2018. A newly revamped program promises to BEST serve the practitioner engaging the challenges of designing and operating high-performance building enclosures in today’s complex business environment. Join the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Building Enclosure Council-Philadelphia for this collegial triennial event, where researchers, practitioners and educators share the latest knowledge and thinking about how to plan, design and operate high-performance building enclosures.

Under the umbrella theme of Looking Back—Moving Forward: Where History Inspires Innovation, BEST5 will draw strongly on the knowledge and experience of local practitioners as well as building enclosure experts from across the country and around the globe. The historic Loews Philadelphia Hotel, the first International Style skyscraper built in this country, will serve as the Conference venue.

Registration will open on January 15, 2018. In the meantime, check the BEST5 website for program details and Conference updates.

Sponsors and Exhibitors: While there still are some select booth spaces and sponsorship opportunities available, sponsor registration is far ahead of where it was for the 2015 BEST4, so reserve your space today. Download the event prospectus for rates and details.

Construction Begins at Solar Decathlon in Denver
Volunteers Still Wanted

U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2017 Director, Linda Silverman cuts the caution tape ribbon to officially begin assembly of the event at the 61st & Peña Station in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, September 23, 2017. (Credit: Deb Lastowka/U.S. Department of Energy)

BCxA, LBNL Ask Commissioning Community to Take Two Surveys
First Survey Due October 1, Will Be Used to Update “Golden Opportunity” Study

The Building Commissioning Association (BCxA) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) are collaborating to produce a long-awaited update to the influential study, “Building Commissioning: A Golden Opportunity for Reducing Energy Costs and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions,” last revised in 2009.

BCxA and LBNL have expanded the initial survey to gain insight into current market trends and best practices of today’s providers and are asking the building commissioning community for input. This in-depth study will be based on two separate and equally important surveys. The first phase focuses on market trends and best practices. The Phase 1 survey ends Sunday, October 1. Take the survey now.

WBDG Adds New FEMP Course on Project Implementation

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) has released a new course on the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide®. The course, titled “Renewable Energy On-site Project Implementation Process,” covers the five-phase process for implementing federal on-site renewable energy projects to meet agency goals. It reviews current statutory and Executive Order renewable energy goals, introduces available procurement pathways, reviews best practices from successful federal projects and provides up-to-date technical tools and resources to support project success. The course is 4 hours long and approved for 4 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) Learning Units (LUs), 4 Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and 0.4 International Association for Continuing Education And Training (IACET) credits. View the course description.