Institute Announces 2018 Executive Team, New Board Members

The Institute’s new Executive Team, from left: Carl Hedde, Cindy Davis, Joe Donovan and Joy Marshall Ortiz.

The 2018 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors is now in place. The Executive Team includes Joseph Donovan as chair; Carl Hedde as vice chair; Joy Marshall Ortiz, AIA, NCARB as secretary; and Cindy L. Davis, CBO as treasurer. New members to the Board include Scott A. McDonald, CPM, CBO; Thomas H. Phoenix, PE, FASHRAE, LEED AP; and Darrell Rounds, FMA, CEM.

The Institute’s Nominations Committee recommended the slate of officers, returning board members and new members, which the Board unanimously approved at their meeting in September. The officers and members were seated following the January 8 Board meeting during Building Innovation 2018: The National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference & Expo, held January 8-11, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the new Board.

Institute Awards Recognize Exceptional Service

Each year, the National Institute of Building Sciences recognizes individuals and organizations that have provided outstanding service to the Institute, the building community and the nation. This year, at its Annual Awards Reception and Dinner, the Institute honored M. Dennis Knight, PE; the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide Advisory Committee; Henry H. Chamberlain; and James “Tim” T. Ryan, CBO. Learn more about the 2017 recipients. 

M. Dennis Knight, PE, (center) receives the Institute Member Award from Institute President Henry Green (left) and Institute Chair Stephen Ayers (right).

Sherri McMillion, PE, CEM, Chair of the WBDG Advisory Committee recognizes her Committee colleagues upon accepting the Institute Honor Award on behalf of the Committee.

Henry H. Chamberlain (center) accepts the Institute President’s Award from Institute President Henry Green (left) and Institute Chair Stephen Ayers (right).

James "Tim" T. Ryan, CBO, (center) receives the Mortimer M. Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award from President Henry Green (left) and Chair Stephen Ayers (right).

Institute Recognizes 2017 Beyond Green™ Award Winners

The National Institute of Building Sciences recognized the winners of the 2017 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at its Annual Awards Banquet, held during Building Innovation 2018.

The Honor Award, First Place in the Innovations for High-Performance Buildings and Communities Category, went to MFree-^SCCF from Permasteelisa North America. The Honor Award, First Place in the High-Performance Initiatives Category went to the Make the Switch at Phipps! Green Power Drive of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden. An Award of Merit in the High-Performance Building Category went to the team responsible for renovating two existing office buildings into the North American Headquarters for Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed. Learn more about the award winners.

The winners will be featured as case studies on the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide®. The Call for Entries for the 2018 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards will be available in the summer of 2018. To peruse case studies of Beyond Green™ winners from previous years, visit the WBDG.

Institute Chair Stephen Ayers (left) and Institute President Henry Green (right) present the Honor Award, First Place in the Innovations for High-Performance Buildings and Communities Category, to Alexander Cox (second from left) and Alberto Franceschet, Permasteelisa North America Corp., for the MFree-^SCCF.

Richard V. Piacentini (left), Executive Director at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, accepts the Honor Award, First Place in the High-Performance Initiatives Category from Institute President Henry Green for the Make the Switch at Phipps! Green Power Drive.

Carmen Ferrigno (left), Vice President of Communications at Saint-Gobain Corporation and Executive Director of the Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation, accepts an Award of Merit in the High-Performance Building Category from Institute President Henry Green.

Stephen Ayers, FAIA, Receives 2018 AIA Thomas Jefferson Award

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has selected Stephen Ayers, FAIA, Architect of the Capitol and Immediate Past Chairman of the National Institute of Building Sciences, to be the 2018 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture. The Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture recognizes architects in the public and private sectors, public officials or other individuals who design distinguished public facilities and/or who advocate for design excellence. Ayers will be honored at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2018, to be held June 21-23 in New York City.

As the 11th Architect of the Capitol, a position he was appointed to by President Barack Obama in 2010, Ayers cares for the nation’s architectural treasures and uses his prominent voice to advance the profession. His leadership has seen him testify before Congress on more than 50 occasions, where his keen insight on matters of historic preservation, long-range master planning and sustainability has elevated the discourse on good design to the national level.

A recognized leader in sustainability, Ayers guides more than 2,300 employees and a $600 million budget in the stewardship of some of America’s most important buildings. He oversaw completion of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, a project that was well over budget and behind schedule when he was appointed. When he committed to a completion date and final budget — both of which proved to be accurate — Ayers demonstrated to Congress that the country’s architects can lead and deliver. More recently, his restoration of the Capitol dome and rotunda repaired more than 1,000 cracks and deficiencies in the structure. Read the release. 

Building Innovation 2018 Conference & Expo Recap
Presentations Now Available

Building Innovation 2018 — The National Institute of Building Sciences Sixth Annual Conference & Expo brought together hundreds of building industry professionals to explore strategies to Sustain. Strengthen. Secure. Held January 8-11, 2018, at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C., the event included four enriching days of quality programming and activities; 55 presenters in 20 educational sessions offering 31 continuing education units; three keynote presentations; four networking events; one inspiring award ceremony; 20 exhibits; and an unveiling of the Mitigation Saves Interim Report. From the completed follow-up survey, Conference attendees gave Building Innovation 2018 an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10 points and provided positive feedback on the quality of programs and presenters. View a brief recap of the daily events. 

The Conference presentations are now available online for reference. Missed a presentation or want to go back and take a second look at a speaker’s great graphic? From the Conference program page, click on the session name and then the presentation link under the speaker’s name to view the presentation in Acrobat pdf.

Submit an Abstract for the Autumn 2018 JNIBS Issue

The editors of the Journal of the National Institute of Building Sciences (JNIBS) are beginning the process of compiling articles for the Autumn 2018 edition, which will be published in September 2018. The Autumn issue will offer a special focus on building enclosure design, as well as additional feature articles on building information modeling (BIM), Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines, incentivization and off-site construction. Abstracts are due on or before March 15, 2018. Submittals for other 2018 issues also are welcome. Submit an abstract. Interested in advertising? Download the 2018 JNIBS Media Kit.

2017 Moving Forward Report Looks to the Future
Consultative Council Releases Report at Building Innovation 2018

The Consultative Council released its 2017 report, Moving Forward: Findings and Recommendations from the Consultative Council, during its Annual Meeting Monday, January 8, held as part of Building Innovation 2018. Each year, the Council develops a Moving Forward Report to examine industry challenges and offer findings and recommendations on how to overcome them. The summarized report becomes part of the Institute’s Annual Report, which goes to the President of the United States and the U.S. Congress.

Engaging Code Officials Early is Way to Streamline Building Process
NCBCS White Paper Proposes New Code Official Role

The National Council on Building Codes and Standards (NCBCS) issued a new white paper, Engaging Code Officials Early in the Process to Achieve High-Performance Buildings at its Annual Meeting, Wednesday, January 10, during Building Innovation 2018.

NCBCS undertook an effort in 2017 to examine the benefits of involving code officials early in building projects and how jurisdictions and code departments could begin engaging earlier in the design process. In this white paper, the NCBCS looks at shifting the paradigm, offers suggestions for implementation and addresses potential challenges. The paper also includes a draft meeting agenda for jurisdictions to reference when setting up initiation meetings with teams when beginning new projects. View the white paper.  

Tell the Institute How You Use Off-Site Construction in Your Work
OSCC Extends Survey Deadline to February 15

The Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC) still wants to know how you are using off-site construction practices and methods in your commercial construction work. The OSCC is asking architects, engineers, contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, owners, developers and others in the building industry to take the survey to get an understanding of how the use of off-site construction has changed throughout the industry in the past three years. The Council surveyed the industry back in 2014, and wants to know if the benefits have continued or expanded, and whether the challenges have lessened over time. The OSCC will compile the results into a report of findings, and the answers will help OSCC develop tools and resources for industry. 

Please share your perspective. The survey, which includes 14 questions, should take about ten minutes to complete.  The survey closes Thursday, February 15 at 5:00 pm ET, but no need to wait. Take the survey now. 

Institute Issues New Report on the Value of Mitigation
Society Benefits When Buildings Withstand Natural Disasters

The National Institute of Building Sciences issued Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: 2017 Interim Report on Thursday, January 11, more than a decade after releasing its original report on the same topic and only days after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared 2017 the costliest year on record for weather and climate disasters.

BSSC Training Courses Now Available On-Demand
Learn about the Changes in 2015 NEHRP Provisions, ASCE/SEI 7-16

The popular series of 2017 webinars presented by the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) is now available online. These courses cover some of the latest changes on seismic design and analysis. The courses highlight the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) 2015 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions for Buildings and Other Structures, which was adopted by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) ASCE/SEI-7-16 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures. See the specific topics covered.

The BEST Conference: Registration Now Open
Register Early and Save

Register now to take advantage of the BEST prices for the fifth Building Enclosure Science & Technology Conference™ (BEST5) taking place April 15-18 at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Taught by the building industry’s leading building enclosure experts, the BEST5 program will cover the topic of top concern to all industry professionals: delivering high performance buildings over the long haul.

Inspired by the host City of Brotherly Love, the Conference, presented by the National Institute of Building Sciences’ Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) and the Building Enclosure Council (BEC)-Philadelphia, offers more than 60 presentations in two tracks under the umbrella theme of Looking Back—Moving Forward: Where History Inspires Innovation.

New this year: Conference participants will have the option to attend up the three two-hour modules as part of a 16-hour program leading to an ASTM/NIBS Building Enclosure Commissioning certificate. Modules entitled: “BECx Core Competencies;” “BECx Control Layers” and “BECx Field Testing” are all being offered on the BEST5 Schedule for only $40 per module. And if BECx isn’t your focus, BEST5 will offer tradition Conference sessions, including some interesting presentations designed by BEC Philly, to be presented concurrently with the workshop modules.

Register early and save! Early-bird registration ends March 15. Get the BEST for less. Register now to save up to $100 off the cost of onsite registration rates.

Sponsors, exhibitors and advertisers: Here’s your BEST opportunity to spotlight your building enclosure technology to a captive audience. Grab your spot today before they are sold out!

Hotel Accommodations: The venue for the BEST5 Conference is the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, located at 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107. It is also the most convenient place to stay while attending the Conference. The Lowes Philadelphia is offering a special Conference rate of $189. Reserve your room by the deadline, Monday, March 26, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. ET, to secure this rate and availability. Make your reservations online or call 888-575-6397. Mention "BEST5" when making reservations.

Find out more about BEST5 and sign up for updates at www.theBESTconference.org.

WBDG, FMOC at NFMT
Institute Members Attend for Free

Attend the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference (NFMT) 2018 and discover how to improve the performance of buildings while reducing waste and conserving energy and resources. NFMT 2018 will take place March 20-22 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. While there, don’t miss the chance to learn about National Institute of Building Sciences activities and strategies relating to the Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee (FMOC) and the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide®.

NFMT is free to attend. Your registration includes access to more than 125 educational sessions, entry to the FM Expo, facility tours and networking events. New this year is the Smart Building Innovations Conference (SBIC). Taking place alongside NFMT, SBIC's multi-faceted agenda offers key insights into creating highly automated facilities, reducing energy consumption, increasing occupant comfort and security, and applying data and smart analytics for optimal performance. Don’t miss these Institute-hosted activities.

Institute to Participate in CxEnergy 2018

Don’t miss the upcoming CxEnergy 2018 Conference & Expo, to be held April 23-26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fifth annual CxEnergy provides topical, in-depth educational presentations for commissioning; testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB); and energy management professionals. The National Institute of Building Sciences is a supporting organization of the event.

On Thursday, April 26, Ryan Colker, J.D., Vice President at the Institute, will deliver the technical presentation, “Driving to Outcomes: How Evolving Energy Performance Policies Impact the Building Process.” This session will examine what current and proposed outcome-based code provisions look like (including recent guidance that the Institute issued for cities wishing to implement such an approach) and how commissioning providers and others focused on energy performance can assist building owners in achieving outcome-based goals.

Attendee registration is now open. Members of the National Institute of Building Sciences receive a 10% discount (use promo code “NIBS10”). The attendee registration includes access to 32 technical sessions, the Expo Hall, breakfast, lunch and two receptions. Register at www.CxEnergy.com.

New APPA Standard Outlines Total Cost of Ownership Principles
TCO Process Considers Investments across Entire Building Life Cycle

APPA has published the first American National Standard (ANS) for Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): APPA 1000-1 – Total Cost of Ownership for Facilities Asset Management (TCO) – Part 1: Key Principles.

One of the key drivers for the creation of APPA 1000-1 is the recognized need to ensure that the entire cost of purchasing and owning a building through its lifetime is transparent and clearly understood by all stakeholders, and more importantly, prior to finalizing building and design plans on new construction. All too often, the predictive cost analysis for a new building stops at “first cost” (planning, construction and commissioning), when in fact the life of a building asset requires replacement of energy, utility and safety systems; continual maintenance of the building exterior and interior and replacement of materials; updates to design and functionality; and other numerous and critical requirements.

The National Institute of Building Sciences is a strong proponent of whole-building design and looking at the full life cycle of buildings when making decisions. Institute Program Director Roger Grant participated in the development of the new standard. Read the APPA announcement.   

Design Guide Available to Help K-12 Schools Achieve Zero Energy

A new publication is now available to empower owners, contractors, consulting engineers, architects, designers and administrators of K-12 school buildings to cost effectively achieve advanced levels of energy savings. The resource, Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings – Achieving Zero Energy, is the first in a series of guides that is tailored to the design and creation of zero-energy buildings. The guides are developed by ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society, the U.S. Green Building Council with support and funding from the U.S. Department of Energy through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The guide is available as a free download at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

Institute Celebrates 20 Years of the WBDG
Website Pioneered an Integrated Approach to High Performance

Attendees at the National Institute of Building Sciences’ annual FEDCon® Breakfast January 11 learned about the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide® and joined in the celebration of its 20th anniversary. The Institute’s online research site, WBDG hosts federal design specifications and criteria, as well as education programs, design recommendations and case studies.

Launched in 1997, the WBDG encompassed the innovative combination of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Construction Criteria Base (CCB), which at that time was distributed in a set of 15 compact disks, with a mandate from NAVFAC to create an online resource for federal agencies to share facility-related criteria and information. Two years later, with ever-increasing interest in providing free and immediate access to research concerning energy conservation, the U.S. Department of Energy, teaming with other federal agencies, agreed that the WBDG would be the location where information concerning energy and sustainable design should reside for all to access. In 2000, NAVFAC asked the Institute to manage and maintain the WBDG, and in 2003, DOD, NAVFAC, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Air Force signed an agreement to make the WBDG the sole portal for their design and construction criteria. By 2005, the CCB was completely merged into WBDG, united to promote the “whole building design” approach.