FEDCon® 2009 Keynote Offers a Capitol View
 Acting Architect of the Capitol and Chief Operating Officer Stephen T. Ayers, AIA, LEED AP, has a unique perspective when it comes to federal construction projects. He is the man responsible for supervising 16.5 million square feet of government buildings, including the U.S. Capitol, House and Senate Congressional Office Buildings, Library of Congress, U.S. Supreme Court, Federal Judiciary Building and Capitol Power Plant. Ayers oversaw the opening of the most widely publicized projects constructed in Washington in decades — the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. FEDCon® attendees will get to hear Ayers’ facility management insider viewpoint on Tuesday, December 8, during his keynote speech at the event. Plus, they can learn about other federal agency updates on the latest government construction projects. Hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences, FEDCon® is an exploration of federal agency design and construction programs for the building community.
Read more.
Meet the Board
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The “Meet the Board” section provides readers with
the opportunity to get to know more about the 21 individuals who make up
the 2009 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors. In
this issue, we focus on Steve M. Hays, Heidi Biggs Brock and Brent H.
Woodworth. Read
more about Hays,
Brock and
Woodworth. |
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Brock |
Hays |
Woodworth |
Wood Construction Performs Well in Largest-Ever Earthquake Simulation
In the world’s largest-ever earthquake simulation, a full-scale, six-story condominium built from wood atop a single-story of steel received good marks from researchers for stability and safety after being shaken for 40 seconds in a simulated 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The results will help researchers validate new design methods for mid-rise, wood-framed building in urban earthquake-prone areas. Conducted on the world’s largest earthquake shake table at Japan’s National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, the simulation was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and conducted by researchers from Colorado State University, along with advisors from industry and academia.
Read the release.
DOE Prepares States for Changes in Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently conducted its Energy Codes 2009 program, Now is the Time for Building Energy Codes, in Portland, Ore., as part of its effort to provide updated information to state energy officials and others. The four-day meeting included presentations on the Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and energy codes and standards. Find out what was discussed.
Find out what was discussed.
As a part of the meeting, DOE arranged a visit to two sites under construction. The Daybreak Cohousing project is a shared housing complex that combines individual housing units with a common space facility shared by all residents. The other project, First and Main is a multistory high-rise designed to achieve LEED Platinum rating. Targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2010, it is anticipated to have an energy use 18% below ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004.
 Work in progress. Conference attendees take a tour of the Daybreak Cohousing Project, one of two construction site tours during Energy Codes 2009.
Take a virtual tour.
New Website Gives Users a Comprehensive Look at ProjNetSM
Federal agencies and private architecture, engineering and construction firms can now get a clear, comprehensive picture of all that ProjNetSM has to offer with the help of a new website,
www.projnet.com.
More than 45,000 worldwide public and private capital facilities industry stakeholders already use ProjNetSM to exchange and manage their building design and construction information, including documents identified as Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU)/ For Official Use Only (FOUO). Up until now the only official information source to learn about the Internet-based design review and approval platform was a user support site. The new ProjNetSM website gives the wider audience an opportunity to find out about ProjNetSM applications, features, functions and benefits.
Find out about this new resource.
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Members of the G2B (Government to Business) Committee review ProjNetSM activities during their August meeting in Washington, D.C. With their go-ahead, the Institute rolled out a new website that gives users a comprehensive look at the Internet-based design review and approval platform.
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Shelden to Keynote buildingSMART alliance International Conference
 Project information management can provide new opportunities for design and construction firms in the evolving landscape of professional services. Dennis R. Shelden, a world leader in the field of building information modeling (BIM), will address how members of the construction industry and their clients can benefit by using information technology (IT), such as BIM, to integrate product delivery, during his keynote address at the buildingSMART alliance International Conference. Shelden’s keynote, scheduled for Thursday, December 10, from 12:00 pm. to 1:00 pm., is open to all buildingSMART alliance International Conference and Ecobuild America attendees.
Find out more.
Go to the Head of the
Class with
Ecobuild America Sessions on Stimulus Funding, Green Schools
With billions of dollars of President Obama’s stimulus funding dedicated to education, Ecobuild America, December 8-10, sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, offers designers, builders and educators a great opportunity to learn where the money is slated to go and how school facilities can get there. Industry professionals can quickly get up to speed on green schools and high performing building issues, such as indoor air quality, security, energy usage, modernization and more.
The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF), a program of the Institute, will lead several school facility sessions at Ecobuild America. NCEF, the largest source of school facilities information in the world, provides extensive information and case studies on topics such as energy efficiency, daylighting and building commissioning. At Ecobuild, NCEF experts will help attendees get the most out of the federal stimulus, design for school safety and security, and navigate the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities website.
See a list of school facilities sessions..
National Contest Focuses on Public School Building Conditions
The 21st Century School Fund, Healthy Schools Campaign and Critical Exposure is holding “Through Your Lens: School Facilities Across America,” a national photo and essay contest. The contest, which ends September 14th, is tied to the policy debate about federal funding for public school repair, renovation and construction. Winning photos and stories featuring the good, bad and ugly conditions in public school buildings will be displayed in Washington D.C. The photo exhibit will open as Congress is considering legislation to fund the repair, renovation and construction of safe, healthy and green school buildings. The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities is a partner in the Building Educational Success Together initiative, one of the partners sponsoring the contest.
Learn more about the contest.
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