Building Industry Meets to Discuss Toolkit for Haiti
James “Tim” Ryan (center), secretary of the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors, talks with industry representatives about what should be included in a toolkit the group will be developing for Haiti. The meeting was the first to be streamed live via the web in the Institute’s state-of-the art conference room.
In the wake of the devastating 7.0–magnitude earthquake that occurred in Haiti on January 13, the National Institute of Building Sciences asked the United States codes and standards community to help provide guidance in the reconstruction of the island nation. The Institute put out a call to industry for assistance in the development of a toolkit to help guide Haiti in rebuilding. The participants convened for a face-to-face meeting, which was streamed on the web Wednesday, February 17.
Find out the results of the meeting.
Haiti Toolkit Web Portal to be Hosted by OGC
Industry representatives who are working with the National Institute of Building Sciences to develop a toolkit for Haiti will be able to coordinate efforts much more easily with the help of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC). OGC has agreed to host a web portal so committees who are working on the project can share information and documents quickly and efficiently. The Institute appreciates the generous assistance of OGC, as well as everyone involved in the Haiti toolkit effort.
Celebrating 35 Years
The National Institute of Building Sciences celebrated 35 years in 2009. In honor of the occasion, the organization released an Anniversary Report at its Annual Meeting in December. Founded in 1974, the Institute has changed quite a bit over the subsequent years. The report provides an overview of the history of the Institute in relation to the political climate and activities of the building industry and details when programs were established and why.
Read the report.
Ecobuild America 2010 Speaker Proposals Due March 15
Have an idea for Ecobuild America 2010 conference seminars or panel discussions that feature real-world, solutions-based case studies and/or management discussions? AEC Science & Technology is now accepting speaker proposals. Sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, Ecobuild America 2010 will be held December 6-10. Session topics include: building information modeling (BIM) and information technology, building performance and energy efficiency, green building and sustainable design, and sustainable sites and infrastructure.
Presentation proposals are due March 15.
Submit a proposal.
Meet the Board
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Richardson |
Winkel |
 The Meet the Board section provides readers with the opportunity to get to know more about the 21 individuals who make up the 2010 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors. In this issue, we focus on Dwight “Sonny” Richardson, Jr., and Steven R. Winkel. Richardson is a builder in the industry category. Winkel is a professional engineer in the public interest category. Read more about
Richardson and
Winkel.
BSSC Holds Annual Meeting, Awards Honors, Elects Officers
 The Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) recognized award winners, elected 2010 officers and held working meetings during its Annual Meeting in San Francisco January 20.
BSSC presented 2009 Honor Awards to Kelly Cobeen, PE, SE; J. Daniel Dolan, PhD, PE; Michael G. Mahoney; William T. Holmes and Ronald O. Hamburger, SE, SECB.
Board of Direction officers elected for 2010 are William Holmes as chair; James R. Cagley, PE, SC, as vice-chair; and Curtis Campbell as secretary. BSSC also recognized retiring Board members Edwin Dean, James Rinner and James Rossberg.
During the meeting, the Council addressed the 2009 NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program) Recommended Seismic Provisions and Emerging Issues for 2014. A two-day meeting of the BSSC Code Resource Support Committee (CRSC) followed the event.
Learn more about BSSC Annual Meeting activities.
Advanced Materials Council Begins Development of Materials Database
Mohammed Ettouney of Weidlinger Associates explains the structure of the new Advance and High-Performance Materials Database.
The Advance Materials Council convened
in January to initiate development of the Advanced and High-Performance Materials Database. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Infrastructure and Geophysical Division of the Science and Technology Directorate is creating and supporting the new database, which will be managed and maintained by the National Institute of Building Sciences.
The meeting brought together 40 representatives from key sectors, including seven national laboratories, six universities involved in materials research, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Building and Fire Research Laboratory, and the National Science Foundation. Private-sector companies who are leaders in materials research and development, and key representatives from DHS rounded out the list of attendees.
The BEST Bargain This Spring: Early Registration Extended to March 1
 Register
now for the BEST2 Conference, “A New Design Paradigm for Energy Efficient
Buildings,” and save hundreds of dollars over the on-site registration price.
Three conference tracks will
cover energy efficiency, whole building and fenestration. Conference highlights
include an expert panel on whole building commissioning and a session by noted
building envelope expert Joseph W. Lstiburek. Choose from more than 20 sessions
and earn continuing education units (CEUs).
Register now.
California Adopts First Statewide Green Building Standards Code
The California Building Standards Commission has unanimously adopted the first-in-the-nation mandatory Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN) requiring all new buildings in the state to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. The comprehensive regulations will take effect on January 1, 2011. CALGREEN addresses water consumption, construction waste, the use of low pollutant-emitting materials, and mandatory inspections of energy systems for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet.
Read Governor Schwarzenegger’s news release.
OGC, bSa Release Report on AEC Interoperability Testbed
The buildingSMART alliance™ (bSa) and the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) have released a new report,
Summary of the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner Operator Phase 1 (AECOO-1) Joint Testbed. The report summarizes results of a nine-month effort to increase interoperability among software used by architects, construction companies, cost estimators and building energy analysts.
Read the report.
NCS Ballot Deadline Extended to February 28
No need to despair if you missed the original February 6 deadline to submit ballots for the
United States National CAD Standard® (NCS). The Steering Committee has extended the Ballot Submission period to February 28. More than 60 ballots have been submitted up to this point. The Steering Committee does not want to encourage anyone to wait until the last minute; however, those people who were in need of a few more days to finish up those ballot items are now in luck.
Plus, there’s one additional announcement relating to ballot submissions. The new technology the Committee is using during this revision cycle allows ballot authors to follow their submitted items and participate in Task Team discussions on the portal through the “comment tracker.” This option was previously available only to those authors who served on the Task Team. The new website opens the capability up to all ballot authors.
Submit a ballot.
Back by Popular Demand...COBie2 Challenge
National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) will host a Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie)2 Challenge at the conference for the second year. NFMT is one of only a few limited venues across the country that has previously hosted a COBIE Challenge. The COBIE2 Challenge will be held Wed., March 17 at 9:00 am, in Baltimore, Maryland.
The COBie2 Challenge allows suppliers and users of the application to test their software in a live demonstration. It will show how different computer software management programs handle facility data in a real-world, real-time environment. The COBIE2 Challenge is open and free to all NFMT registered attendees.
Register now.
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