On this Fourth of July, we stand at the cusp of a profound moment—one that evokes not just celebration, but reflection. Two hundred and forty-nine years ago, our nation declared that America would stand for liberty, equality, and the unyielding spirit of innovation. Our nation has held to our promise and shaped a story uniquely tied to our built environment. We have moved from wattle and daub to soaring steel, from cobblestones to interstates to internet, and now we enter the promise of AI powered smart cities. Along the way, America has built communities, supply chains, and connections. But more than shelter or commerce, we have advanced resilience, ingenuity, and leadership.
Just as our founding patriots embarked on a journey of courage, NIBS has blazed a path over the past 50 years. What began as a coalition of architects, engineers, and policy advocates has grown into an essential catalyst: translating cutting-edge research into building codes, standards, and practices that shape every aspect of our economy and everyday lives. We have supported seismic-safe schools, energy-efficient public housing, coast-resiliency along our shorelines, and data-driven design in the largest government campuses. Each project is a milestone in a larger journey—from vision to verification to implementation.
Our built world is more than brick and mortar—it is the ground upon which every innovation evolves. It is the space where telehealth happens, where supply chains flow, where resilience is tested, and where communities flourish. As global competition intensifies, America’s competitive edge will depend on how quickly we turn innovation into policies and projects that protect public safety, accelerate performance, and empower growth.
That is where NIBS plays its vital role. For over 50 years, we’ve served as the bridge between visionary R&D and real-world standards, between pilot projects and national implementation. By guiding federal agencies, state governments, architects, engineers, contractors, and product manufacturers, NIBS ensures innovation gets built correctly, built safely, and built at scale. NIBS is not just a collective of experts—it is America’s institutional enabler of building innovation.
The next 50 years hold tremendous promise: mass-timber construction in every region, digital twins for every critical building, grid-interactive design, resilient infrastructure under increasing climate stress. Yet none of it will translate into benefits for every American without the purposeful alignment of policy, standards and support.
By committing to NIBS, we’re choosing a future where every American—whether in high-rise offices, suburban schools, rural hospitals, or coastal homes—lives and works in buildings that are safer, more efficient, more resilient. We’re choosing to strengthen our nation’s global competitiveness by leveraging American building innovation. We’re choosing to protect taxpayers and communities by embedding performance into every stage of design and construction.
So today, as we watch fireworks across our landscapes—from small towns to city skylines—we reflect on a journey that began with a Declaration and continues through every tower and tunnel, every transit facility and transmission line. America has always innovated through building. NIBS ensures that innovation reaches into every structure, every street, every sector. With your partnership and support, we can ensure the next 50 years bring a new renaissance of American prosperity—powered by innovation in the built environment.
Happy Independence Day. May we continue to build a stronger, safer, more competitive America together.
George Guszcza,
President and CEO,
National Institute of Building Sciences
