Building Innovation 2015 Day Four

Today, Day 4 of Building Innovation 2015—The National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference and Expo, the Conference wrapped up with the Plenary Symposium, the FEDCon® Luncheon and the Special Session, Ten Years after “Mitigation Saves.” 

The Plenary Symposium: Creating High-Performing Resilient Communities, sponsored by Lehigh Hanson, covered two of the key outcomes expected from Building Innovation 2015 – an examination of building innovations under development by Institute programs and a discussion with industry leaders focusing on the Conference theme, Creating High-Performing Resilient Communities. The morning began with a lightning round of Innovative Presentations by Institute program directors, followed by a CEO Panel that discussed how the industry organizations are working to achieve industry and community goals.

At lunch, Norman Dong, Commissioner, Public Buildings Service (PBS) at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), discussed GSA’s workplace initiatives, focusing on performance and the results from projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

“It’s not just about the cost savings,” Commissioner Dong said, in regard to GSA’s move to consolidate multiple buildings into shared facilities. “It dramatically improves the collaboration and communication among employees. I would honestly say I would never go back to the way it was.”

In the afternoon, the Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) held a Special Session: Ten Years after "Mitigation Saves” – An Examination of the Value of Private-Sector Investment in Mitigation. Presenters discussed a vision for developing Version 2 of the 2005 MMC study, which will look at private-sector investments in mitigation and evaluate their effectiveness.

The final activity of the day was a meeting of the Institute’s Board of Directors.

The National Institute of Building Sciences will hold its Fourth Annual Conference, Building Innovation 2016, January 11-15, 2016. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

About the National Institute of Building Sciences

The National Institute of Building Sciences, authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology.

An Authoritative Source of Innovative Solutions for the Built Environment