(JBED) - Summer 2006 - The Whole Building Design Guide

Message from NIBS
David A. Harris, FAIA
With mold and
other moisturerelated
problems
perpetuating,
energy efficiency
becoming more
critical with
escalating energy
costs, and design
professionals and
constructors in
need of reliable
guidance, JBED
will fill a critical
void.
WELCOME TO THE JOURNAL OF Building Enclosure Design (JBED)! The National
Institute of Building Sciences and its Building Enclosure Technology and Environment
Council (BETEC) is pleased to team with Matrix Group Publishing to produce
this inaugural issue of the Journal of Building Enclosure Design. This new and
important magazine will become an essential information source on research and
development issues related to building enclosure systems for North America.
With mold and other moisture-related problems perpetuating, energy efficiency
becoming more critical with escalating energy costs and design professionals
and constructors in need of reliable guidance, JBED will fill a critical void.
Through the multi-disciplinary professional members of BETEC and Matrix’s
publishing capabilities, facility professionals across North America will have a new
and reliable source of information through which to improve the performance of
exterior walls, below-grade, roof and fenestration systems and the related impacts
on indoor environments.
NIBS’ and BETEC’s past contributions are featured content of the Whole
Building Design Guide (www.wbdg.org). They include the results of numerous research
initiatives and symposia, the Envelope Design Guide and form a substantial
portion of the basis for technical and editorial content of our biannual journal. By
distributing it widely to members of NIBS councils, corporate, government and
association personnel, design and construction professionals, and researchers and
academics throughout Canada and the United States, the value of BETEC’s contributions
will be greatly expanded.
In addition to BETEC’s focus on building enclosure issues, NIBS and its other
councils have, for nearly 30 years, addressed the broad range of facility-related
issues through hundreds of multi-disciplinary and cooperative initiatives. They include
health, safety, security, health care and educational facilities, natural and environmental
hazard assessment and mitigation, information technology, standards
and criteria development, facility life-cycle needs, life-lines research and information
dissemination to name a few. Please visit NIBS website at www.nibs.org. We
encourage your use of our products and seek your participation in our programs.
Together we can successfully improve the performance of the built environment.
We invite our readers to carefully review this inaugural issue and ask you to
let us know how you like it. Please provide critical feed back to Matrix Group
Publishing or NIBS so we can make this publication better and more responsive
to your needs.
David A. Harris, FAIA
President
National Institute of Building Sciences
For NIBS membership information, go to www.nibs.org.
WHAT IS NIBS
NIBS is a non-profit, non-governmental organization bringing
together representatives of government, the professions, industry,
labor and consumer interests to focus on the identification and resolution
of problems and potential problems that hamper the construction
of safe, affordable structures for housing, commerce and
industry throughout the United States.
The Institute’s board of directors consists of 21 members. Six,
which represent the public interest, are appointed by the President
of the United States with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.
The remaining 15 members are elected from the nation’s building
community and include consumer and public interest representatives
as well as representatives of industry. A majority of the
NIBS’ board represents public interest sectors as prescribed in the
authorizing legislation.
For more information visit www.nibs.org.
6 Journal of Building Enclosure Design