WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 28, 2009)— As Congressional policy makers and AEC industry leadership convene to allocate stimulus funds and consider high performance building legislation, thousands of design and construction industry professionals will gather at the Washington Convention Center for Ecobuild^® America, Dec. 7-10, to learn what they’ll need to know. Sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, Ecobuild^® America will play host to scores of educational sessions, a job fair and other networking meetings to advance a dialogue about the allocation of the oncoming stimulus, high performance and green building policies and the impact they will have for new jobs, new projects and restoring the nation’s buildings and infrastructure.

“A true economic recovery plan must include policies to stimulate the design and construction industries,” said National Institute of Building Sciences President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA. “These industries are responsible for nearly $1 in every $10 of U.S. Gross Domestic Product and employ more than 7 million Americans. They have been particularly hard-hit by the economic downturn.

“Federal infrastructure investments in our nation’s buildings and a focus on building performance, energy efficiency and sustainability will invigorate these industries and put Americans back to work almost immediately.  For example, the General Services Administration has identified more than 500 federal building projects that, if funded, could begin within 90 to 180 days.”

Pursuing these projects would immediately create tens of thousands of jobs for architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, contractors, electricians, plumbers, heating and air conditioning installers, carpenters, masons and painters, construction equipment operators, roofers, insulation workers, construction managers, building inspectors, and the many other building professionals.

FEDCon – Annual Exploration of Federal Agency Design and Construction Programs for the Building Community

To help design and construction firms as well as product manufacturers identify opportunities, standards, project specifications and budgets, Ecobuild America will again host FEDCon within its many program offerings. This one-day conference, sponsored by the Institute, will take place Tuesday, December 8th, 8:30am – 4:45pm.

In addition to helping firms garner the vital expertise to prepare them to benefit from the oncoming stimulus, attendees will gain rare face-to-face access with high-level officials from Federal agencies. This year’s invited speakers represent the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (Military Construction and Civil Works Programs), NAVFAC (Naval Facilities Engineering Command), U.S. Air Force, U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The FEDCon keynote address features Acting Architect of the Capitol and Chief Operating Officer Stephen T. Ayers, AIA, LEED AP. 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. He will share his facility management insider viewpoint of the Capitol and discuss other federal agency updates on the latest government construction projects.

America’s schools are especially poised to benefit from the stimulus. Although many of the funding earmarks will be passed along to individual states to allocate, billions will be available for school modernization, renovation, and repair, including provisions related to high performance green schools. The details and status of these programs will be further explored in a FEDCon presentation by the Institute’s National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities.

A letter to Congressional leadership signed by more than 80 leading associations and industry organizations cited, “The design, construction, and renovation of green, high-performing schools not only improve the learning environment for students, they create jobs. A study conducted by the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University reports that each $1 million in construction spending supports 28.5 full-time jobs.” It forecast as many as 400,000 new private-sector jobs in the design and construction industries could be created, and many almost immediately within the thousands of shovel-ready school projects across the country that will benefit from the stimulus spending.

Related sessions of interest to design and construction professionals, educators, and school planners at the Ecobuild America conference include:

• Energy Master Planning (EMP) for New and Existing Facilities
• Solar & Wind Power for Buildings
• Achieving Energy Efficiency in Building Performance
• Sustainable School Design: Case Studies and Best Practices
• Zero Energy Buildings from Zero Energy Mechanical Systems
• The Schools Energy Program and BIM Interoperability
• Site Security Design: The Next Generation of Design Excellence
• Intelligent Building Technologies for a Sustainable Future
• BIM in Campus Facilities Management

In addition, Robert A. Peck, Commissioner, Public Buildings Service for the U.S. General Services Administration will present the Ecobuild America keynote address on Wednesday, December 9th. The GSA was appropriated $5.5 billion under the Recovery Act to convert federal buildings into high-performance green buildings and build new energy-efficient federal buildings, courthouses, and land ports of entry. GSA will obligate its remaining $4.5 billion in Recovery Act construction funds by September 30, 2011. Contract bids are coming in, on average, approximately 8 – 10 percent lower than expected, allowing GSA to fund additional high performance features in existing projects, and using existing criteria, consider funding additional projects with the goal of continuing to stimulate the real estate, construction, and manufacturing sectors of the economy. Mr. Peck will expand on this progress in his presentation.

Ecobuild^® America is sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences and endorsed by the Alliance to Save Energy. Corporate sponsors include Gold level: MechoShade Systems, Onuma, Cyon Research and Silver Level: Cisco and HOK. Discounted rates with savings up to $100 are available through ‘early bird’ registration before October 31, 2009. For more information or to register, visit www.aecEcobuild.com.

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Ecobuild^® America, sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, educates design and construction professionals on how to improve our built environment. This unique conference and exhibit, not only introduces new strategies and materials to create high performance, sustainable structures, but also the technology to do it faster and more profitably. www.ecobuildmedia.com

For interviews, media passes or more information:
Ian Bryan
828.242.1868
ianbryan@sensiblecity.com