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Building-Sciences Institute Sunsets High Performance Building Council

March 15, 2017
The National Institute of Building Sciences recently announced its board of directors voted to sunset the High Performance Building Council.

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The National Institute of Building Sciences recently announced its board of directors voted to sunset the High Performance Building Council (HPBC).

The institute founded the HPBC in 2007 in response to a request from the U.S. Secretary of Energy to assess voluntary standards and rating systems defining high-performance buildings. Using the integrated approach of the WBDG Whole Building Design Guide, which describes high-performance buildings in terms of eight attributes—cost-effectiveness, safety and security, sustainability, accessibility, functionality, productivity, historic preservation, and aesthetics—the HPBC conducted industrywide research and analysis. The HPBC delivered the resulting report, “Assessment to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Energy on High Performance Buildings,” to the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2008.

In the following years, the HPBC worked on the Owner Performance Requirements (OPR) Tool and related report for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), the report “A Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings” for the DOE, and the National Performance Based Design Guide, based on research and development supported by the DHS S&T and the U.S. General Services Administration Public Buildings Service.

“The overall mission of the HPBC has permeated into virtually all of the Institute’s other councils and committees, high performance is a primary theme of the Institute’s conferences, and the Institute’s Consultative Council prioritizes high-performance buildings in its recommendations to the president of the United States and Congress,” the National Institute of Building Sciences said in a statement. “Most significantly, other organizations, including the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition, have implemented key activities in support of HPBC goals and are taking steps to move the effort forward across the industry.

“The Institute thanks the HPBC Executive Committee and the HPBC membership for their role in achieving these significant accomplishments,” the National Institute of Building Sciences concluded. “As an industry leader and advocate, the Institute will continue to support the industry in developing solutions for high-performance buildings.”