Industry News: COVID-19 Updates and Healthy Buildings

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) is Congressionally mandated to assist the built environment, bringing experts to the table to discuss and tackle challenges that face our industry. This responsibility is more critical than ever.

Our team has come together to personally curate and build a resource for those looking for recent developments, financial assistance information, webinars and events, continuing education, and other impacts of the coronavirus on the building sector. This collection of resources will live permanently on the Whole Building Design Guide–WBDG where this new resource hub is regularly updated as new information becomes available.

Our No. 1 priority during this unprecedented time is the safety and health of our workforce. We aim to improve lives through collaboration, and it’s our hope this information will fit the needs of the industry. If you have a news item or information that you would like included, please send it to wbdg@nibs.org.

Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers: Defense Industrial Base, Energy, Dams, Healthcare & Public Health, Chemical, Communications, Government Facilities, Nuclear Reactors, Materials & Waste, Information Technology, Commercial Facilities, Transportation Systems, Financial, Water & Wastewater, Emergency Services, Food & Agriculture, Critical Manufacturing

Apr 2, 2020

The Swarm Before the ‘Storm: BIMStorm 2020 Takes on COVID-19

NIBS is supporting the development of the BIMStorm Swarm, an effort developed by Onuma to allow planners, designers, and owners work together and communicate in real time to share the enormous amount of data and information that goes into shaping today's building projects. As the site explains, "Mobile, cloud computing, and other technologies support uninterrupted workflows even with the constraints of social-distancing. We allow ourselves all the benefits of 'swarm intelligence' without having to leave our homes." NIBS is supporting the 'swarm' by helping to mobilize subject matter experts to provide support for this BIMStorm. View the continually updates website and join the Swarm today.

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Building Information Modeling (BIM)
COVID-19

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BIMStorm

Mar 28, 2020

CISA Identifies Critical Infrastructure Sectors and Workers During COVID-19

The US Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has defined 13 critical infrastructure sectors and the essential workers needed to maintain the services and functions Americans depend on daily and need to be able to operate resiliently during the COVID-19 pandemic response. This site is intended to provide guidance to state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions—as well as the private sector—on defining essential critical infrastructure workers.

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COVID-19
Infrastructure

Mar 27, 2020

VA Shares its COVID-19 Response Plan

The U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), working with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other federal agencies, has implemented an aggressive public health response to protect and care for veterans, their families, health care providers, and staff in the face of this emerging health risk. The site also outline’s VA's outreach to Veterans and staff, clinical screening at VA healthcare facilities, and protective procedures for patients admitted to VA's community living centers and spinal cord injury units.

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COVID-19

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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Mar 26, 2020

Army Corps Calls for Capabilities

USACE Districts nationwide. If you wish to be considered for missions, please your send capabilities statements to perform:
(1) "Build-out" or retrofit of existing space (arenas, convention centers, dormitories, hotels, or other facilities) into alternate care facilities; (2) Field Medical Units; (3) Temporary Medical Enclosures
Include response times (boots on the ground) by FEMA region or state to give those making decisions a better understanding of your capabilities. All other vendors expressing capabilities to support COVID-19 for other efforts (disinfecting recruiting stations, design of hospitals, etc.) should be directed to register at the beta.SAM.gov Disaster Response Registry.

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COVID-19

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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

Mar 25, 2020

White Paper on "COVID-19 and the Global Construction Market" Available for Download

Cumming, a global construction management consulting firm, has made available for download a white paper by Daniel Pomfrett and Brian Burton to examine the history of COVID-19 and examine its effect on construction markets globally and within the U.S. It is important to note that current conditions are changing quickly; this paper was based on information available as of March 25, 2020.

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COVID-19
Facility Construction

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Cumming Corporation

Mar 25, 2020

American Institute of Steel Construction Webpage Compares "Essential Business" Orders by State

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) presents guidance on whether steel fabrication and construction are allowed to continue as "essential businesses" during a state stay at home order. The rules of each state differ, and AISC has compiled a continually updated list of all states with stay-at-home orders ,with specific requirements for each.

Topics

COVID-19

Mar 24, 2020

FEMA Response Page Includes Community Best Practices

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Corona Virus Response page offers fact sheets, news releases, and guidance for emergency managers. The site also sponsors a "Best Practices" community sharing page and a media gallery of FEMA responses in action.

Topics

COVID-19
Hazard Mitigation

Mar 24, 2020

Disasters Collide: How the Pandemic Will Affect Response to Natural Disasters

Some reports indicate that the spread of the coronavirus will continue through this summer, indicating that social-distancing measures may be in place for several months. In this article, NIBS Multihazard Mitigation Council Chair Bryan Koon points out that the pandemic won’t stop other natural disasters from occurring, citing the recent earthquake in Salt Lake City. Spring flooding, tornadoes, and the first part of hurricane season will all occur before the number of COVID-19 cases dissipate. Koon explains that we need to start preparing now and begin to think through some of the major challenges that will arise when responding to multiple disasters simultaneously.

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COVID-19
Hazard Mitigation

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Route Fifty

Mar 16, 2020

Practice of Architecture: Architecture Firm Best Practices, Resources & Templates for Communications and Temp Policies for COVID-19

Practice of Architecture web site group is using the interconnectivity of GoogleDocs to create a living document that allows architects to share their experiences, resources, and best practices for navigating practice in this time of upheaval. Subscribers (it's free!) may contribute and get continual updates.

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