Oct 10, 2014 -- The National Institute of Building Sciences Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) announces the appointment of Ralph DiNola, Fulya Kocak and RK Stewart to serve as the jury for the 2014 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards.

“Given the industry’s increased focus on high-performance buildings and communities, we expect to receive many high-quality entries for the coveted 2014 Beyond Green™ Awards,” said Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA. “We are proud to have another distinguished panel of jurors to serve in the evaluation of this year’s entries.”

The Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards highlight those initiatives that shape, inform and catalyze the high-performance planning, design, construction and operations processes. The jury is responsible for selecting those buildings, initiatives and innovations that best exemplify the eight design objectives of high performance, from all of the entries submitted to SBIC by the October 31 deadline. The 2014 award categories include: High-Performance Buildings; High-Performance Attributes and Systems; High-Performance Initiatives; and Innovations for High-Performance Buildings; as well as the Greg Franta Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to high-performance, sustainable building design and construction.

SBIC will recognize the 2014 award winners on Thursday, January 8, 2015, during the Beyond Green™ Awards Luncheon. The luncheon and that day’s two co-located symposia: the Industry Leadership and Advocacy Symposium and the Facility Performance and Sustainability Symposium, are all part of a series of events taking place during Building Innovation 2015—The National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference and Expo, January 6-9, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.

Ralph DiNola, executive director of the New Buildings Institute, has dedicated his professional life to bringing green building innovation to scale. DiNola served as a technical advisor for the Living Building Challenge™ standard and has consulted on over 130 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects, including 10 precedent-setting LEED Platinum certifications. As principal investigator of a landmark study of historic buildings, DiNola helped establish and validate the true value and benefits of building reuse, bridging the divide between sustainability and historic preservation. DiNola is a LEED Fellow, founding Board chair of the International Living Future Institute, founder and former principal at Green Building Services and 2012 BetterBricks award winner.

Fulya Kocak, director of sustainability at Clark Construction Group, LLC, develops the company's sustainability strategy, coordinates environmental responsibility efforts and represents the company on numerous sustainable and green committees. She manages Clark's nationwide Sustainability Committee, which develops continuing education curriculum for employees and works with staff to ensure projects meet sustainability and LEED certification goals. The recipient of 2014 Mayor's Sustainability Award for the District of Columbia, Kocak is a voting member of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) Green Technical Advisory Group, and has been influential in developing the city’s first green building codes. Named a 2014 LEED Fellow by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), she chairs the USGBC National Capital Region Chapter Board of Directors. Kocak serves on the USGBC's Materials & Resources Technical Advisory Group's LEED Committee and the Associated General Contractors of America's Environmental Forum.

RK Stewart, FAIA, Hon. FRAIC, Hon. JIA, Hon. AIA, LEED AP BD+C is a leader in project management, project delivery, building performance and design education. His 39 years of experience include work with Gensler, Perkins+Will, SOM and teaching architecture at University of Utah, Mississippi State and Louisiana State Universities. He is the immediate past chair of the National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors. During his term as national president for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2007 (the 150th Anniversary of the organization), he advocated for sustainable design practices and Integrated Project Delivery. Stewart is a visiting team member and team chair for the National Architectural Accrediting Board, a member of the AIA College of Fellows, a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council and a Senior Fellow of the New Building Institute.

DiNola, Kocak and Stewart will select the winners of the 2014 Beyond Green™ Awards from all of the entries submitted by the October 31 deadline. 

Learn more about the Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building and Community Awards.

Register for the Luncheon and/or Building Innovation 2015. 

Download the Call for Entries.

Select from the Award Categories to submit your entry.

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.

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