Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
Mission
To unite and inspire the building industry toward higher performance - through education,
outreach, advocacy and the mutual exchange of ideas. In addition, to dramatically
improve the long-term performance and value of buildings by advancing a whole building
approach to design, construction and operation
SBIC's long-standing commitment to better buildings began back in the late '70's
with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy use. By the 1990s, SBIC was
working with GSA, DoD, EPA and DOE to develop the Sustainability Principles for
Executive Order 13123: Optimize Site Potential, Minimize Energy Use and Use Renewable
Energy Strategies, Conserve and Protect Water, Use Environmentally Preferable Products,
Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality, and Optimize Operations and Maintenance Practices.
This activity coincided with SBIC expanding its reach to cover the broader issues
of sustainability (not just energy). SBIC conceptualized the Whole Building Design
Guide (www.wbdg.org), along with our partners at NAVFAC, GSA, DoD and other federal
agencies.
SBIC membership is open to organizations, trade associations, companies and individuals.
Many of the original founding members have supported the work of the Council for
over 25 years. Nonprofits, architects, engineers, home builders, utilities, consultants,
product and material manufacturers, suppliers, universities, professors, students,
other building-related professionals and interested individuals all participate
in the Council's mission.
In two and a half decades, SBIC has established and maintained successful partnerships
with government agencies, companies, and a wide variety of organizations whose work
relates to the built environment.
The SBIC proactive approach to partnering allows us to recognize a diverse array
of experts and organizations and bring them together to learn from and complement
each other's talents and experience. When partnering with SBIC— whether the catalyzing
event is a workshop, seminar, discussion forum, or a national policy initiative—the
results are effective.
SBIC members and partners share the common goal of delivering buildings that provide
long-term value and performance, reduce operating costs, keep occupants safe, comfortable
and healthy and protect the natural environment. Most recently, SBIC has gone Beyond
GreenTM, believing that it is not sufficient to create buildings that are simply
green. The SBIC bring the same vision to eight design objectives in order to create
high-performance buildings that are accessible, aesthetic, cost-effective, functional,
healthy, historic, safe/secure, as well as sustainable.
For more than 25 years, SBIC has collaborated with our members, national laboratories,
Federal agencies, and other partners in the building industry on the following initiatives:
- Federal sector training programs
- Continuing education and professional development
- Educational briefings and advocacy
- Curriculum development and delivery
- Beyond GreenTM High-Performance Building Awards
- Technical guidance
- Web-based training and outreach
- Design tools and software
