- Author
- Snell, J. E. | Rosenfeld, A. H. | Fowell, A. J. | Wright, R. N.
- Title
- Construction and Building. Interagency Program for Technical Advancement in Construction and Building. Report of the Subcommittee on Construction and Building Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Keywords
- building construction | planning | housing
- Abstract
- The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Subcommittee on Construction and Building (C&B) was organized in 1994 to coordinate and focus the work of 14 federal agencies in enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. industry, public and worker safety and environmental quality through research and development. The Subcommittee works in cooperation with U.S. industry, labor and academia for improvement of the life cycle performance, sustainability, efficiency, effectiveness and economy of constructed facilities. At the start, C&B formulated, in consultation with industry, national construction goals to guide federal agencies and industry in the focus and coordination of the $500 million annual federal R&D relevant to the industries of construction. Collaborative R&D has been planned and conducted with residential, commercial/institutional, industrial and public works sectors. A notable collaboration, the High Performance Construction Materials and Systems Program (CONMAT), involves 13 materials associations has planned a $2 billion, 10-year program of R&D; and developed $250 million in ongoing projects jointly funded by industry and government. While C&B coordinates federal R&D in collaboration with the industries of construction, most such R&D is conducted as part of agencies' programs and not through the subcommittee. To enhance private sector/federal agency collaboration C&B sponsored the Construction Industry Collaborations Workshop to advise industry on interests, capabilities and mechanisms for research collaborations.