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Streamlining the Building Regulatory Process: an idea whose time has come

Robert WibleAlliance for Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age

FIATECH ANNUAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE & SHOWCASEWashington, DCApril 9-12, 2007

MOVING THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS FORWARD

At FIATECH's Denver Meeting

Discussed– Forces driving the nation to change– How to streamline building design, construction,

operation, maintenance– How to improve the regulatory system that

oversees itProposed– Coordinated effort between FIATECH &

ALLIANCE to address inability of systems to interconnect


Today, we’ll discuss:

Moving from– Coordination of systems to integration

Recent steps in building regulatory streamliningCall for action and support from– Industry– Government– Academe

To drive integration and real change


Need for Integration

Grows ever greater as construction industry & FIATECH make progress:– BuildingSMART works on BIMs– Supply chains are integrated into Virtual Building

design and construction systems– ICC works on SMARTCodes

Need for disaster resiliency grows– “Build/rebuild faster, smarter, safer & at less

cost.”


On the Regulatory Side

Only 10% of nation’s 40,000 jurisdictions, adopting and enforcingbuilding codes, use IT– Only 2% allow electronic submission of plans– less than 1% do reviews– Less than 4% use mobile inspection technology

Near total lack of interoperability of building data within same jurisdictionVirtually none between jurisdictions


Example from Virtual Builders Roundtable, 12/05 Conference

More than 20 firms design, build, commission, operate, maintain buildings using BIM with– No printed blue prints– No shop drawings– No change orders

Until they intersect with the local building department– hardcopy blue prints– several iterations of plans review– shop drawings– inspections/re-inspections

Resulting in numerous change orders/corrections


In Short

We may have “BIM”– With it the construction industry and building owners are

beginning to see an increase in productivity

But then “BAM”– We get no overall BOOM in construction in our nation

Because state & local government regulatory systems are not able to interact with, let alone inter-connect with, construction data and systems

“Yet we all still have shared needs for greater efficiency “


Forces Impacting Construction And Regulation

Economic– changing role of nation in global economy

Reduced Resources – demands for downsizing and increased efficiency in govt.

Public Safety– greater demand from natural disasters and terrorism

Demographic– aging population & immigration

Environmental– energy costs, resource depletion & global warming

Technological– rapid changes & new technologies


The Result?

These forces are driving the engine of change down thetrack at increasingspeedDaily impacting:– All of us who own,

live, work, and play in buildings

Because of– Countless inefficiencies and unnecessary costs


Impact of Inefficiencies In Construction

Higher construction costs due to inability to use economies of scale for materialsLonger construction time due to inability to adequately schedule the process amongst subsCountless costly change orders, etc.


Impact of Inefficiencies In Regulation

Higher than necessary regulatory portions of construction costs– Streamlining can reduce these costs by up to

60%Ineffective & inconsistent code enforcement– Often just outdated codes


So why aren’t we outraged?

The costs and impacts of these inefficiencies aren’t noticed because they occur:– one day at a time – one building at a time

In over 50,000 separate jurisdictions across the nation


Furthermore…

The cumulative impact of streamlining regulatory process & using IT is enormous, yet….We didn’t notice the magnitude of these inefficiencies until Katrina:– 1,836 lives lost– Over 300,000 homes destroyed– NO population 40% of pre-Katrina– Refineries, chemical & other plants

off-line up to six months– $81.2 billion in total costs thus far


What can we do?

One simple IT application – e-permitting

Would save the construction industry– $15 billion

annually


What we’ve been doing

FIATECH– Capital Projects Technology Roadmap

• A guide to projects that will increase productivity– RFID project– Guiding and Participating in National BIM Standard– Accelerating Deployment of ISO 15926

Alliance– Guides & information on Streamlining for Elected Officials

• Model Procurement Requirements• Demonstration of interoperability

– National Streamlining Conference – Feb 15-16, 2007


The Alliance for Building Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age

A Public/Private Partnership of Associations & Government Agencies– NGA, NACo, Mayors, NASCIO, Federal

Agencies HUD, DOE, NIST…– FIATECH, AIA, NAHB,AGC,BOMA, ….

Share best practicesProvide streamlining materials


Alliance Mission

Enhance the nation’s– public safety– disaster resilience and– economic competitiveness

Through– streamlining and – applying information technology

To the nation’s regulatory processTo make it– more effective and – efficient.


Outcome of National Streamlining Conference

Five-year initiative– Identify and reduce inefficiencies & regulatory

costs by up to 60%– Strengthen public safety, economic

competitiveness & disaster resiliencyThrough– Development & distribution of materials

jurisdictions can use to• Increase efficiency of building & planning depts• Promote streamlining and interoperability


Products

Streamlining Tool KitNational model plan review process for replicable buildingsGuide for jurisdictions on how to negotiate with large companies locating in their communityStreamlining Road Map for State & Local Governments


Streamlining Toolkit

Target is State & local elected and administrative officials Addresses information overload– One sheet summaries of existing

• Streamlining materials • Improved work processes, • Software tools

– Available to state and local governments, like• e-permitting• Mobile inspection technology• BIM• ROI data


Over-Arching Need Within 5 Years

Develop “Building Regulatory System Technology Road Map”– To guide national, state, and local efforts to

make building regulatory and planning systems more effective & efficient

Integrate that Road Map with FIATECH’s Capital Projects Technology Road Map


Steps Toward Building a Regulatory Streamlining Roadmap

Identify what a streamlinedbuilding regulatory system would look like & how it would interface with FIATECH’s Roadmap, BIM, SMARTCodesHold national workshop to draft roadmapDevelop state/local models to be part of roadmap


Steps To Integrate Roadmaps

Create a joint Alliance/FIATECH projectDraft Roadmap & hold national meeting to vet draftIdentify changes and improvements to implementDevelop national campaign with state/local implementation strategies to execute the plan


Actions Needed to Move the Nation Forward

Cooperation/coordination between FIATECH and the AllianceDevelop funding for projectsGain national supportExecute in coordination with other national initiatives


“The best way to predict the future is to design it”

-R. Buckminster Fuller

“This is precisely what FIATECH and the Alliance are trying to do. Let’s do it

together!”


For More Information

Contact meRobert [email protected]

Visit our websitewww.natlpartnerstreamline.org

mailto:[email protected]


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