On December 15th, architects, engineers, builders, researchers, building owners, land planners, specifiers and facility managers from both the federal and the private sectors will come together to listen, learn and network. The subject? Sustainable Buildings...why they are important, how to define them, and how to go about creating them. This tall order will be achieved during "SBIC's Super Thursday" under the umbrella ofSBIC's Ecobuild Federal Conference and Expo(www.ecobuildfederal.com) held at the beautiful, new DC Convention Center December 13 - 16, 2005.

"As the marquee sponsor, SBIC's members and friends are helping to shape a whole new breed of conference for building industry professionals," said Greg Franta, FAIA, Chair of SBIC and principal architect of the Rocky Mountain Institute/ENSAR Built Environment. "Our goal is to have an event that allows everyone to come to the table, talk about their products, systems, standards and of course what they are doing to actually put more sustainable projects on the ground."

SBIC's Executive Director, Helen English said, "SBIC offers a unique perspective to help professionals tie sustainability to all other design decisions. For us, a truly high-performance building design considers everything in context. How the building performs in all important aspects. Is it secure, durable, accessible, safe, cost effective and aesthetic, too? If you're serious about sustainability this is the conference for you."

SBIC's Super Thursday will feature a day of inspired speakers, topical information and a relaxing and fun Awards Program and Reception. The plenary titled "Weathering the Storm" will set the stage for the day. Moderated by Greg Franta, SBIC's Chair, three speakers will help the audience see the future from their very different perspectives as policy maker, facility designer, builder owner/operator, and equipment manufacturer. David Garman, Under Secretary of the U.S. DOE; Dr. Get Moy, P.E., director of installations and environment, Department of Defense; and Dr. Charles Korman, chief technologist, Global Research Center at General Electric are all confirmed speakers.

The afternoon forum, part of SBIC's annual offering, will continue the tradition of exploring the synergies and conflicts of truly integrating sustainability with other design objectives. This year's topic is "Sustainable & Durable."

The 5th annual SBIC Awards Program and Reception will be held on the famous "Cat Walk" at the Convention Center that features the dramatic DC skyline. Everyone is invited. Awardees will be recognized in two categories: Sustainable Practices and Sustainable Buildings.

For those who want even more detailed information about sustainable design, two day-long workshops will be held on December 16, "High Performance School Buildings" and "Learning to Use ENERGY-10, Version 1.8 software", will wrap up SBIC's Ecobuild Federal Conference and Expo 2005.