|
Research Center Testing Facilities Wow IAS Directors
The board of directors of the International Accreditation Service (IAS) received an inside look at the capabilities of the NAHB Research Center on May 5 while they were in Washington, D.C. for Building Safety Week.
The IAS visit included a tour of the Research Center’s new state-of-the-art product testing laboratory and market research facility led by Bob Hill, the center’s director of laboratory and certification programs, and Kevin Tilley, manager of market research.
“I haven’t seen anything like it,” said IAS Executive Board member Isam Hasenin, following the tour. “This facility really goes right to the heart of what we do as building officials. After seeing this facility, IAS is confident in the NAHB Research Center’s ability to provide excellent quality services and testing.”
IAS, a wholly owned subsidiary of the International Code Council (ICC), accredits testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies and programs; building departments; and fabricator inspection programs. It is one of the leading accreditation bodies in the U.S. and a signatory to several international mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) worldwide.
The NAHB Research Center is an IAS-accredited organization.
On the tour of the 42,000-square-foot lab were structural beam and uniform load testing; a wind-blown debris simulator, or air cannon; a Hot Box for large-scale thermal testing; and product certification for OSB, plumbing fixtures and insulation materials.
IAS board members also saw the center’s integrated 6,000 square-foot market research suite and observation gallery overlooking the testing floor. This unique feature of the facility allows applied market research with focus groups and roundtables to be combined with real-time installation observation capabilities.
This feature distinguishes the NAHB Research Center from all other research firms in the building industry — enabling manufacturers to obtain a much richer perspective on how users and installers view their products and, in turn, facilitating the management of the testing process and the introduction of new products into the marketplace.
“As far as the specialty areas go, this is one of the best facilities I’ve seen,” said Pat McCullen, vice president of the IAS Board of Directors. “What’s nice is how much the NAHB Research Center is doing for their clients in helping them produce quality products. That’s very important and impressive.”
For more information on the Research Center, click here (nahbrc.org), or call 800-638-8556.
|
