BUILDING AND FIRE RESEARCH LABORATORY (86): Provides the national laboratory concerned with increasing the usefulness, safety and economy of buildings, improving the productivity and international competitiveness of the construction industry, and reducing the human and economic costs of unwanted fires; performs and supports laboratory, field, and analytical research on the performance of construction materials, components, systems and practices; and the fundamental processes underlying initiation, propagation, and suppression of fires; produces technologies to predict, measure, and test the performance of construction and fire prevention and control materials, components, systems, and practices, and to assist the construction and fire safety communities in achieving the benefits of advanced computation and automation; provides research results which are widely used and adopted by governmental and private sector organizations with standards and codes responsibilities, but does not promulgate building or fire safety standards or regulations; and conducts fire research mandated by the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, research for the improvement of seismic design and construction practices as assigned by the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended, and structural failure investigations mandated by the NIST Authorizing Act of FY 1986.

BUILDING AND FIRE RESEARCH LABORATORY OFFICE (860): Responsible for planning, directing, and implementing the scientific, technical, and administrative programs of the Laboratory through scientific, administrative, and support personnel.

--OFFICE OF APPLIED ECONOMICS (860.01): Supports the BFRL research and BFRL technology deployment to government agencies and construction and fire-related industries; provides standardized economic methods, economic models, training programs and materials, and expert technical consulting in support of resource allocation decisions; and uses techniques such as benefit-cost analysis, life-cycle costing, multi-criteria decision anlaysis, and econometrics to evaluate new technologies, processes, government programs, legislation, and codes and standards to determine efficient alternatives.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH DIVISION (861):  Serves as the world-class resource for  developing and promoting the use of science-based tools – measurements, data, models, protocols, and reference standards – to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. industry through innovations in building materials and construction technology, and to enhance the safety, security, and sustainability of the nation's buildings and physical infrastructure.  The division: (1) develops and implements computational, theoretical, and experimental methods to predict and optimize the service life performance and cost of advanced materials used in construction, including pigments, cement, concrete, polymers, metals, and composites; (2) provides science-based measurement and predictive tools and protocols for advanced construction technologies – innovative connections, high-performance constructed systems, and process technologies for automated construction – to enhance productivity, safety, security, and life-cycle performance; (3) conducts technical investigations of structural failures, including failures during construction or following natural, terrorist, and technological disasters;
 (4) provides technical support to national and international standards and codes development and professional practice organizations; (5) conducts cooperative programs with other federal and state agencies, industry, professional societies, testing laboratories, educational institutions, and other research organizations; and (6) supports the scientific and technical information needs of federal agencies in formulating national policies related to building and infrastructure applications.

--STRUCTURES GROUP (861.02):  Provides performance prediction tools to reduce the vulnerability of   building and infrastructure systems to extreme events (e.g., wind, fire, earthquake, impact, blast) through cost-effective reliability-based multi-hazard approaches.  The group: (1) conducts laboratory, field, and analytical research in the areas of wind engineering, structural fire safety design and retrofit, mitigation of progressive structural collapse, nondestructive evaluation, and performance of structural materials and connections;  (2) provides guidance, tools, and science-based criteria for vulnerability assessment, design, and retrofit applications; (3) conducts disaster and failure investigations; and (4) supports the technical information needs of federal agencies in formulating national policies related to building and infrastructure applications.

--CONSTRUCTION METROLOGY AND AUTOMATION GROUP (861.04):  Provides measurement systems and protocols to integrate and automate the construction process to achieve construction cycle time and cost reductions.  The group: (1) conducts laboratory, field, and analytical research in site metrology and wireless information transfer, supply chain and inventory tracking technologies, precision tele-operable and autonomous processes, automated steel and concrete construction, and next-generation field sensing (RFID, MEMs, LADAR) and object recognition systems; (2) develops and provides performance metrics, criteria, and artifact traceable calibration services for construction measurement systems; (3) provides construction process simulation and 3D visualization tools; (4) develops and provides sensor interface and other protocols to achieve seamless information integration; and (5) provides demonstrations of advanced measurement systems and information protocols for industry adoption and use.

--INORGANIC MATERIALS GROUP (861.05):  Develops and implements computational and experimental materials science-based techniques to enable the prediction and optimization of service life performance and life-cycle cost of cement, concrete, and other inorganic materials.  The group: (1) performs computational and experimental materials science of cement and concrete, linking together molecular dynamics, nanostructure, and microstructure over six orders of magnitude to quantitatively predict performance from fundamental science; (2) applies these accurate performance prediction models to the optimization of cement and concrete for use in the built environment; (3) provides models, computerized databases, and database mining techniques for storing, retrieving, and analyzing measurement data on properties of inorganic materials;
(4) provides technical bases for improved criteria and standards for evaluation, selection, and use of these materials; and (5) supports the scientific information needs of federal agencies in formulating national policies related to building and infrastructure applications.

--POLYMERIC MATERIALS GROUP (861.06):  Develops and implements methodologies and metrologies for determining the scientific origins of materials degradation required for predicting the service life of polymeric materials, components, and systems exposed in their intended or accelerated exposure environments.  The group provides: (1) measurements at the molecular and nanometer scales of chemical, physical, mechanical, optical, and morphology property changes in polymeric materials as they degrade; (2) develops instrumentation and sensors for automating the formulation, material property characterization, and accelerated aging of polymeric materials; (3) conducts analytical, laboratory, and field research on the   performance of polymeric materials such as coatings, sealants, adhesives, composites, and roofing materials;   (4) provides technical bases for improved criteria and standards for evaluation, selection, and use of these   materials; and (5) supports the scientific information needs of federal agencies in formulating national policies related to building and infrastructure applications.

BUILDING ENVIRONMENT DIVISION (863): Reduces the cost of designing and operating buildings and increases the international competitiveness of the U.S. building industry by providing modeling, measurement, and test methods needed to use advanced computation and automation effectively in construction, and to improve the quality of the indoor environment and the performance of building equipment; conducts laboratory, field, and analytical research on building mechanical and control systems; develops data, measurement methods, and modeling techniques for the performance of the building envelope, its insulation systems, building air leakage, the release, movement and absorption of indoor air pollutants; and develops software performance criteria, interface standards, and test methods needed for the Nation's building industry to make effective use of modern computer-aided design hardware and software, and database management systems.

--HVAC&R EQUIPMENT PERFORMANCE GROUP (863.01): Conducts fundamental, pre-competitive research in support of increased energy efficiency and reliability for cooling, hearing, and refrigeration equipment for buildings; develops new measurement techniques and concepts to promote energy efficiency in buildings; develops and maintains simulations tools for refrigerant screening and for optimized design of vapor-compression systems; and performs research in support of using Micro Electro Mechanical systems (MEMs) and Fault Detection and Diagnostic (FDD) methods to increase building equipment performance.

--MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND CONTROLS GROUP (863.02): Improves and lowers the cost of building services by fostering the development and use of more intelligent, integrated, and optimized building mechanical systems; develops design tools, diagnostic procedures, and performance evaluation techniques for quantifying the performance of such systems; develops standard communication protocols for exchanging information between building management and control systems (BCMS); and develops the technical bases for advanced building controls which will optimize whole building performance.

--HEAT TRANSFER AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP (863.04): Develops measurement methods and experitmental apparatus to measure the thermal conductivity of building and industrial thermal insulation materials; assists consensus organizations in the development of appropriate test methods; maintains a Web-based database containing over seventy years of thermal conductivity data; conducts international inter-laboratory comparisons of thermal conductivity measurements; validates and improves predictive performance models for building integrated photovoltaic models; characterizes the performance of photovoltaic modules using short-term measurement techniques; archives building integrated photovoltaic performance data for various cell technologies; and shares resulting with photovoltaic cell manufacturers and other researchers.

--COMPUTER INTEGRATED BUILDING PROCESSES GROUP (863.05): Removes technical barriers faced by the building and construction industries as they integrate their work processes throughout the facility life-cycle using information  technology; provides information interface and performance measurement technologies that support industry development and the use of automated products and services in an integrated environment; develops representation and interface standards, test methods, and performance criteria for integrated project, procurement, and operation systems; and develops methodologies and computer-aids for implementing building standards, specifications, and building technology knowledge bases in computer usable forms.

--INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND VENTILATION GROUP (863.06): Develops measurement and testing procedures, technical data, and comprehensive indoor air quality models to assist in improved indoor air quality and ventilation in buildings.

FIRE RESEARCH DIVISION (866):  Develops and utilizes measurement science for innovative fire protection technologies to enhance the disaster resilience of buildings and wildland-urban interface communities, fire fighter safety and effectiveness, and homeland security through cost-effective engineered fire safety for people, products, structures, and communities.  This work involves integration of laboratory measurements, large-scale and field fire experiments, and validated methods of prediction to develop scientific and engineering understanding of fire phenomena, identify fundamental principles and produce measurement methods, data, and advanced models for fire spread and egress in buildings, materials flammability, and wildland-urban interface fires.  The division leads the advancement of the theory and practice of fire safety engineering, fire fighting, fire investigation and reconstruction, fire testing methods, and fire data management.  Participation in the codes and standards processes helps to reduce barriers to trade and global markets for U.S. goods and services. The NIST Large-Scale Fire Laboratory conducts measurement science to improve the understanding of real-scale fire phenomena, support the development of improved standards and codes, assist with fire studies and investigations, and validate fire models.

--FIRE FIGHTING TECHNOLOGY GROUP (866.01): Develops and applies measurement science to improve the understanding of the behavior, prevention, and control of fires. The Group enhances fire fighting operations, enables new technology to be integrated into fire fighting equipment, and supports fire investigations, fire reconstructions, and disaster response.

--FIRE MEASUREMENT GROUP (866.02): Develops and applies measurement science to improve the understanding of fire phenomena including fire growth, fire-induced flow, heat transfer, smoke and species formation and transport, and fire suppression.  The Group supports the development of innovative measurement and test methods, improved codes and standards, and fire model validation.

--FIRE MODELING GROUP (866.03):  Develops and maintains advanced, validated numerical models to predict fire behavior with quantified accuracy.  The Group develops models to simulate the spread, growth, suppression, and emission from fires in buildings and wildland-urban interface communities.

--ENGINEERED FIRE SAFETY GROUP (866.04): Develops and applies measurement science to support cost-effective fire protection and risk-informed life safety decisions by the design, construction, and regulatory communities. Integrates the knowledge and tools necessary to assess building performance with respect to ignition, detection, suppression, toxicity, and egress in performance-based and prescriptive regulatory regimes.

--MATERIALS FLAMMABILITY GROUP (866.05):  Develops and applies measurement science to further the scientific understanding of material flammability. The Group enables the development of innovative materials through improved test methods and validated models of material flammability for application in the built environment.