by Shane Henson — January 14, 2013—The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) recently announced the creation of the Building Research Information Knowledgebase (BRIK), an interactive portal offering free online access to peer-reviewed research projects and case studies in all facets of the built environment, from pre-design through occupancy and reuse.
With contributions from government agencies, architecture firms, academics and research groups, the initial online offering will focus on healthcare facilities, learning environments and high-performance building types, and will contain 500 different reports, says the AIA, a professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners. Additional building types will be added in the near future, it says.
Features of BRIK research include:
- Interactivity: all users may comment on and rate research projects publicly.
- Comprehensive search ability: research projects are searchable by text, title, keyword, taxonomy and contributor.
- Events calendar: BRIK keeps users abreast of research-related events concerning the built environment.
- Connectivity: BRIK will feature RSS feeds, Twitter links, and bookmarking capabilities.
