A building’s enclosure is only as good as the materials—and people—that go into it. From the roof to the exterior walls, extending to all six sides of the building, you want the most informed, educated enclosure experts leading the way.
The building enclosure profession requires people from several different disciplines—architecture, engineering, and design professionals—to bring their “A game” to the built environment. But you must know you’re getting the most qualified, ethically sound individuals in those disciplines. With thousands of professionals across those broad spectrums, you must look at what distinguishes one candidate’s technical knowledge of building enclosure sciences from another.
Does an individual’s degree matter? Of course, it does, as does their number of years in the field. Or, looking further, you can scrutinize the companies they’ve worked for or the projects they’ve worked on. Are the firms reputable?
Maybe you don’t have enough information to determine those things. However, you can determine whether the applicant has a credential in roofing, waterproofing, exterior walls, or building enclosure commissioning. That’s where a credentialed building enclosure consultant comes in. IIBEC’s credentials demonstrate a candidate’s proficiency in a particular discipline, vetted through a rigorous application screening process, qualified through examination, and then maintained through annual continuing education requirements.
IIBEC offers credentials in each of those areas: the registered roof consultant (RRC), registered roof observer (RRO), registered waterproofing consultant (RWC), registered exterior wall consultant (REWC), registered exterior wall observer (REWO), registered building enclosure consultant (RBEC), and the certified building enclosure commissioning provider (CBECxP).
Sharing our success
IIBEC’s credentials continue to be at the core of our success. The more credential holders there are, the stronger our industry will be. That’s why I’m happy to report that by the end of 2024, we had more than 2,450 active credentials.
We want them to display their expertise because credentials separate IIBEC members from others. So, since early 2024, IIBEC credential holders have been able to share their credentials on LinkedIn and via their email signatures using complimentary digital badges. These badges allow users to promote their achievements and provide hiring managers with specific information about the value of hiring credentialed individuals. Each digital badge is issued with a unique verification link validating the credential status, continuing education requirements, and certification number linked to the individual while also promoting the value of engaging with a credentialed consultant working to advance our profession. We believe a credential digital badge is more than just a visual image or logo. Rather, it is a dynamic portable icon embedded with qualifying information to validate an individual’s subject-matter knowledge and expertise. (We also recently posted a new credentials FAQ at iibec.org/credential-faq)
A key goal for IIBEC’s credentialing programs is to become accredited through the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB). During the summer of 2024, IIBEC’s preliminary application was approved by ANAB. This means that IIBEC has demonstrated to ANAB basic eligibility to formally apply for accreditation. Our full application to ANAB has been filed, and we are working toward achieving accreditation in 2025. The CBECxP certification will be the first accredited IIBEC program. This accreditation will raise the stature of IIBEC’s credentialing programs and make the CBECxP a leader in building enclosure commissioning.
How to strengthen the industry
IIBEC continues to pursue its mission: to advance the profession of building enclosure consulting. With our credentials leading the way, we know we’re doing just that. And we want you to be part of strengthening our industry. If you’re looking to add an IIBEC credential, visit iibec.org/credentials.
Brian Pallasch, CAE, is executive vice president and CEO of IIBEC. He can be reached at bpallasch@iibec.org.
