By Andrew Boyd, on Aug 08, 2018, The NEBB Professional – Q3 2018 Edition
A red-headed stepchild— brought into the family, yet different. How did a licensed architect from the Navy find his way onto NEBB’s Certification Board? Why has this opportunity been both a unique chance to learn and contribute to this organization? An organization, which I must confess, I did not know existed four years ago.
In 2014, I was willingly “voluntold” to be part of a new NAVFAC (Naval Facilities Engineering Command) Washington Retro-commissioning (RCx) group. My earliest contact with NEBB was a RCx course taught to our group by NEBB instructors Jim Bochat, Steve Wiggins, and Scott Gordon. Our mechanical engineer team lead, Mike Holland, went on to participate in NEBB. In 2016, I was offered a chance to apply for a volunteer position on NEBB’s Certification Board as an Industry Stakeholder, representing the NAVFAC.
To my colleagues on the Certification Board, I express my gratitude for accepting me into the fold. They have taught me unique acronyms and terms such as TAB, BET, fume hood, and cleanroom. I also learned there is a profession known as a Psychometrician-who would have thought?
Registered Architects (and Professional Engineers) are disciplined by others for actions that are inconsistent with our professional responsibilities and code of conduct. An undersized beam, miscalculated cooling load, or unsafe egress capabilities are dealt with by municipal code officials; egregious cases of negligence are referred to a state board for judgment and potential discipline. However, NEBB is different. NEBB certificants self-police their organization and make sure other certificants follow NEBB’s code of conduct and professional standards.
As an Industry Representative Member of NEBB’s Certification Board, I see the gravitas of this model when compliance issues are brought to our attention. We are privy to confidential discussions involving certificants – some less than pleasant – and work diligently to render judgments that are both fair and equitable to the individual and the organization. We review compliance cases that are challenging, and debate the consequences and follow specific protocols and policies. This is not a responsibility we take lightly; a person’s livelihood may depend on our judgment.
NEBB achieved, through the hard work of both staff and volunteers, American National Standards Institute (ANS) accreditation of several standards and the Commissioning Process Professional (CXPP) certification, which is a big deal. And, the Department of Energy (DOE) recognition was just awarded to the CxPP certification program. While these efforts may sometimes seem like an exercise in bureaucratic busywork, the benefits are real. Aligning NEBB standards with the highest American and international protocols benefit all certificants. We should be proud our organization has chosen to reach for the highest levels of protessionalism by subjecting the standards to independent review, rather than simply accepting a “good old boy” model.
As I get to know many of you, both in official meetings and over a pint after hours at a conference, I am continuously amazed at your initiative. Certified Professionals could have stayed back at the office instead of getting out in the field to ensure quality control; engineers could have stayed back in the office waiting for a partner to tell them which calculations to do. Instead, every NEBB Certificant I met wanted more out of their career. Applying for certification, self-study, taking rigorous exams in their specific discipline, continuing their education and expressing interest in making things better is their mantra.
Few organizations can boast that their constituency-whose work combines art, science and hands-on practical knowledge, skills and abilities— can brainstorm with those who traditionally work on an ethereal plane and be equal partners to produce a superior product.
Now that I can see things from both sides of the table, I must put in a plug: Don’t forget about architecture. If you were tasked to test, adjust, and balance the Chartres Cathedral and offer recommendations, it would be practical to suggest a 9-foot high suspended ceiling over the nave to conceal new ductwork and to abrogate the need for high lift devices.
Don’t do it! Beautiful buildings are like difficult people we love. Appreciate the challenges of unique designs that lift people’s spirits. Be sensitive to both the occupant’s thermal comfort and aesthetic delight. I now know NEBB certified professionals have that unique perspective and capability.
Much is required from our 21st century buildings. In addition to the three central themes specified by the famous Roman architect Vitruvius-Firmitas (strength), Utilitas (functionality), and Venustatis (beauty), we demand thermal comfort and energy efficiency. My experience over the last two years has reinforced my belief that the NEBB team model of combining engineering innovation with skilled and tested knowledge plus practical field experience can construct high-performance buildings of the future.
About the Author
Andrew Boyd is a licensed architect who works for NAVFAC and is an Industry Stakeholder on NEBB’s Cerification Board.