Provincial Energy Compliance Survey

As of December 20, 2013, large buildings (Part 3 building in the BC Building Code) constructed in British Columbia are required to comply with the energy provisions in either ASHRAE 90.1-2010 or the National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) – 2011. As of January 21, 2014, the Vancouver Building By-Law was amended to include the same standards.

The Province of British Columbia, in partnership with BC Hydro, is conducting a province-wide formal survey of industry professionals and building officials that design, build, or review plans for large buildings. Targeted respondent groups include architects, engineers (mechanical/electrical/building envelope), as well as municipal building officials involved with permitting and inspections. The survey is completely anonymous, available via the following webpage: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BCenergycodecompliance

The Province encourages everyone within this industry to take 15-20 minutes to complete this important survey before June 15.

Your collective responses will be analyzed to identify gaps and inefficiencies in the code compliance process and may lead to development of new processes to streamline the issues. There is also an opportunity to provide additional feedback through a focus group in July 2015.

Thank you in advance for contributing to this important initiative. If you have any questions or wish to follow up on the results of the survey, please contact:

Voytek Gretka
Voytek.Gretka@gov.bc.ca
250-952-0626

Building Officials’ Association of BC

BOABC 60th Annual Spring Education & AGM Conference
BOABC is hosting their Annual Conference again this year with the theme of “Back to Basics”. The conference will cover many topics including BCBC Energy Efficiency Requirements, Alternative Solutions for Building Officials, and Understanding and Crafting Building Bylaws. The conference has three days of afternoon sessions, there is something for everyone. The conference schedule is available at http://www.boabc.org/.

Date: May 24-27, 2015
Location: RiverRock Casino Resort, 8811 River Road, Richmond, BC
Cost: Dependent on package
Learning Units (LUs): Dependent on sessions selected
To register: http://www.boabc.org/

Construction Specifications Canada (Vancouver Chapter)

TELUS Garden Office Building Tour
TELUS Garden will be one of Canada’s most technologically and environmentally advanced developments, designed to cultivate commerce, employment and healthy living. The 22-storey Office tower will be the first building in Canada built to target the new 2009 LEED Platinum standard, and the 47-storey Residential tower will be built to LEED Gold standard. Close to completion, the session will focus on the TELUS Garden Office. The tour will commence in the Georgia Street Public Plaza, move through the Lobby up to the 8th story Garden Terrace, stopping at a typical Office floor and concluding on the 22nd story executive Amenity terrace.

Date: May 14, 2015, 11:30am-1:30pm
Location: Kingston Taphouse & Grille, Lower Floor, 755 Richards Street, Vancouver
Cost: $32 (+GST) for CSC Members, Association Executive Directors; $48.00 (+GST) for non-members
Learning Units (LUs): 1 Core LU
To register: http://vancouver.csc-dcc.ca

2015 Certified Professional (CP) Program

The 2015 Certified Professional (CP) Program Course is being offered jointly by the Architectural Institute of B.C. (AIBC) and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. (APEGBC). This course, including successful completion of the exams, is required for architects and engineers to become Certified Professionals under the CP Program. This is an alternative to the conventional building permit and inspection process utilized by the City of Vancouver and the City of Surrey, as well as some other municipalities.

This course is intended for architects and engineers with a strong knowledge of Canadian building codes and experience in the building construction industry. Although the course is open to all, only architects and engineers can become CPs.

This course will consist of twelve (12) full-day seminars which are scheduled Wednesdays between September 16 and December 16, 2015 and two (2) 8-hour exams, which are scheduled on Wednesday, January 20 and 27, 2016. Those interested in becoming CPs are required to attend the sessions, complete two projects and pass all exams.

The in-person course is currently full, however there are still spaces available for the webinar. The participants in remote locations are responsible for their internet connections with recommended minimum download and upload speeds of 1 Mbps and 512 Kbps, respectively. Exams will be held only on site at the AIBC. Registration is now open.

Date: Wednesdays between September 16 and December 16, 2015, 8:30am – 5:00pm
Location: Online
Learning Units (LUs): 84 Core LUs
To register: http://aibc.memberpro.net/main/body.cfm?menu=events

*Note: Webinar participants will be required to attend in person the two site visits (to be held in Vancouver and/or Surrey) and the exams held at the AIBC offices in Vancouver.

If you would like to put your name on a waiting list for the in-person course, or for further information please contact Krista Stripnieks, Professional Development Coordinator at kstripnieks@aibc.ca.