BE and the High C's: Spec Writers and Enclosure Consultants in Perfect Pitch

The 4 C’s—Clear, Correct, Concise, and Complete—form the foundation of effective technical and specification writing. Building Enclosure Consultants (BECs), however, may not be fluent in the language of specifications, often viewing it as a misunderstood second language. As a result, the work of specification writing becomes doubly challenging when collaborating with BECs. This session explores the range of building enclosure consulting scopes and processes that directly influence building enclosure specifications, including Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx), which is rapidly becoming both a high-performance building expectation and a code-driven requirement. To bring this sometimes-awkward working duet into perfect pitch, specification writers must learn to harmonize with BECs—using the 4 C’s as their common language—to clearly communicate enclosure intent, responsibilities, and performance requirements.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the 4 C’s as presented by CSI. Consider additional C’s in the specification writing process. Present these concepts to Building Enclosure Consultants.
• Analyze the Building Enclosure Commissioning (BECx) process from pre-design through the 10-month warranty walkover, and apply to the specification writing process.
• Compare the range of BECx activities, tasks, and requirements from the governing standards and organizations of NIBS, ASTM E2813 and E2947, LEED v5, USACE, and ASHRAE 90.1, and 2021 IECC.
• Interpret the variations of the typical building consultant’s scope and processes versus BECx, and the extent of building enclosure deliverables relative to the specification writing process.
• Evaluate and employ various methods to best communicate with the design team and the building enclosure consultant.

Presenter: Pamela Jergenson, FCSI, CDT, CCS, CCCA, BECxP, CxA+BE, CABS, Technical Director of Building Science Solutions Building & Construction, Intertek

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