NIBS, ASTM to Hold Second Workshop on Training, Curriculum Development

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) and ASTM International (ASTM) will explore the state of building science education in North America and collaborate to examine ways to improve educational training and curriculum development at the second Workshop on Building Science Education in North America: Building Bridges and Bridging the Gap. Join university decision-makers and other experts in education from universities in Canada and the United States as they present a critical view of college-level building science and work with building industry professionals on how to create new opportunities for professional development and career advancement in architecture and engineering. This one-day workshop, to be held Monday, January 11, 2016, 8:00 am – 5:15 pm, is part of Building Innovation 2016: The Institute’s Fourth Annual Conference and Expo, in Washington, D.C.

Speakers for the second Workshop on Building Science Education in North America will build on challenges identified during the first workshop, held in Toronto in 2014. Together with the workshop participants, they will explore in detail how climate change; demand for energy-efficient, high-performance buildings; and increasingly savvy clients and building owners have aligned to create an array of opportunities for those building industry professionals with the education and technical training necessary to integrate the art and science of what we design and how we build.

In addition to demand and resulting gaps in the marketplace, this second workshop will focus on solutions that can support the growing readiness of collegiate architecture, engineering and construction programs to expand and improve building science education while addressing traditional academic constraints. University administrators and directors, educators and students will reconvene with leaders from public- and private-sector real estate development, design, construction, insurance and legal communities to share examples of how building science has already begun to bridge the gap between academia and the growing demand for design and construction professionals who can deliver truly sustainable, higher-performing buildings. The group also will explore opportunities to refine accreditation requirements, as well as training requirements for emerging design professionals.

Invited speakers, panelists and attendees will share their views and then openly debate programs developed specifically to infuse building science fundamentals into existing course curriculum requirements at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The second Workshop on Building Science Education in North America is just one of a number of events to be held during Building Innovation 2016. See the full Conference schedule.

Registration opens September 1.