We Found a New Home!

University of Miami School of Architecture agreed to host us in the Rinker Classroom in the Perez Architecture Center in June, July, and August.

We would like to thank all individuals and institutions who responded to our request and assisted us in our search, including:
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the Dean of the School of Architecture of the University of Miami,
José M. Lozano, the Chairperson at the School of Architecture and Interior Design of the Miami Dade College,
Rodrigo Mora, PhD, P.Eng. Faculty, Building Science, School of Construction and the Environment at the British Columbia Institute of Technology
Antonio Nanni, PhD, PE, Lester and Gwen Fisher Endowed Scholar, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Civil, Arch. & Environ. Engineering, University of Miami
Maria Luisa Castellanos, R.A., LEED AP,  President, United Architects, Inc.

Jilla Montenegro, R.A.

Vinu Abraham, VP – Southeast Region, Architectural Testing

Members of The BETEC Board of the NIBS

....and many others, not listed here for lack of space.

Who we are.
Building Enclosure Council (BEC) is an interdisciplinary forum for individuals interested in sciences and technology of building enclosures. The goal of BEC is to promote and encourage discussion, training, education, technology transfer, the exchange of information about local issues and cases, relevant weather conditions, and all matters concerning building enclosures and the related science, with each local BEC contributing its unique climate and building customs experience.

Miami BEC is the only local council covering the tropical climate zone frequented by hurricanes.

We are a Registered Continuing Education Provider!

On 3/29/2011 BEC Miami became a Registered AIA/CES Provider. Therefore, we are able to independently confer learning units for registered architects.

Building Enclosures is the name given to the shells of buildings, separating and protecting their interior from the exterior. The term is synonymous with the word "Facade." They typically consist of roofs, exterior walls with appurtenances, and below-grade walls and slabs.
Often confused with the term Building Envelope, which is a mechanical term describing the imaginary separation between the mechanically controlled space and the exterior environment.

Building Enclosure Consultants.
(Facade Engineering)
A specialized discipline of building enclosure consultants emerged to help the average construction professional deal with the increasingly complex sciences of building enclosures.

Building Enclosure Certification.

Currently, we are not aware of any licensure or registration system offering protection to the public. We are not aware of any genuine building enclosure degrees or certification available to practitioners in the U.S. and we warn against unscrupulous individuals and companies offering private certification programs. Such a certification would require a benchmarking system that would in turn require a dedicated education system. A good example of such a system available in other country is the facade engineering degree offered by the University of Bath in the U.K. Such an education system is not present in the U.S. as far as we know. Please let us know otherwise.

Update 01/03/2011:
We recently received on inquiry regarding a Florida company offering "building envelope inspector" and "building envelope consultant" certfications to individuals. We understand this company also sells certifications in other, unrelated disciplines: e.g. Chinese gypsum board remediation.

Our request for information sent to this company on 11/18/2010 was left without any response so far. However, we found that this company incorporated on 10/21/2010, and the address and the map presented on its webpage lead to a post office, with the P.O. mail box number misrepresented as a suite number. Caveat Emptor.

Membership in the Building Enclosure Council - Miami is open to all interested individuals. We encourage building designers, contractors, managers, and building owners with an interest in improving the performance of building enclosures to get involved by attending our monthly meetings.

Meetings are held at 5:15 pm on the THIRD Tuesday of every month. Each meeting is accompanied by a one-hour eduactional seminar touching on subject of building enclosures which starts at 5:30 pm. Bring yourself and your questions. Attendance in our meetings is free of charge.. Meetings typically adjourn around 7-7:30pm.
Map quest link to the location is HERE.
Read more about the meeting location...

Education. BEC Miami gives you a chance of continuing your education in the building enclosure field! Each meeting is accompanied by a 1-hour lecture on building enclosure related topics. Registered architects in attendance will earn one learning unit (LU) toward their continued education for their passive participation. Read more...

Sponsorship. Are you interested in sponsoring BEC Miami? We encourage commercial firms to sponsor cost of travel, accommodation, food, beverages, participation in national BEC and BETEC events, and refreshments at our meetings. Please note, that BEC Miami doesn't endorse any products and services. We also encourage private individuals to volunteer their time at miscellaneous functions of our organization. Contact us and one of our representatives would be glad to discuss the details.

Speaking Opportunities. Do you know the answers? Please come and share your knowledge with us. BEC is open to all interested individuals. It is an interdisciplinary forum with architects, engineers, consultants, manufacturers, contractors, etc. Please note, that BEC Miami doesn't endorse any products and services.

Advice. Miami BEC is the only U.S. council covering the tropical climate zone frequented by hurricanes; therefore, you frequently chose us to answer your questions related to the construction specific to this region. We are glad to help Read more.

Q&A. We will publish the questions which you sent us and answers we come up with for benefit of the general public. We get requests from contractors and architects seeking responses ranging from explanation of local building code requirements to local construction practices specific to South Florida and to humid and hot climate frequented by hurricanes in general. Read more.

Careers.We get lots of emails from job seekers and head hunters, although it seems at this time there is a disproportion. We do not hire and we are not a matchmaking service; however, if you are a head hunter or an employer with a position specifically in a BUILDING ENCLOSURE field, we would gladly post your job offer. Read more.

Links.

BEC National
Journal of Building Enclosure Design
National Institute of Building Sciences NIBS
BETEC
Facade Engineering Society
AIA National
AIA Miami
AIA Miami Newsletter

Contact.

BEC MIami Chairman:
Karol Kazmierczak, AIA,CSI,CDT,ASHRAE,LEED-AP,NCARB

webpage
te. 305 600 0516

History . BEC Miami was inaugurated June 19, 2007. The Building Enclosure Council (BEC) initiative was established by an agreement between the American Institute of Architects and the Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) of the National Institute of Building Sciences on May 18, 2004. Read more.

Social Network . BEC Miami is present at Linkedin. Read more.

Facade Engineering University on Facebook.

Fueled by Building Enclosure Consulting LLC - tel. (305) 600 0516 (Miami), tel. (646) 400 0080 (New York), tel. (+58) 735 6503 (Gdynia)