A. Introduction

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BEEnow certification is a voluntary program for NAAB accredited schools of architecture to encourage them to produce graduates who have the motivation, knowledge, and skills necessary to design very low-energy buildings. Schools can be certified at the levels of Implementing, Integrating, Transforming, or Exemplifying depending upon the number of points earned. The certification is valid for 5 years at which time it can be renewed. The renewal process is described under the Maintenance Report and Certification Renewal sections below. 

 

To earn points, a school must provide documentation indicating that it meets the requirements for the points being pursued. The point opportunities are described in the Certification Document and consist of two categories: Academic and Institutional. The Academic worksheet describes points related to faculty and curriculum and the Institutional worksheet describes points related to the school administration and facilities. The Scorecard is to be used for record keeping. For more information, see the Certification Divisions page.

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To give schools maximum flexibility, the points pursued can come all from the Academic category, or all from the Institutional category, or from a combination of the two (which is the most likely scenario). To be fair to smaller schools, the number of required points for each certification level is a function of school size determined by the number of 2nd year students and program type as described below. The only prerequisite is a survey that must be given to all graduating seniors. 

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B. Background

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A number of architecture faculty and practitioners came together out of concern about the role of architecture in climate change. They realized that since architectural education is the foundation of the practice of architecture and that many schools of architecture are not focusing on producing graduates who can design very low-energy buildings, some means of assisting a change in that reality was needed. Since this group of faculty and practitioners could not affect the necessary changes in NAAB accreditation requirements, they decided to create a voluntary certification program that will encourage schools to focus on preparing all of their students to become designers of measurable performance in sustainability. For more information, see the About BEEnow tab.

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C. Recommended Procedure for Applying

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Once a school has decided to apply for certification, the school will form a committee of three people with a representative from studio faculty, lecture faculty, and administration. This committee will connect with a liaison from BEEnow for clarification and management of any questions that might arise.

 

The school will then develop and submit a formal application for certification using Form A. The necessary application fee must be paid at the time of submission. The application form is also used to designate whether the school is of small, medium, or large size for determining the number of points required for certification.

 

Documentation submitted in support of a certification application must describe the state of affairs at the school within a year of the time the application is submitted for evaluation. However, documentation for courses given only once per year or once every 2 years will be valid up to 18 months after being submitted for evaluation. 

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The school must also decide what level of certification is being sought (Implementing, Integrating, Transforming, or Exemplifying) and thus, how many points must be earned. Use the table below to determine the points required based on the size of the architecture school and certification level desired:

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The word school is used to describe the entity seeking certification; for example, an architecture department that is NAAB accredited. All documentation should be submitted no later than nine months after the initial date of application. BEEnow recommends that the documentation for a variety of points be submitted prior to final submission for feedback purposes.

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D. Evaluation Process

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When all necessary documentation has been prepared, it is sent electronically to BEEnow for evaluation. The evaluation will occur within one month of the date that the school is informed that BEEnow has received all the documentation. The documentation is submitted along with Form C on which the school specifies the number of points for which documentation has been submitted. If documentation has been diligently submitted for the points being pursued, the evaluation will determine which points have been earned and, if necessary, explain why certain documentation is insufficient or not appropriate. Upon receiving the evaluation, the school has one month to resubmit the questionable documentation. If the documentation for more than 10% of the points being pursued needs to be resubmitted, the school will be charged an additional fee. Any material not accepted in the second submittal can be submitted for appeal by paying an appeals fee (see below for details on the appeal process).

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E. Certification

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When sufficient points have been earned, a school will be awarded a five-year certification at the appropriate level, which can be renewed by submitting a maintenance report. Besides receiving a certification document, the school’s name will be listed (as a certified school at the appropriate level) on the BEEnow website. The certified school also will be able to use the BEEnow logo along with the statement of certification.

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F. Appeals Board

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If a school is not satisfied with the second evaluation of any documentation, it can appeal by filling out Form D and submitting it with the required appeal fee. A team of three people will be formed (faculty, practitioner, and member of BEEnow) to consider the school’s appeal. The decision of the appeal team is binding. In most cases, it will be in the school’s interest to pursue different points rather than make an appeal on one specific point since there are many to choose from.

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G. Documentation Requirements

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A separate PDF file or link must be submitted for each point being pursued for which documentation is required. The file’s name should be the name of the respective point. The PDF file will consist of at least 2 pages starting with a copy of Form B followed by a scan(s) of the document(s) (e.g., syllabus). Form B requires the following information:

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• Name of school,

• Name and number of points being pursued, and

• Number of points being requested. 

 

The form also allows for comments in case the document is not self- explanatory. Highlight in yellow the relevant material on the submitted documents. All the PDF files should be in a folder whose name is the name of the school.

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A letter on school stationery addressing the accuracy of the submission must be signed by the department head. The text for this letter is supplied by BEEnow through Form E. The school should include a scan of this letter in the folder.

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Any material used to document an activity or deliverable that can fit more than one point can only be used for one of the relevant points. One-off events can only be used if at least one day of the event occurred in the year preceding the date that the documentation was submitted. Student work that is submitted does not need to have a name attached to it.  However, the school needs to have a way to retrieve the student’s work in case a question about it occurs during the evaluation process.  A temporary code might be employed.

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H. Required Survey

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The school is required to have all students that are within one year of graduation take the BEEnow Survey. The survey instrument is delivered only to BEEnow, and the school only receives an annotated summary. The students’ responses are to remain confidential. The school furnishes BEEnow the list of students who are required to take the survey, and that list is crosschecked with the names on the survey responses after which the students’ names are deleted. A response rate of at least 80% is required. BEEnow will request clarification from the school if the results of the survey conflict with the information supplied by the school.

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I. Maintenance Report

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A Maintenance Report must be submitted every 5 years following the date of certification. The purpose of the report is to remind the school of its obligations regarding certification. The report will explain what points are no longer in effect and what new efforts the school is making in preparing students to have the motivation, knowledge, and skills necessary to design very low-energy buildings.

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J. Certification Renewal

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A certification is valid for 5 years from the date it is confirmed. The certification can be renewed every 5 years by submitting updated versions of the original documents. Points that are no longer relevant must be deleted. New points must be added to meet the point requirements for that school size. At the time of renewal, the school has the opportunity to upgrade its certification level (e.g., from Basic to Silver).

 

Upgrades are possible before the renewal time but not for at least two years after the initial award. The requirements for an upgrade are the same as the renewal but the number of points must be increased to the higher level being sought. The cost of an upgrade is noted under the "Fees" section below. 

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