RA, AIA, NCARB, and now REP certification.
Quite a few certification and educational requirements need to be kept up in order to practice architecture. Understanding the regulatory processes that need to be completed in order to get a project built are of utmost importance in the fields of design and construction. Although a bit nebulous, building and energy codes are essential to maintaining that what gets built is safe and environmentally responsible.
Currently, in Chicago, the city requires that all projects that need a permit be certified by a registered architect or professional engineer that has been certified as an REP. This helps the City ensure that the designs meet the energy code. The course material was a little dry but quite informative. The expert, Darren, that presented the material did an excellent job.
It’s really amazing how much the energy code has improved the performance of our buildings over the last couple of decades. I have read that in 2016, about 40% of total U.S. energy consumption was consumed by the residential and commercial sector, so you can see just how important the performance of our buildings is. At Tumu, we will always deliver a project that is the most environmentally responsible it can be…so this certification was a no-brainer.