The Spec Shaman

The Spec Shaman - Getting Specified

Building product manufacturers who want to get specified by architects can find strategies and suggestions in our weekly blog posts. Building product specification is crucial for manufacturers and our team offers the best resources available. Blog post topics include: 3 part CSI guide specifications, AIA continuing education, and building product rep training. Building product manufacturers who want to get their products specified can check our platform every week for valuable information about the AEC industry. Guest bloggers are always welcome. Please contact us for submission information and requirements.

On: Sep 16, 2020 By: GreenCE, Inc.
Architectural education is one of the few fields that can almost assuredly never be considered “obsolete”. As long as humans are going to exist, we will almost surely need architects to help plan and oversee the construction of buildings. Traditionally, this was done with in-person classes in order to meet the 18 hours required by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
On: Sep 4, 2020 By: Brad Blank
Pandemic
Design professionals are in a unique position to develop and distribute mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. As the country began a lockdown in March 2020, public officials scrambled to provide guidance on how facilities would re-open, the processes that would allow businesses and schools to safely welcome back occupants, and a measured response to protect the public’s health.
On: Aug 19, 2020 By: Brad Blank
COVID
The USGBC has launched six new pilot LEED v4.1 credits to combat the COVID-19 Pandemic. The credits aim to assist project teams to provide healthy spaces, and to help with re-entry into the workplace. The LEED credits list sustainable best practices that coordinate with public health and industry guidelines related to cleaning and disinfecting, re-entering the workplace, HVAC and plumbing operations.
On: Aug 5, 2020 By: Brad Blank
Samurai specifications
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the construction industry, resulting in massive layoffs, canceled and postponed building projects, and significant economic damage that will last for years. Building product manufacturers have been especially hard as the crisis has decimated the AEC landscape and left many in economic trouble and a few on the verge of collapse. We will explore strategies to combat market share loss and succeed during the crisis.
On: Jul 1, 2020 By: Brad Blank
Pandemic
Building product manufacturers have been severely impacted by the ongoing pandemic crisis sweeping the nation. Significant challenges face manufacturers in 2020 and potentially for years to come as life and business has been upended by the ongoing crisis. How can manufacturers stay afloat and succeed during these difficult times? Let’s find out . . . Economic Challenges For Product Manufacturers
On: Jun 12, 2020 By: Brad Blank
Safety First Pilot Credits
The USGBC has launched four new Safety First Pilot Credits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits contain sustainable best practices that relates to public health and industry guidelines related to cleaning and disinfecting, workplace re-occupancy, HVAC and plumbing operations. We will provide an examination of the LEED v4.1 credits and how they can help project teams.
On: May 25, 2020 By: Brad Blank
Pandemic
The USGBC has announced it will update LEED v4.1 to address the challenges posed by the pandemic crisis. USGBC has stated that COVID-19 has changed the landscape forever and it will now help businesses and governments prepare to recalibrate and recover from this vulnerable moment. The USGBC will promote the concept of healthy buildings and a healthy workforce.
On: May 8, 2020 By: Brad Blank
Pandemic
Over the past several months, the coronavirus pandemic has upended our daily lives and made the future difficult to predict. A wise sage once said, “a good forecaster is not smarter than everyone else, they merely have their ignorance better organized.” What will the construction industry look like in six months? A year? Let’s review current changes and what might happen in the future.
On: Apr 13, 2020 By: Veer Mudambi
Coronavirus
It is clear that COVID-19 is drastically affecting the global economy and impacting every industry in some way, shape or form. Aside from the immediate and urgent health concerns, a significant question on everyone’s mind, including those in the construction and building materials industry, is “how will it affect myfield?”
On: Mar 22, 2020 By: Veer Mudambi
Pandemic
Pandemics are defined as large-scale outbreaks of an infectious disease that can vastly increase morbidity (occurrence of disease) and mortality over a wide geographic area.  Inevitably, pandemics cause significant economic, social, and political disruption. Most pandemics in history have originated through “zoonosis’, the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans.

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GreenCE offers AIA HSW online continuing education, LEED online courses, ADA online courses, and LEED Exam Prep. GreenCE helps design professionals obtain their AIA HSW hours, LEED-specific hours, barrier-free hours, and IDCEC CE hours. The website delivers LEED Exam Prep for the LEED Green Associate exam, LEED BD+C exam, and LEED O+M exam. The online LEED certification courses educate architects, engineers, interior designers, contractors, and students.

GreenCE is a USGBC Education Partner that offers the only free LEED exam prep in the country. The LEED certification course includes a free LEED exam study guide, free LEED practice questions, and LEED certification tips and strategies. In addition, GreenCE offers free courses for LEED APs to obtain their LEED BD+C hours, LEED ID+C hours, and LEED O+M hours. Most GBCI courses are free and in video format.

GreenCE is an AIA Education Provider and offers free AIA online courses. The free AIA courses are sponsored by building product manufacturers. In addition, the platform offers barrier-free ADA courses for Texas and California architects. Texas barrier-free online courses and California Accessibility courses meet state requirements. TX ADA courses and CA ADA courses are created by the top ADA experts in the country.

Building product manufacturers can get specified by using GreenCE services. GreenCE develops AIA and LEED courses for product manufacturers to educate architects. The online architect courses help build brand awareness about building products. In addition, GreenCE hosts manufacturer webinars for 200-300 architects at a time. The AIA webinars and LEED webinars are free for architects who can learn about various products.

Finally, GreenCE helps manufacturers develop Health Product Declarations (HPDs), LEED v4 product documentation, mindful MATERIALS documentation, Google Portico documentation, and Declare Labels. We value our relationships with design professionals and building product manufacturers. They are crucial to our success.