November 13, 2009

New exam puts green roof suppliers to the test

SAUL CHERNOS

correspondent

Building professionals put their green roof skills to the test recently during a new exam run as part of the recent Cities Alive! conference in Toronto.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities launched its Green Roof Professional exam in June in Atlanta at its 7th Annual Conference, Awards, and Trade Show before bringing the exam to Canada.

The exam covers a wide range of material, such as installing waterproofing systems, caring for plants, understanding design options and assorted challenges and best practices.

“It provides benchmarks,” says GRHC president Stephen Peck.

“We have already seen some professionals in California using the GRP designation as a pre-qualification to bid on projects. It’s a useful tool.”

GRPs are tested on their ability to extract value for the client, Peck says. “We also explain how to avoid common mistakes that can cause problems down the road.”

The most common failures include plants dying and waterproofing systems failing. “There’s a much higher standard of care, both in terms of quality assurance and on-site management when you’re doing a green roof compared to a traditional roof,” Peck says.

He adds, however, that the test is not meant to guarantee a person’s overall competency.

“Engineers and architects have processes for dealing with issues associated with competency and professional practice. This simply tells someone who is looking for a person to work on their GR project that a person has passed an exam with a variety of questions about best practices and norms associated with the effective design, installation and maintenance of green roofs.”

The exam is a culmination of sorts for four day-long courses GRHC currently offers in Canada and the U.S. The courses, tagged as 101, 201, 301, and 401 based on their level of complexity, address areas such as design and installation and living and mechanical systems.

Close to a dozen Canadians have already earned certification by writing in the U.S, and Peck says about 50 people – Canadians and Americans –signed up recently to take the exam in Toronto. The target audience includes roofing contractors, designers, architects, engineers, developers, green roof manufacturers, landscapers and horticulturalists.

The exam lasts two hours and is just like being at university. “You have to sign in, the tables are all spaced, and there are proctors,” Peck says.

Peck says GRHC plans further exam sessions next year, though the schedule is not yet laid out.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities lists accredited Green Roof Professionals on its website.

Kelven Goodridge, president of Verticiel, a Toronto-based green roof consulting, design and installation firm, passed the exam he took in Atlanta and says it covers a large breadth of territory.

“It was no walk in the park,” Goodridge says. “You’re answering 100 questions about a lot of material. The exam makes sure that you have a certain basic competency to do the job well.”

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