2026 BES Session: A Balancing Act: Creating a "SMART" Enclosure Testing Plan (McKay J., Armstrong J., Vinci S.)

2026 BES Session: A Balancing Act: Creating a "SMART" Enclosure Testing Plan

(McKay J., Armstrong J., Vinci S.)

Course Overview
This session was originally presented at the 2026 IIBEC Building Enclosure Symposium in Indianapolis, Indiana.  This course includes the following components:

• recording of the live session
• a summative assessment consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions
• two surveys required to claim continuing education credit

Description
Testing building enclosure systems is a key part of construction quality control, but who determines the testing requirements, frequency, scheduling, and pass/fail criteria? The addition of building enclosure commissioning (BECx) professionals early in the design phase can ensure that customized and “SMART” testing plans are created to meet owner requirements. A well-balanced BECx testing plan requires knowledge of the owner's risk tolerance, budget allowance, sustainability goals, and performance expectations, the design team's technical requirements, and the general contractor/trade's schedules, sequencing, and familiarity with enclosure systems. Far too often, the enclosure testing requirements are buried in a disjointed technical project specification, creating unbalanced, unrealistic, unreasonable, and overall costly testing plans. This presentation builds upon over 25 years of evaluating project specifications and developing testing plans, and presents some new topics such as minimizing on-site water use for a more sustainable testing approach, or testing “active” enclosure systems such as electrochromic glazing. Common mistakes, key requirements for BECx, and qualitative versus quantitative testing will be discussed. In addition, BECx standards such as ASTM E2813 and LEED V5’s new requirements will be explored, including how to use these standards to create a "SMART" BECx testing plan.

Speaker/Author
Jamie McKay, PE, BECxP, LEED Fellow
Jordan Armstrong, EIT, BECxP, CxA+BE

Steve Vinci, CET, LEED Fellow, BECxP, CxA+BE

Course Access
Courses are accessible in LearnUpon for one year from the date of purchase.

Course Recommended Prerequisite(s)

• Attendees should have prior knowledge of building enclosure commissioning requirements, roles and responsibilities, and specifications. Familiarity with ASTM/AAMA and similar testing procedures is also recommended.

IIBEC Core Competencies: 

Building Enclosure Commissioning
 

Knowledge Level: 

Advanced (15+ years)

Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in the session content at the 2026 IIBEC Building Enclosure Symposium are those of the content author(s)/speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC). IIBEC makes no warranty, whether express or implied, as to the completeness, accuracy or validity of the information provided.

Credit Start Date August 18, 2026               
Credit Expiration Date  August 18, 2029

Continuing Education Credit Statement
This course is approved for 1.0 IIBEC CEH
This course is approved for 1.0 AIA LU/HSW
AIA Course Number: BES26_04_OD
AIA Provider Number: G024

Continuing Education Credit Claim Information

To claim IIBEC CEHs and download a Certificate of Completion, learners are required to complete all components of the course, including a passing score of 70% or higher on the summative assessment.  Participants are provided unlimited attempts to complete the summative assessment with a passing score of 70% or higher.

• After completing the course requirements download a Certificate of Completion. 
• Participants are responsible for self-reporting IIBEC CEH credit by uploading their Certificate of Completion to their IIBEC Portal. For assistance in self-reporting CEHs, please reach out to: cehs@iibec.org
• If you are a member of AIA and would like IIBEC to report your participation in the course to AIA, there is a place in the course evaluation survey to input your AIA member number.

AIA CES Provider statement

IIBEC is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider G024. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs.  Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES (cessupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.