Application for BSS Designation

What is a BSS?

Individual Members of any Participating BEC (a Provincial Building Envelope Council) are entitled to seek accreditation as a Building Science Specialist and, if successful, to use the designation BSS.

Accreditation is subject to the member being in good standing and having satisfied the BSS eligibility requirements. To keep the BSS designation, members must adhere to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct for Building Science Specialists, maintain an up-to-date membership in any BEC, and provide proof of required continued education annually from the year of accreditation.

The Building Science Specialist designation will provide members of the industry, including building designers, specifiers, developers, contractors, and owners, the confidence that any designation holder has a high level of education and understanding in the field of Building Science as deemed by the BSS Advisory Committee, composed of key industry figures.

Steps to obtain The BSS Designation

  1. Become a member of a participant provincial Building Envelope Council (BEC)
  2. Complete the educational requirements:

Have an engineering or architectural undergraduate or graduate degree and at least 2000 hours of practical experience directly related to the practice of building science

OR

Have an engineering or architectural diploma from a recognized college or polytechnical institute and at least 5000 hours of practical experience directly related to the practice of building science

  1. Successfully complete the following four professional exams offered by the Building Science Specialist Board (A minimum final mark of 65% must be achieved in each of the exams):

Building Science Theory Exam

Building Envelope Systems Exam

Materials Exam

Mechanical Systems Exam.

Building Science Specialist Board Approval

Upon meeting the eligibility requirements and submitting a complete application, the candidate’s name will be reviewed by the Building Science Specialist Board. The Building Science Specialist Board reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to request additional information from the applicant and/or to refuse the request for accreditation. Representatives from industry, Academia, and the provincial BEC's (Building Envelope Councils) make up the Building Science Specialist Board.

BSS Application Form