Chapter

Chapter February Meeting & Program – 2008 Construction Showcase - “Education: What it Takes to Raise a Village”

Tuesday February 26, 2008, Rapson Hall Atrium, College of Design, University of Minnesota, 89 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN. Chapter and the College of Design.  2:00 PM Registration followed by seminars and product/services exhibits from 2:30 to 7:00 PM. Free admission to all events. Pre-registration required.

For further information, or to make sure you are on our mailing list please contact bruce.saline@abtdrains.com or snoble@intrinxec.com

 

Chapter Seminar February 19, 2008 – Changing Building Technology

Bruce M. Small is known as an industry guru in the field of healthy indoor environments across North America and abroad. For the last twenty-seven years, Bruce has been instrumental in research and applications in the field of environmental health and in the design of buildings which offer safe and healthy interior environments (while meeting other modern design criteria such as energy conservation and sustainability).

Modern buildings provide new opportunities for combining all the important components of sustainability, and avoiding tradeoffs between energy conservation and healthy indoor environments. The presenter will concentrate on increasing understanding of the basic physics of building envelope design, and how new technologies make it possible to avoid moisture problems while increasing energy efficiency and comfort.

University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus, Continuing Education Center, 1890 Buford Ave, St. Paul, MN.

Registration 7:30 AM, Seminar 8:00 AM – Noon. Cost; CSI Members $75, Non-Members $115 and Interns/Students $40, cost includes Continental Breakfast.

Register no later than February 13. Register by emailing Sharon Noble at snoble@intrinxec.com or by calling 952-564-3044.

Chapter meetings require advanced registration. Topics, dates and locations are subject to change; please go to the chapter website and calendar at:  http://www.csi-msp.org/events.html for the most current information.

 

Region

North Central Region Conference – July 31 - August 2, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. Those attending will be helping the Milwaukee Chapter CSI, celebrate their 50th Anniversary. As more information on the Technical program as well as Conference details becomes available, it will be announced in upcoming issues of Specifics Newsletter and at the North Central Region Website;  www.csi-northcentralregion.org

 

Institute

CSI Online Classroom

CSI’s Online Classroom offers a comprehensive, on-demand, multi-media distance learning program to construction industry professionals, including specifiers, engineers and architects. You can expect:

  • Self-study sessions that allow you to control your schedule
  • Multi-media lectures
  • Reading assignments
  • Online quizzes and final exams
  • Education that meets the rigorous standards the construction industry has come to expect from the Construction Specifications Institute

To ensure quality, these programs include online testing that tracks and monitors an individual’s progress through session completion, and provides completion certificates when  a participant has successfully passed the final exam. CSI CEUs, Health Safety Welfare (HSW) credit and AIA LUs are granted for most programs upon successful completion.

For a limited time, all participants will receive the CSI members-only price of $39 (a $20 savings), so register for a course today at www.csionlinecourses.com

 

“FREE” CSI Webinar – CDT Program Overview, Thursday February 7, 2-3:30pm ET.

  • Not sure if the CDT is right for you? Join us for a one of these two FREE webinars on the CDT Certificate and how it can promote your career.

    Each session provides an overview of the CDT program, its history, industry and professional benefits, and exam procedures. If you have been considering pursuing a CSI certification, the CDT exam is where it begins.

    Topics Covered:
      -  What is the CDT certificate program?
      -  Who should take the exam?
      -  What are the benefits of being a CDT?
      -  What are the basic requirements and knowledge needed to take the exam?
      -  What resources are available for exam preparation?
      -  How to register for the exam

Space is limited for sites and individuals registering and is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Register now to ensure your space. All Registrations must be received two (2) business days prior to the Webinar. To get more information and register go to www.csinet.org and click on "Professional Development."

 

Free CSI Leader Webinar - What is CSIWiki?

Wednesday, February 13. 2008 2-3:30 pm ET.
CSI Technical Services Project Manager Aaron Titus & CSI Web Content Manager Joy Davis, CSI, CDT

CSI’s Technical Committee is launching the CSIWiki, focused on construction documentation and industry best practices. This webinar will give CSI leaders an overview of the project and its goals, and give detailed directions on editing the wiki. If you have no or little experience with wikis, make time to attend this session. Topics that will be covered include:

  • Technical Committee's goals and expectations
  • What a wiki is, and how it works
  • How to add information
  • Dispute resolution

The CSIWiki is a free web-based encyclopedia for construction and design professionals. Much like Wikipedia, CSIWiki is a living document, written collaboratively by a community of volunteers from all construction disciplines. You can see CSIWiki at http://wiki.csinet.org.

The Technical Committee believes that CSIWiki can help revitalize chapter and region technical committees through meaningful, grassroots-level collaboration. CSIWiki has been seeded with articles from the old CSI Monograph series. These articles require updating, a project CSI’s chapter technical chairs have been asked to help complete. Technical chairs are also encouraged to spearhead the creation of new articles and additions to CSIWiki.

The CSIWiki will only be as good as participants make it – so please take time to add your own best practices, definitions, and insights to it. Through active participation, construction professionals can create a manual that combines their collective knowledge and experience.

 

CSI Webinar - MasterFormat for Engineers – HVAC

February 12, 2008 2 - 3:30 pm EST. Charles E. Gulledge III, PE, CSI, ASHRAE.

This session will cover basic specification issues and the conversion process of MasterFormat 95 to MasterFormat 2004. Additionally, material will highlight select Subgroup and Division content/issues that are of primary interest to the HVAC&R industry. The following topics will be discussed:

  • Principles of Construction Documentation 
  • Evolution of MasterFormat
  • The MasterFormat 2004 Expansion Process 
  • MasterFormat 2004 Basics
  • Application of MasterFormat 2004
  • Procurement and Contracting Requirements Group Details
  • Specifications Group Details

Credit: 0.15 CSI CEUs, 1.5 AIA LUs, HSW Credit

Cost: $75 CSI Members $95 Non-Members.

Because participants are charged per site/telephone connection—not per person—a group can split the cost of a session registration! CSI members are encouraged to share a session (and the CSI member discount) with co-workers, other members, and guests from other firms. Invite your colleagues to join you for this seminar at no additional charge. Space is limited for sites and individuals registering and is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Register now to ensure your space. All Registrations must be received two (2) business days prior to the Webinar. To get more information and register go to www.csinet.org and click on "Professional Development".

 

CSI Webinar - To Be or Not to Be Vapor Permeable! Selecting the Proper Envelope Barriers Based on Climate, Codes and Design Criteria

February 26, 2008 - 2 - 3:30 pm EST.   Dr. Maria Spinu, PhD, CSI
 

Three important components of the building enclosure include: air barriers, water-resistant barriers and vapor barriers. While the function of individual barriers is relatively well understood, there is confusion on the consequences of combining two or more functions into a single membrane. For example, one often asked question is on the choice of vapor permeable or vapor non-permeable air barriers. A vapor permeable air barrier allows vapor diffusion, while a vapor non-permeable air barrier combines the air and vapor barrier functions into a single membrane. Consequently, the question to be asked is whether the design criteria for the two barriers are the same. This is often not the case and the combination of air and vapor barrier into a single membrane could lead to moisture problems when used in the wrong application. This seminar will describe the fundamental principles for moisture control to help answer the question.
 
Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the air, water and water vapor transport through the building enclosure
  • Understand the role and the design criteria for air, water and vapor barriers; review of current codes for air, water and vapor barriers
  • General Guidelines for the choice of vapor permeable or non-permeable air and water barriers

Credit: 0.15 CSI CEUs, 1.5 AIA LUs, HSW Credit

Cost: $75 CSI Members $95 Non-Members.

Because participants are charged per site/telephone connection—not per person—a group can split the cost of a session registration! CSI members are encouraged to share a session (and the CSI member discount) with co-workers, other members, and guests from other firms. Invite your colleagues to join you for this seminar at no additional charge. Space is limited for sites and individuals registering and is on a first-come-first-serve basis. Register now to ensure your space. All Registrations must be received two (2) business days prior to the Webinar. To get more information and register go to www.csinet.org and click on "Professional Development".

 

2008 CSI Construction Academies, February 7-9, 2008, Orlando, FL.

The CSI Construction Academies is a two-and-a-half-day education program that enhances capabilities of construction industry professionals. This training program for intermediate to advanced professionals is tailored to product representatives, specifiers, construction administrators and architects.

 

Construct 2008, CSI Annual Show, June 3-6, 2008, Las Vegas Convention Center, NV.  As CONSTRUCT's new owner and producer, Hanley Wood Exhibitions is dedicated to continuing the strong history of the CSI Show and solidifying our role in the commercial construction industry. Possessing deep knowledge of residential and commercial construction, experienced show management and quality educational programming, we offer powerful reach and a solid track record of delivering results. Online Housing and Travel is now open!  Attendee Registration opens early February, 2008.