It’s no surprise to anyone that knows me, that I love a certificate. In fact, I’ve just celebrated my 5 year anniversary as a reverend of the Universal Life Church. Peace be upon your smart building… but the vast range and increasing specificity of some certifications is getting out of control.
Lately, email signatures have become letter and buzzword soup as the number of qualifications, certifications, and membership bodies balloons. The FT’s Pilita Clark has even described this growing trend as “hopelessly naff.”
For no second do I want you to think that I’m not supportive of people learning new things, or pursuing interests. I am. Rather, I’m worried that over-specialisation in our field is increasing the complexity of creating a smart building and adding to the already massive communication burden between the design disciplines. Increased complexity slows-down progress and increases costs for clients. As an industry, we should be making adoption of tech as easy as possible.
One of the certifications that worries me most is SmartScore AP. Email signatures and LinkedIn profiles alike use the certification as a badge of excellence, suggesting that, as individuals, they are smart building specialists. I’m not sure that’s the case. In the strictest sense, my understanding of the certification (having spoken to a former employee of theirs) is that it prepares people to be “an expert in the SmartScore scorecard and certification process”. This is, of course, not the same thing and true of most Accredited Professional schemes (eg. LEED, WELL, etc). I feel that it would take the most astute client to know that distinction. Given that there are very few educational courses available (Smart Building Bootcamp, Nexus Labs, Reading’s MSc, etc) in the Smart Building space, it means that the maturity that the sustainability industry has, is lacking on our side of the fence.
But the issue is further conflated. Now, there are even certifications for types of connectivity, for encouraging people to use the stairs or for niche pieces of software. I’m sure that those that choose to pimp their signatures are very proud of the breadth and depth of their knowledge. But let us ask ourselves, what message is that sending to the market and to our clients? I think that level specificity introduces doubt into people’s minds that your skills might not be broad enough. Does the fact that my consultant only has 16 certifications mean that they are deficient?
I am a fan of Engineering Charterterships because they offer sufficient broadness, specialist depth and an expectation of professionalism with an acknowledgement of the limits of your knowledge. Should we instead be asking one of the Institutions to offer a formal smart buildings pathway? Given the natural closeness to building services, where have the CIBSE been whilst this industry has been growing up? Maybe their distance is all the evidence needed that their Chartership is broad enough? As we know, introducing new technologies, understanding the money side of things and the human interaction with tech is broader than any qualification could possibly capture.
Obviously, if you have an OBE, that should take pride of place on your email signature. In the words of Taylor Swift, “haters gonna hate”.
Kind regards,
Rev. The Lord Eur Ing Dr Matthew Marson MEng (Hons) IntPE(UK) CEng FIMechE FRSA TWaT ttfn
In Dr Marson’s monthly column, he’ll be chronicling his thoughts and opinions on the latest developments, trends, and challenges in the Smart Buildings industry and the wider world of construction. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, you're sure to find something of interest here.
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About the author:
Matthew Marson is an experienced leader, working at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and the built environment. He was recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering as Young Engineer of the Year for his contributions to the global Smart Buildings industry. Having worked on some of the world’s leading smart buildings and cities projects, Matthew is a keynote speaker at international industry events related to emerging technology, net zero design and lessons from projects. He was an author in the Encyclopaedia of Sustainable Technologies and a published writer in a variety of journals, earning a doctorate in Smart Buildings.