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Purdue Students to Earn Green and Other NAHB Designations
Under a new agreement with Purdue University, the Indiana school’s construction management students will be the first in the country to earn a professional designation from the NAHB University of Housing when they receive their bachelor’s degree.
Students will now be able to earn the Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation and gain extensive knowledge of green building practices. “That’s yet another sign of the success of this University of Housing program — that it’s considered to be an added value to a traditional university degree,” said T.W. Bailey, a home builder from Frisco, Texas, and chair of the CGP designation task force for NAHB.
Under the agreement — which was announced by Bailey and Purdue professor Dale Koehler at a Jan. 21 press conference during the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas — students can choose to pursue the CGP, the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist or the Residential Construction Superintendent educational designations from the NAHB University of Housing and the Home Builder’s Institute. The program is being funded by the National Housing Endowment.
The CGP designation — which is based on 24 hours of classroom instruction, industry experience and other requirements — was introduced just 11 months ago and numbers more than 2,000 designees.
Even in the midst of today’s difficult housing downturn, the country’s home builders and remodelers are preparing themselves to meet the rising demand for green homes and home projects. In fact, said Bailey, association volunteers are already working with curriculum development experts to create a new “Master” green building and remodeling designation to meet the demand for more advanced training and course work. The new designation is expected to be unveiled in early 2010.
Home builder Greg Ugalde, of T & M Building Co. Inc. in Torrington, Conn., said the CGP designation has added credibility to his company’s marketing efforts. “It indicates to a customer that the person they are hiring to design, build or remodel their home sees building green as more than just a buzzword or marketing ploy,” he said at the press conference.
Countrywide Bank Senior Vice President Dave Porter of Seattle said the CGP designation is also an excellent idea for suppliers, manufacturers and other home building industry professionals. The knowledge he has acquired from CGP courses has been advantageous when he is talking to a builder about energy-efficient mortgages and other incentives, he said.
“As a lender, I deal with hundreds of builders, real estate agents and other industry professionals. In these interactions, I often share industry best practices, and of course building green is at the top of the list,” he said.
For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.
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