This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Thermal bridging has been recognized as a significant factor in building envelope heat loss and yet traditional construction practices have not effectively addressed many of the causes. Building Better with Thermal Breaks will identify areas most susceptible to thermal bridging and offer solutions that will minimize those heat loss conditions. Designing structural thermal breaks into buildings will improve the comfort, safety, durability, and reduce the environmental impact.
An Overview of North American Forestry and Implications for Wood Product Selection (Print Course)
Architects and others who specify wood products have the responsibility to specify wood from sustainably managed forests. By selecting sustainably harvested wood products, architects can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support a low-carbon future.
This course will examine commonly held beliefs about forestry; review the environmental, economic, and social importance of specifying responsibly sourced wood products; and discuss North American softwood species that are increasingly being used as an alternative to more energy-intensive building materials.
Advances in Multi-Family Building with Offsite Components and Construction
The proliferation of mid-rise, multi-family buildings in urban and suburban areas has prompted the need for greater scrutiny in how these buildings can resist lateral forces, particularly as they become taller and more complex in shape. This course will explore traditional construction solutions for multi-family projects, including mass timber framing and wood shear walls, and how alternative steel lateral systems can expand design capabilities and optimize projects by using off-site construction components.
Greater Heights and Innovative Design: A New Generation of ICF Buildings (Print Course)
Insulated concrete forms (ICF) have been in use in North America since the 1960s. First known as “Foam Form,” contemporary ICF combines reinforced concrete with expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation to create walls that meet or exceed code as it relates to fire and extreme weather events. ICF also offers superior noise mitigation and energy efficiency.
This course will examine the performance characteristics of ICF as well as case studies that demonstrate its uses in commercial, industrial, residential, and institutional settings.
Advantages of Concrete in Low- to Mid-Rise Multifamily
This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Look around and you’ll see many 5 to 7 story residential projects being built today with one or two floors of concrete, supporting up to 5 floors of steel or wood frame. These “pedestal” projects are assumed to be the cheapest way to build while longer term ownership implications of these designs are not well understood. This 1-hour presentation dispels the myths that are driving the popularity of pedestal construction and demonstrates the ownership value concrete provides including lower operating costs, less maintenance, and improved tenant retention.
Code Compliant Exterior Systems for Wood Framed Building Envelopes
This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course investigates the most recent code changes emphasizing building envelope performance. We will explore next generation integrated solutions that simultaneously provide protection against moisture penetration, air leakage, and thermal bridging. Installation benefits and on-site quality control issues related to multi-solution integrated systems will also be evaluated in this course.
An Alternative to Traditional Low-Slope Roofs: Insulated Roof Deck System Overview and Case Studies (Print Course)
This course will address main characteristics and design details of insulated roof deck systems, an alternative to metal decking for low-slope roofs on commercial and industrial buildings. Two case studies involving the new construction of a 53,000-square-foot freezer facility and a roof replacement on a 24,900-square-foot climate-controlled facility will be explored in detail. Learners will better understand design considerations for specific commercial/industrial roof projects and practical applications of insulated roof deck systems, including installation efficiency, safety, sustainability, and building performance.
The Neurobiology of Biophilia & Spatial Cognition
This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course explores the neurobiology behind Biophilia’s most healing attribute: a visual connection to nature, which also happens to be the feature with the most robust peer-reviewed research backing its therapeutic qualities. We learn about the connection between the immune system and sensory processing, as well as how environmental features precipitate a neural chemistry that modulates our attraction/aversion to the built environment.
The course unveils the healing potential of indoor sky illusions and how cognitive mechanisms map out our body’s location in relation to our immediate surroundings, as well as to perceived connections to nature. This understanding of how distinct areas of the brain assemble our embodied sense of place provide valuable insights in the design of enclosed interiors for human wellness.
Seamless Wall-to-Ceiling Transitions in Open Plenum Design
As open plenum design has become increasingly popular in public, office and even residential buildings, so has the need for seamless wall-to-ceiling transitions that complement its use - as well as address the challenges. Read about three projects which highlight the benefits, but also present challenges and solutions of seamless transitions.
Redefining the High-End Healthy Home
The idea that the design of a home has an impact on the health and well-being of its residents is not new. Read how luxury single and multifamily residential design is responding to a post-pandemic need to maintain and improve the health of inhabitants.