Beauty, functionality, and wellness-enhancing can co-exist in design, with the right products. This article explores solutions that help architects achieve these important multi-benefits. Pavers that create beautiful outdoor spaces that are easy to maintain. Skylights that allow daylight and fresh air into the interior. Underlayment that improves acoustics and sound management, while protecting the integrity of the interior air quality. Each improves the functionality of the space and the wellness of the people in the built environment.

This one-minute video shows you just how easy it is to take a course on TCA. Give it a play, explore the intuitive User Interface and the many features that make TCA easy and enjoyable. New courses are being added all the time!

There is never a cost to take a course or earn a certificate. Registration takes just a couple minutes – you only have to do it once to enroll in any course, at any time in the future – look over the course catalog for each of our programs, just click on a couple of course descriptions that look interesting to you to add them to your wish list, and start watching some really great videos.

You will also enjoy browsing the Video Vault, our video library of building and construction videos from many of the manufacturers and organizations that sponsor courses on TCA. Courses are not permitted to feature competitive product distinctions between manufacturers, except in very broad terms, so these additional videos get into branded product details, installation, safety, materials and other details of the brands.

If you have any questions, just use the Contact Us link at the top of the page.

 The class is a high-density orientation to lighting considerations and methods in the healthcare environment. Topics will include application situations, impacted populations, design methods, and a review and critique of examples of successful and less-than-successful healthcare lighting designs.

At the end of this course, participants will:

1. Identify current trends in the healthcare lighting design and the impact lighting has on its occupants and the environment. 
2. Identify who is impacted by our lighting design decisions and learn best practices on how to light the spaces they occupy.
3. Identify specific lighting needs of patient rooms.
4. Identify emerging lighting methods including design for circadian health.

Program: Architecture, Design, and Building Science

The purpose of this presentation is to give you a clear understanding of the features and benefits of textured metals and discover how to best specify stainless steel and metal alloys in your projects. The first part of our talk will introduce the ecological and economic properties of textured stainless steel as well as educate you on the composition of metals and alloys. The second portion of this presentation will illustrate the process of texturing metals and their applications, as well as how to specify them. The session will also review projects that use textured metals - with beautiful results.

HSW Justification:
Most of this course is dedicated to explaining the aesthetic, ecological and economic advantages of textured metals. Most often, the metal used in stainless steel, which is very long-lived, valuable and 100 percent recyclable. The case studies focus on many beautiful installations that enhance the lives of occupants and visitors through the art and craftsmanship of the installations.

Learning Objective 1:
Students will understand ecological, economic, health and safety benefits of utilizing metals that can be deep textured.

Learning Objective 2:
Students will explore current applications that employ deep textured metals because of their ecological benefits, enhanced performance, and aesthetic attributes.

Learning Objective 3:
Students will learn compositions of metals that can be deep textured, how each performs under varying environmental constraints, and how to safely and economically specify deep textured metals.

Learning Objective 4:
Students will discover end user benefits of deep texturing metals, including performance enhancement, material usage reduction and longer product lifecycles.

This course will discuss light pollution and its relation to the International Dark-Sky Association. After taking this course, individuals will know the impacts of light pollution as well as the difference between IDA and non-IDA lighting.

At the end of this course, participants will learn:

1. To define IDA, light pollution, and related terms
2. To identify the impacts of light pollution
3. To demonstrate the difference between IDA and non-IDA lighting
4. To assess the process of establishing IDA certification

Inverters are a modern, simple way to achieve an emergency lighting solution while minimizing maintenance costs and utilizing existing architectural fixtures for emergency purposes. This course will give the student the skills they require to design and specify inverter-based emergency lighting systems.

Architecture tells us a great deal about society. In fact, glass and glazing are used to blur the lines between inside and out, helping elevate performance and the experiences of people. Yet while humans can use environmental cues to identify glass as a barrier, there is growing realization that birds cannot. The solution is bird-friendly glass that delivers on performance, energy efficiency and the needs of people. This course from Guardian Glass is intended to provide the basis for a better understanding of how to recognize issues affecting the bird population while learning about best practices and design fundamentals for smarter, safer buildings.

This course will explore the cutting-edge union of design and technology by delving into parametric design and its symbiosis with digital fabrication, and how the vision is best achieved via vertically-integrated, technology-forward product manufacturers. We will also discuss strategies for effective collaboration with these manufacturers throughout the architectural design process.

Learning Objective 1: Students will learn about the use of parametric design in architecture, including its definition, history and current state.

Learning Objective 2: Students will learn about the marriage between parametric design and digital fabrication.

Learning Objective 3: Students will understand why vertical integration is an important operating model for product manufacturers looking to leverage parametric design.

Learning Objective 4: Students will understand how to partner with vertical manufacturers throughout the architectural design process and learn the advantages of this digital collaborative approach.

This course is designed to introduce the architect to egress marking systems that are used for ordinary way finding and building evacuation in emergency situations. These signage systems are meant to be selected and installed according to specific standards established by building codes. Additionally, once installed, these systems must be tested to assure their efficacy in case of an emergency. How to select and specify the appropriate markers and the technological solutions available, as well as testing methods, will all be covered in this course.

HSW Justification:
Building exit markings are critical to the health, safety, and welfare of building occupants during emergency situations.

Learning Objective 1:
When this course is complete the student will will understand egress signage obligations as imposed through building codes and standards.

Learning Objective 2:
The student will further understand the various technologies available to address those signage codes and standards.

Learning Objective 3:
And, the student will learn what the requirements are to conduct on-going testing of egress systems after installation.

Dynamic lighting, also known as tunable, color-changing, and circadian lighting, is being adopted and employed in current lighting designs.  There are many studies showing the benefits of dynamic lighting in built environments.  Early adopters have seeded the market and several lighting manufacturers now employ some level of Dynamic Lighting. This course is intended to explore what  Dynamic Lighting is, how it works in commercial luminaires, how to control it, and where the lighting community is being directed by standards, regulation, and voice of the customer. 

At the end of this course, participants will learn:

1. Define elements of dynamic lighting.
2. Learn the uses of dynamic lighting.
3. See illustrations of how to control dynamic lighting.
4. Become aware of the regulations, standards, and customer requests that are driving adoption.