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This is your go-to source for free AIA-approved continuing education for architects. Plus, almost all our courses are delivered in streaming HD video. Registration is fast and easy, just click on Login/Register above. Then, you can enroll in any of our courses found in any of our programs with a single click. Our courses meet or exceed NCARB's high standards for state board license renewal. AIA member? Your credit will be reported to AIA for you.

WELL Building Standard | Version 2

The WELL Light concept promotes exposure to light and aims to create lighting environments that are optimal for visual, mental and biological health. This session explores the elements that make up the WELL Lighting concept and provides insights and recommendations for designing to these standards.

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Improving Water Conservation in High-Performance Buildings

This course recognizes the flush toilet as one of the biggest users of water and discusses how toilet design is pushing flush technology to develop ways for homes and commercial buildings to conserve water without sacrificing the performance of the toilet. Industry testing protocols and the water-saving capabilities of different technologies are evaluated. Today—as climate change, population growth, and record droughts present an unprecedented strain on our water supply—conservation technology is building awareness to the importance of having the most water-efficient fixtures in a home or business.

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Egress Path Lighting & Emergency Lights ISO 502

This course is designed to introduce the architect to emergency lights. These lights 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:
The selection and implementation of a proper emergency lighting program is essential to the life safety of a building's occupants.

Learning Objective 1:
The student 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:
The student will learn what the requirements are to conduct on-going testing of egress systems after installation.

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Designing Beautiful High-Performance Building Envelopes

The building envelope has a lot of different jobs to do—from insulating the building so that it can be efficiently heated and cooled to providing air and water barriers that keep harmful moisture at bay, as well as providing the aesthetic face of the project. High performance building envelopes do all of those things extremely well. This article explores some of the latest high-performance solutions that can be used to create those high-performance envelopes.

HSW Justification:
A high-performance building envelope is necessary to create a building that is efficient and healthy. This article takes a look at how different components in the building envelope perform—giving architects the information they need to choose high-performance components that will produce a high-performing envelope.

Learning Objective 1:
Compare different types of continuous insulation in terms of the thermal performance they offer and the way they behave when exposed to water and fire.

Learning Objective 2:
Describe how insulated metal panels (IMPs) can be used on the envelope to improve building performance, create efficient and healthy interiors, and enhance design flexibility.

Learning Objective 3:
Explain how PET bottles can be upcycled into insulation creating a new product that contains recycled material and improves thermal performance of the building envelope.

Learning Objective 4:
Describe the ways that architectural metal wall systems enable architects to push the creative boundaries of their designs.

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924 & 1008 Lighting Controls

NFPA 70, the national electrical code details 2 different types of Emergency Lighting Control Devices—devices that guarantee that life safety lighting will be on at desired illumination levels in the event of an emergency. This course will help mitigate the confusion regarding the specification of these devices and understand their applications in the real world.

Prerequisite Knowledge: Knowledge of life safety systems, particularly a high-level understanding of the purpose of emergency lighting inverters and generators. In particular, ISO-1001/ISO-1002 would be a perfect lead into this course.

HSW Justification: This deals with life safety, the safe egress, and illumination of buildings in the event of an emergency.

Learning Objective 1: Understand the background technology where ALCR and BCELTS devices need to be deployed.

Learning Objective 2: Learn the difference between the technologies and reviews how they sit within one-line diagrams.

Learning Objective 3: Understand some of the real world tradeoffs between the device types as it relates to wiring, proximity and ease of testing.

Learning Objective 4: Understand the integration of lighting controls with the different types of ELCDs and review some tricks for how to reduce costs in systems.

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Lighting Overview for Healthcare Facilities

 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.
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Egress Marking and Illumination ISO-0501

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.

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Sustainable Resiliency with Garden Roofs

Designing with green roofs affords design professionals opportunities to plan projects with exciting new elements, added value, and significant, tangible benefits, thereby enhancing the built environment with newly-created landscapes. This course examines green roof systems, including the types, benefits, components, and related standards. It also reviews a number of installations that demonstrate these principles.

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