Achieving a Balance of Life Safety and Wellness
Designing buildings for life safety and wellness is getting easier.
...Read MoreThis 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.
Designing buildings for life safety and wellness is getting easier.
...Read MoreThis session will present how IoT lighting can be a fundamental platform for smart environments. Well planned building integration allows a flexible, scalable lighting system to collect the data that ultimately brings more value to the building owner.
At the end of this course, participants will learn:
This course will teach students how to recognize non-compliant rooftop equipment support scenarios and will discuss their impact on safety and the public health, general welfare, and property value.
...Read MoreThe 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.
This course will cover introductory level descriptions of various sectional door styles and how they impact energy efficiency, maximize ambient light, add to design aesthetics. Additionally, applicable varieties of industrial doors will also be included.
HSW Justification: Understanding upward acting door and safety device specification and installation contribute to health, safety and welfare of building occupants, including infants, children and the elderly, by helping avoid entrapment, injury, or exposure to exhaust gasses. Additionally, proper installation helps assure comfort control, energy efficiency and better design aesthetics.
Learning Objective 1: Students will be able to recognize and differentiate various types of sectional and industrial doors, with a focus on selecting door types that enhance occupant safety, support energy efficiency, and improve building design aesthetics for a healthier environment.
Learning Objective 2: Students will learn to specify upward-acting doors, prioritizing occupant health and safety by understanding how door selection impacts injury prevention, exhaust gas exposure, and energy conservation, while also enhancing natural light and aesthetic integration.
Learning Objective 3: Students will gain skills in assessing mounting conditions, headroom and side room requirements, and types of lifts and operators, with particular attention to how these considerations affect safety, mechanical reliability, and occupant welfare.
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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.
...Read MoreThis course is designed to teach the history of synthetic turf, its application in water and energy conservation, pollution abatement, sustainable design, and its versatility in numerous landscaping applications and designs. Participants will become knowledgeable about synthetic turf and innovative applications that could be applied to their residential and commercial projects. The most current technological advances in the industry and the positive role synthetic turf plays in the environment.
Learning Objective 1:
Students will gain an increased awareness of the positive environmental impact of synthetic turf on water use, reduced energy demand and reduction of use of fossil fuels, reduced chemical application, and resulting reduction of water and noise pollution.
Learning Objective 2:
Students will become more informed on the newest synthetic turf material technologies available, including the use of soy based materials, as well as how the proper application of infills and proper material selection can benefit the health and safety of athletes.
Learning Objective 3:
Students will be more knowledgeable about the history and evolution of the technology and of landscaping and sports applications using synthetic turf.
Learning Objective 4:
Students will better understand the versatility of synthetic turf and its many uses in sustainable landscape design.
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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.
This course aims to help educate the designer about what performance fabrics are, the content of various fabrics, how they work, and the benefits to a sustainable design in meeting and maximizing your goals of occupant health, safety, well-being, and sustainability. Windows, views, and openings in buildings present the classic battle between form and function. The designer naturally wants the building’s occupants to enjoy views and light, but the solar heat gain from these openings can wreak havoc on sustainable goals. Sophisticated and high-performing solar control fabrics can help reconcile the form and function of light, views, and sustainability.
HSW Justification: Substantially all of this course is dedicated to a discussion of the health, safety and welfare aspects of performance fabrics through their appropriate specification, their fabrics' chemical composition, their proper use, their ability to meet safety and performance standards, and their aesthetic contribution.
Learning Objective 1: The student will learn how to analyze shading fabrics for solar light management including energy reduction, glare and outward visibility, using published shading coefficient data.
Learning Objective 2: The student will be able to list certification requirements for indoor air quality, anti-bacterial protection, flame retardancy, and environmental regulations.
Learning Objective 3: The student will be able to identify fabric composition options with an emphasis on sustainable design.
Learning Objective 4: The student will be able to apply their knowledge of performance fabric features to unique, real-world applications in healthcare, hospitality, government, business, and residential projects.
...Read MoreModern open spaces create a unique set of challenges when it comes to acoustics, particularly because many new buildings are designed with open plans and open plenums. Fortunately, there are innovative acoustic systems on the market that are designed to integrate with open plenums that can help to overcome these challenges. This course will discuss customizable acoustical solutions for open plenum design, including baffles, beams, clouds, and acoustical wall panels, which are available in a variety of materials like metal, wood, fiberglass, and felt. The course will explore the importance of acoustical design and how these open plenum ceiling systems can transform a space aesthetically while maximizing acoustics.
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