Solar shading devices, while available in numerous weaves, textures, and colors, go beyond contributing to the aesthetics of a space. Specified correctly, solar shading devices can maximize daylighting benefits and contribute to occupant well-being, productivity, and engagement, while mitigating the detrimental effects of UV rays and glare.

Learning Objective 1:
Students will understand the benefits daylighting, including the psychological and physiological well-being of occupants, as well as its drawbacks, such as glare and solar heat gain

Learning Objective 2:
Students will become familiar with the types of solar shading fabrics available for use in commercial settings and their components, including operating systems, weave, color, and openness factor, and the ways in which these contribute to the control of daylighting.

Learning Objective 3:
Students will explore the benefits of solar shading devices that extend beyond light management, such as sound mitigation, sustainability, and antimicrobial properties.

Learning Objective 4:
Students will determine how to select the right fabric for an application, taking into account aesthetics and room conditions

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.

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.

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.

This course will describe the aesthetic and biophilic benefits, as well as the objective sustainability standards achieved by innovative metal wall materials that mimic wood. The course will describe how the materials provide both physical and emotional comfort to occupants, protection from harsh weather, and the community benefits of sustainable construction. A variety of applications are also detailed in case studies of actual projects.

Learning Objective 1:
The student will understand how and why the use of materials that mimic but outperform natural materials is highly desirable.

Learning Objective 2:
The student will be able to explain the technologies applied to materials and methods of construction that mimic wood in order to improve sustainability and resist environmental attack.

Learning Objective 3:
The student will recognize the favorability of these materials and methods of construction through a recitation of their achievements in testing and evaluation, how they meet construction standards, and what contributions they make to LEED v4.

Learning Objective 4:
The student will become familiar with a variety of existing projects that demonstrate successful adoption of these products and methods.

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.

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.

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 article explores some of the latest products and solutions improving the air quality, thermal comfort, electric light, and daylight control that can be incorporated into a project. Each improves the wellness of the people in the built environment.

Learning Objective 1: Explain how air circulation improves thermal comfort and alertness.

Learning Objective 2: Describe the ways that increasing the presence of plants and greenery on a project have been shown to clean the air, reduce urban heat island effect, and positively affect the health and wellbeing of people in the built environment.

Learning Objective 3: Summarize how circadian LED lighting technology delivers health benefits—improving overall sleep quality, daytime productivity, and feelings of wellbeing—that modern architectural lighting lacks.

Learning Objective 4: Discuss how using an underfloor air distribution system (UFAD) improves indoor air quality.

Learning Objective 5: Identify the latest advancements in smart window technology that allows these solutions to control glare and solar heat gains, while maintaining views to the outdoors.

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.