Siding adds to the attractiveness of a residence while protecting the home from damage by the elements. Options for siding and trim encompass a variety of materials, including engineered wood, natural wood, fiber cement, and vinyl. This course reviews the features, performance characteristics, styles, and installation considerations of engineered wood siding and trim products.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Accommodating an aging population in multistory homes means finding ways to simplify access to all levels. As residential elevators continue to decrease in cost, they are being considered as the most effective solution to offer safety, comfort, and convenience to the homeowner. This course reviews all considerations needed for the installation of a residential elevator including preplanning, locating, power and structural requirements, and code considerations.

In applications where wood may be exposed to moisture, insects, or fungal organisms, preservative-treated wood can ensure a project’s durability. This course reviews: the manufacturing process for pressure-treated wood; types of preservative treatments and the required levels of retention as dictated by the end-use application, desired service life, and exposure conditions; American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) Use Category standards; current issues concerning preserved wood in residential and commercial construction; and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for aquatic uses.

With the relatively recent development of new products and procedures for polishing concrete, concrete floors have added aesthetic appeal to their list of impressive performance characteristics. This course will discuss improving and prolonging the performance of finished concrete floors by exploring the many benefits of concrete flooring, summarizing the procedure for creating concrete floors, explaining maintenance methods and spill removal, and explaining how a floor protection plan will aid in the prolonged service life of the floor.

As noted in the first course in this series, water-related issues resulting from growing and concentrating populations, shifting weather patterns, increasing frequency and ferocity of storm events, disappearing water supplies, and rising costs have become more and more important in community planning. This second part of the course details many of the emerging resilient and environmentally responsible management strategies that communities worldwide are adopting in response to those issues. The descriptions are accompanied by a number of case studies of resilient water plans and projects.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Ventilation grilles influence HVAC system performance but can pose aesthetic challenges for designers. Custom grilles made with modern fabrication techniques employ a variety of materials and finishes to create solutions that enhance and fully integrate with architectural interiors. This course discusses the basic mechanics of effective air distribution in buildings, performance characteristics of grilles, grille types, and custom design options.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

(Canadian Version) Around the globe, companies and manufacturers are embracing socially responsible design, construction, and the development of sustainable products. This course provides an overview of sustainable design and the creation of healthier environments in reference to architectural paints. Included are discussions regarding the components of paint, independent testing methods and standards, categories of LEED®, and specification of paint systems for today’s designer.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Fixed access ladders are a part of almost all commercial buildings, and yet their design and installation is often ignored or forgotten until the last stage of building inspection. An improperly designed and installed ladder can lead to safety concerns for the building's occupants. This course reviews different types of fixed access ladders and the corresponding safety codes and standards that ensure users' welfare. Ladder design features and materials required for safe fabrication and installation are discussed and various case studies are examined.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

The tools, techniques, and approaches to Sustainable Community Planning (SCP) have evolved substantially in the last few decades, turning it from an abstract notion into a comprehensive and beneficial planning approach. This course reviews a broad spectrum of the more effective approaches currently being utilized to convert basic SCP principles into practical projects around the world. The review includes numerous links to the sources of these tools and approaches and includes background on a number of international projects.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Continuous insulation is part of building standards and state and energy codes, due to its ability to reduce thermal bridging and its associated heat loss and energy consumption. This course looks at the use of polyisocyanurate as a continuous insulation in Type V and residential construction, and its use as a multifunctional envelope component—air barrier, weather-resistive barrier, and vapor retarder—by reviewing code requirements for the building envelope.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

While the kitchen has long been considered the heart of the home, the bathroom is often thought of as a utilitarian space. However, by drawing inspiration from kitchen design principles, designers can create a bathroom that’s personalized, organized, and highly functional. Beyond serving basic needs, the bathroom is a space for relaxing, recharging, and preparing for the day ahead. This course discusses strategies for incorporating organization, ergonomics, personalization, and technology to create a streamlined styling space.

Across the United States, building owners in hot and cold climates are subject to peak energy demand charges. This course examines the economic and environmental effects of peak energy demand as applied to modern buildings, focusing on how peak energy demand is incorporated into electric utility billing structures and how cool roofing yields peak demand and net energy savings for commercial buildings in all climates within North America.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Western red cedar's (WRC) aesthetic, economic, and environmental benefits are just some of the reasons why builders and designers are increasingly gravitating to this species of wood. Presented here are modern, historical, and cultural uses of western red cedar, as well as its performance characteristics, grade specification, and finishes. Also discussed are sustainable forest management practices and certification agencies, and how sustainably sourced wood can contribute to LEED® credits.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Universal design is not a new concept; however, it is time for a paradigm shift. Considering ADA design, universal design, and living in place, should designers now be offering universal design solutions to all clients, regardless of age or ability? This course reviews both ADA and universal design guidelines and discusses compelling reasons for recommending universal design in your kitchen and bathroom projects. Various kitchen and bathroom applications are discussed in detail.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

Innovative and sustainable, powder-coated/sublimated extruded aluminum products are ideal for exterior, interior, and high-traffic architectural applications. Reviewed in this course is an overview of the properties and finishing processes of this material along with discussions of its applications, design criteria, and testing standards.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

While architects and designers have many choices for specifying dynamic architectural surfaces in their projects, the result of using photography in such applications has historically presented challenges. This course explores typical digital images used in glass installations, gigapixel photography, guidelines for glass transparency, and the impacts of luminosity and reflectivity. Finally, it looks at potential applications for gigapixel images in large- or small-scale architectural surfaces.

Lightweight, impact resistant, and easily molded, polycarbonate's durability and versatility allow it to turn innovative, imaginative architectural designs into a cost-effective reality. This course outlines polycarbonate's effectiveness in bringing natural light into enclosed spaces, its role in improving the mental well-being of building occupants, its advantages over other panel/sheet materials, and its aesthetic virtues.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

Ensuring a building’s roof is waterproof, on top of being structurally sound, is critical to the success of any building project. This course examines rapid curing, polymeric liquid-applied waterproofing membranes for roofing and other demanding applications. Discussions include the history of PMMA, PMMA system components and characteristics, the installation process, and the versatility of PMMA products.

When the asphalt fumes, open flame, and kettles that accompany hot-applied roofing are not permissible, cold-applied roofing is an option. There are a variety of types of cold-applied roofing that offer easy portability of materials to the roof, smaller roofing crews, ease of application, and a low-VOC option. In this course, we focus on the adhesive application of modified bitumen membranes using bituminous cold-process adhesives, the adhesive types, their components and characteristics, application methods, and design and use considerations.

The recent shift towards protecting the environment has also brought about a better understanding of our innate need to reconnect with our natural surroundings. This is known as biophilia. In this course, we will examine the elements of biophilic design and how to implement biophilic design strategies, known to improve physical and mental well-being of occupants. The use of resilient flooring in commercial applications offers an opportunity to implement biophilic design.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

The design of behavioral healthcare facilities should address the therapeutic and safety needs of patients and staff while meeting the applicable codes and regulations. Reviewed in this course are ligature-resistant products developed for patient rooms and bathrooms that strike the balance between providing the safest design solutions while creating a noninstitutional environment.

(Canadian Version) It is well known that colour in the built environment has an impact on the perception of space and our behaviour in a space. Designers must understand colour to create an ambiance or style and to influence spatial use and perception. In this course, we look at how colour is perceived and processed, its emotional impact, and how it interacts with light, and we provide tips for implementing colour in the built environment.

Homeowners are looking for alternatives to traditional cladding materials that are affordable and long-lasting, and require little or no upkeep. Advances in technology and manufacturing techniques mean cellular PVC cladding products can meet all of these requirements without sacrificing aesthetics. This course reviews the benefits of cellular PVC as a cladding material and discusses how cellular PVC R&R prefinished shingles can provide the look and feel of wood shingles with an extended level of durability and low maintenance.

Health, safety, and welfare: Three simple words, yet three complex concepts. Every healthcare-related facility has a responsibility to provide a sterile, physically safe, and secure, yet nearly always accessible, managed environment just to conduct its daily operations. This course will help you discover effective, scalable access and control strategies specific to the healthcare environment and introduces the latest standards, codes, products, and technologies impacting the design and management of these always complex, life-giving facilities.

Prerequisites: No

Course Level: Introductory

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...

With the ever-increasing focus on the sustainable built environment, building owners, architects, engineers, and contractors are incorporating structural steel into their designs. Presented here is a comprehensive view of the cradle-to-cradle structural steel supply chain from a sustainability perspective. Also discussed are steel production and design, steel’s potential contribution to LEED v4 credits, thermal capacity, and the environmental and life cycle benefits of prefabricated fireproof steel columns.

 This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details...