Properties that include green space and common areas for people to interact in are more beautiful, livable, and desirable. However, attracting people also means taking into consideration car parking. Parking, while a necessity, is not the optimal use of land in any project. Architects and developers often have to compromise their designs or reduce the amount of revenue-generating space to accommodate the required parking space. In many cases, space is at a premium, and the project cannot go forward unless an architect can somehow “create space” to account for the needed parking density. A compact automated parking system is the solution to minimize the impact of parking. It creates more space that can benefit the property as a whole and increase the return on investment (ROI) for your clients.

A strong connection between the roof and wall is critical for building enclosure integrity, energy efficiency, and durability. This course will examine an innovative approach to the roof to wall connection utilizing a simplified parapet cap. Construction of these is generally fabricated in the field with wood that can warp, twist, and make this connection tricky. This course will explore a prefabricated option featuring high-strength material for a stable and sustainable parapet cap solution that can be used on any type of wall structure. This Engineered Framing System provides a plethora of installation benefits for commercial construction.

This course is an introduction to fully and semi-automated parking systems. It will educate learners about what automated parking is, how it works, the benefits, when to use an automated parking system in a project and key design considerations.

Obesity rates in the U.S. have reached epic numbers and correlate to significant health and economic impacts. Outdoor obstacle courses in public green spaces can provide appealing, effective, and free training equipment to the community to help increase physical activity. Review the theories of obstacle course training and guidelines for their design and installation.

This course covers the essentials of selecting security bollards that provide adequate protection while adding exceptional aesthetic value to a project. This course first examines the needs of a modern outdoor environment and how an assessment can be completed to evaluate a project’s security needs. Next, the course will cover common testing standards as well as the necessary foundation engineering options required to meet those standards. Finally, the course highlights lighting and material options that can be selected to integrate seamlessly into the design of a landscape.

Modern lab facilities have evolved to be more flexible, adaptable, and sustainable. They are safer for occupants to work in, and more economical to operate. Building systems have evolved to support these needs, and to support scientific advancement by delivering greater capability and performance. And modern science facilities have more diverse occupants with diverse needs of the spaces they occupy. There are wet labs and dry labs, of course. But also offices, collaboration spaces, dining areas, and even on-site amenities like exercise spaces and relaxation spaces that, in total, seek to maximize the health and happiness of the occupants - and thus maximize the productivity of those occupants. With lower lab density in many modern designs, in particular lower wet lab density, modular lab utilities often provide more economical and sustainable solutions for building owners, while providing scientists with better quality tools to support their research. Local vacuum networks are an example of this - they are economical and sustainable systems which deliver deep, stable, high-quality vacuum to lab buildings by taking a modular, yet scalable, approach for virtually any lab. This course will focus on the ways that lab vacuum is supplied to research and teaching labs within multi-use science facilities. We will compare a variety of different supply options, with a focus on local vacuum networks with respect to the components used as well as design and project execution considerations. Brief case studies of representative installations will be used to highlight these strategies in science facilities and the design and performance trade-offs involved.

You can REQUEST a live event at a convenient time and location for you.

There may be additional events available! See the course details page for more information.

Play is more than fun and games and is an essential component in helping children develop critical physical, mental, emotional, and social skills that lay the foundation for adulthood. Inclusive play breaks down barriers and builds community through fostering understanding of our similarities and differences. This course discusses how play impacts child development and describes the options and considerations for designing an inclusive playground that benefits all children and the community.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly becoming ubiquitous. To serve them sufficiently, there must be a massive expansion of car charging options, and that infers that planners and designers must create those options and opportunities now. This course examines the current trends in and predictions for EV chargers, the various types, their attributes, where and how they might be installed for maximum effectiveness, and the programs and incentives that apply to both EVs and their charger requirements.

The nursing and support labor availability is challenging today and with demographic trends, will only get worse. Healthcare facility design will need to evolve to leverage physical movement automated systems, to enhance safety, improve the work environment and operational efficiencies by reducing/eliminating menial, non-value-added tasks and redeploying staff toward higher value-added human touch tasks. Technology advancements are moving quickly with some compounding others. Our team share perspectives on health care design improvements by advanced industry knowledge.

In this course, we will discuss vacuum supply strategies while considering the range of applications for scientific vacuum in academic and industrial lab facilities, and the implications of these requirements during programming, design, and construction. Of the strategies considered, the local vacuum network concept will be considered in detail. We will discuss how the vacuum options employed can improve sustainability by reducing energy consumption, mitigating chemical vapor emissions, and eliminating waste water and oil. We will review example installations which benchmark the scientific benefits, sustainability benefits, and health/safety benefits which are achievable with vacuum equipment chosen to suit owner needs.

You can REQUEST a live event at a convenient time and location for you.

There may be additional events available! See the course details page for more information.

The most important assets in any organization are the people within. When a client decides to invest in physical security, like bullet-resistant barriers, it is the responsibility of AEC community professionals to understand what protection level is appropriate for the building depending upon the surroundings, the industry, and the client’s specific needs and provide a blueprint that includes the desired features while maximizing the building owner’s investment and protecting future occupants.

You can REQUEST a live event at a convenient time and location for you.

There may be additional events available! See the course details page for more information.

As urban areas become more dense, land values increase, and the demand for space becomes more challenging, developers are seeking alternative innovative approaches to parking cars that allow a project to proceed while meeting all parking and sustainability requirements. High-density parking (HDP) systems are able to park 30% - 400% more vehicles than a traditional garage in the same amount of space. This course explains the origins, history, and types of high-density parking. The sustainable advantages of HDP systems are examined and design considerations are discussed.

Play and music are both essential parts of our lives. When we can combine music and play together in a fun and engaging space, the benefits are numerous, no matter your age. This course discusses why play and music education perform such a critical role in the development of happy, healthy children. We will discuss the copious amounts of research that tell us that music education has real life benefits such as increased IQ, language development and social engagement, the role music plays within multiple therapies for the elderly and those suffering from mental illnesses, and finishes with an overview of how to design musical play spaces for safety and inclusivity.

Modern lab facilities have evolved to be more flexible, adaptable, and sustainable. They are safer for occupants to work in, and more economical to operate. Building systems have evolved to support these needs, and to support scientific advancement by delivering greater capability and performance. This is true of building utilities in general, and specifically true of building vacuum systems. Local vacuum networks are economical and sustainable systems which deliver deep, stable, high-quality vacuum to lab buildings by taking a modular, yet scalable, approach. This course will compare local vacuum networks against central vacuum systems with respect to the components used as well as design and project execution considerations. Brief case studies of representative installations will be used to highlight the suitability of this strategy for building-wide vacuum supply.

You can REQUEST a live event at a convenient time and location for you.

There may be additional events available! See the course details page for more information.