LED display walls create high-impact, seamless visuals for corporate settings, hospitality venues, and retail stores. Their modular design offers unmatched creative freedom, and they outperform other display technologies in brightness, color gamut, service life, and power consumption. This course presents an overview of LED display walls with discussions of the components, performance, lifespan, and energy benefits of LED tiles.

Wood is the only carbon-negative, sustainable building product there is. Using more wood and wood-based products for interior and exterior applications can help to lower carbon emissions and combat climate change. This course discusses the benefits of using wood, identifies what sustainable hardwood species are the most abundant and where some of the best managed, certified hardwood forests are located, and compares the physical and performance properties of European beech to eight other temperate hardwoods.

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

Architectural metal service centers play an important role in stocking pre-engineered ornamental metal components, making sure that high quality parts are available from stock and providing data on their structural properties. The course includes a discussion on: how to choose the best material for your job; available systems and their components; and engineering data and the formulas to provide safe installations.

Low Impact Development (LID) has several advantages over traditional stormwater management approaches. Since impervious pavement is the main source of stormwater runoff, LID strategies recommend permeable paving for hard surfaces. The course discusses LID, its goals and principles and how they are achieved. It provides an overview of permeable pavements, and more particularly, plastic permeable grid paver systems and how they support LID goals.

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

Trim and molding occupy a small amount of space on a home’s exterior, however their aesthetic value outweighs their size. Properly designed exterior moldings and trim need a full understanding of the materials and the design rules and functions for each location. This course takes the reader through the design and installation of exterior moldings, in particular PVC molding, and looks at some common molding mistakes and solutions.

Adding small pockets of luxury to a home has become commonplace in spaces like the kitchen and bathroom. Personal saunas are a natural extension to this way of thinking, supporting an owner’s health and relaxation. This course looks at the wide variety of heat bathing options: sauna, infrared, and steam, with a focus on how to both select a product and implement heat bathing in residential and commercial projects.

Window enhancements could be the most under-utilized energy saving technology. This course delves into the significant role that interior secondary window systems have in energy savings, efficiency, security, and comfort for existing buildings where window replacement is not desirable.

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

Building systems can be enhanced by incorporating reflective insulation or radiant barriers into the building envelope. With effective insulation, heat transfer is reduced, resulting in less summer heat gain, and less winter heat loss. This course explains common and effective uses for reflective insulation and radiant barriers in a wide range of construction and building applications and demonstrates how these systems reduce energy usage, increase the lifespan of the mechanical equipment for heating and cooling, and reduce maintenance requirements and frequency of replacement.

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

Curved elements, such as walls, ceilings, columns and arches, have often been used to add interest to architectural designs. This course outlines conventional methods of framing curves in wood and steel, as well as new methods of framing using flexible track systems. Discussions include options for wall coverings and trims for curved surfaces.

While the bathroom was once a strictly utilitarian space, a growing trend among luxury consumers is to create a custom, spa-like retreat right in the home. Surveys find that luxury consumers value functional and design excellence, uniqueness that reflects a creative side, and exceptional quality and value. This course examines the shower products available that help to create a personalized, multi-sensory experience with beautifully designed pieces that meet water efficiency standards.

The increased use of the harnessing of atomic energy and increased industrial and medical use of x-rays have brought about the challenges of controlling the powerful radiation emitted. In this course, we look at the basics of radiation protection, as well as discussions on the types, characteristics, and specification considerations of various radiation shielding products.

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

It is an expectation that today’s buildings have to be more than just aesthetically pleasing, they have to provide measurable benefits. This course outlines the environmental benefits of insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and examines the advantages that ICFs and ICF technology have over conventional construction materials for building envelopes in all building types.

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

Today, architects and designers need to give special consideration to building acoustics when developing plans for new and newly renovated construction projects. Excessive noise in any environment is considered a serious problem which can lead to learning difficulties, sleep deprivation, delayed recovery from illness and lack of privacy. Sound basics are discussed in this course, and STC, IIC, and sound attenuation (reduction) techniques are explained. Various case studies are examined to develop further understanding of the performance of common sound abatement assemblies.

Deck structures provide neat and sturdy living spaces that mirror interior conveniences while set in the ultimate, great outdoors. Choosing the right deck board for a specific project requires considering the size of the project, its location, and local climate conditions. This course discusses the performance characteristics and benefits of using multi-layer, cellular PVC decking—a durable decking material that replicates the unique beauty of exotic hardwood.

There are some complex issues involved in achieving ADA-compliant designs in all types of building construction. In terms of bathroom design, it is important to comprehend the ADA standards in order to minimize the risk of injury and to ensure end user comfort and ease of use. This course covers ADA-compliant design requirements for shower compartments and lavatory tops using solid surface materials—from planning and design to installation.

A stone deck is a low-maintenance, stunning alternative to a wood or composite deck. This course takes a detailed look at an engineered polymer structural grate support system used in the creation of stone decks. Common issues with wood and composite decks are presented. The installation of structural grate support systems in new and retrofit or remodel construction, in ground applications, and in commercial rooftop applications is discussed.

A completely waterproof shower with curb appeal is gratifying to design, easy to install, and offers peace of mind to both the designer and client. This course examines one-piece shower bases and accessories and includes discussions on methods of waterproofing shower floors and walls, shower design, and installation and tiling guidelines for shower pans and accessories.

Traditionally used for high-performance architectural applications, water-based PVDF coatings can now be applied to cellular PVC cladding materials, delivering high performance in a new application. This course presents the benefits of cellular PVC as a cladding material and focuses on water-based PVDF coatings, how they work, and how their performance characteristics contribute to their durability.

An entryway not only creates a first impression of a building, it is expected to provide a safe, dry, and clean surface for foot and wheeled traffic entering and exiting the facility. This course discusses the design of entryway flooring systems, identifies the options available, and explains their role as the first line of defense in protecting a building’s interior floors and indoor environmental quality.

There is an almost limitless variety of forms an aluminum extrusion can take, and design flexibility allows a great deal of functionality to be designed into extruded components. This course discusses the characteristics, technical information, and benefits of aluminum extrusions used as a building material, with a focus on whole building design, sustainability, and application possibilities.

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

The key to an energy-efficient metal building is the implementation of a continuous insulation system that virtually eliminates thermal bridging and prevents condensation. This course discusses how using thermal spacer blocks and metal building insulation in the building envelope increases energy performance and meets stringent energy code requirements.

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

Since North America’s post-war building boom, the unique characteristics of gypsum board have served the needs of builders well. Now, with environmental concerns directing many design decisions, how does gypsum board respond? This course looks at how gypsum board contributes to sustainably designed buildings, ensuring healthy indoor air and low waste.

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

Lightweight, pre-finished, and factory-fabricated insulated metal panels (IMPs) offer building owners a cost-efficient and easy-to-install roofing system that provides an air barrier, vapor barrier, and insulation all in one product. This course discusses the characteristics of IMPs and the installation process, and explains why IMPs are ideally suited for pre-engineered and structural steel buildings. The role of IMPs in a building’s hygrothermal control layers and IMP code compliance are reviewed.

Provides an overview of gate and fencing systems which are both functional and decorative, and are designed to meet modern security and design requirements while harmonizing with the surrounding environment.

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

Unwanted sound can become more than a mere annoyance. Excess noise has been found to increase stress and distraction, reduce learning and productivity, and even lead to hypertension and permanent hearing loss. This course presents an overview of how sound is described and measured and discusses the many industrial and architectural products available to control noise in virtually any environment.