A Complete Approach to Rainscreen Design

Credits: 1 AIA LU

This course presents the complete design approach to rainscreens and explains why rainscreens are an important topic for the building envelope and enclosures. This course enforces the use of control layers to maximize the use of a drained, backed ventilated rainscreen system performance for both new and existing buildings. Audience will learn and be able to identify different rainscreen technologies and how a complete approach is beneficial to a building’s performance, by ensuring compatibility among components and understand the relationship of control layers of the exterior wall assembly for health and safety of occupants. Lastly, the course will review this approach using real-world rainscreen systems.

Redefining Rooftops: Understanding Rooftop Deck Systems

Credits: 1 AIA LU HSW

Rooftop decks create valuable living and recreational space for building owners, residents, and clients. Accommodating restaurants, hotels, healthcare facilities, and everything from residential to government buildings, rooftop deck systems offer the design flexibility to create versatile, unique outdoor spaces over any structural surface. This course explores the features, surface materials, and design options for rooftop deck systems and provides an overview of recommended planning and installation guidelines.

Vitruvian Principles Applied to Firm Management

Credits: 1 AIA LU

Commodity, Firmness and Delight of Project Accounting

Simply uttering the word “accounting” can make the eyes of an architect glaze over in boredom. However, for a profession that should appreciate the benefits of data, the beauty of organization, the importance of analysis and the value of truth, accounting is the gateway to every firm’s success.

This session will expose you to the remarkable benefits your firm will experience by implementing a system that enables project accounting. These tools begin by helping you identify project profitability, but the benefits ripple outwards. Not only will you be able to identify where your firm makes or loses money, but you will learn which employees, partners, project managers, project types and even which activities bring you the most profit.

CAS 284 – Building the Perfect Envelope with Insulated Metal Panels

Credits: 1 AIA LU

Understanding building physics is critical to proper building envelope design. Examined here are practical concepts for the building designer, including how cladding systems perform across different climate zones and applications. Environmental control layers and hygrothermal loads are reviewed, as is the concept of perfect/universal wall design. The course focuses on how single-component insulated metal panels (IMPs) function as a perfect/universal wall, simplifying wall system design and installation.

Designing with GFRC in the Modern Space

Credits: 1 AIA LU

The purpose of this presentation is to give an introduction to GFRC (glass-fiber reinforced concrete), including the virtues and benefits seen when choosing to work with this material for the fabrication of residential or commercial furnishings. The course does this by exploring a common GFRC application – countertops – while discussing the pros and cons of utilizing GFRC while comparing and contrasting it to a variety of other stone products.

5 Common Design Questions for Balancing Sustainability and Cost

Credits: 1 AIA LU

Architects of today face a common task that defies intuition – how to balance building performance and strict carbon targets against cost. Sustainability in design is certainly a worthy and necessary goal, but the amount of options can be overwhelming and the costs prohibitive, especially in the eyes of owners. How can designers best convince their clients to integrate sustainability into a project? Keeping costs low and backing up decisions with fact-based analysis are solid first steps. Join this 60 minute session for a dive into workflows and case studies with implementable takeaways for your projects.

Holistic Firm Management: Operational Insights in Service Towards a Work-Life Balance

Credits: 1 AIA LU

What if you had the tools to understand where you are with regard to all aspects of your firm? Key Performance Indicators can be defined and implemented to guide you towards both professional and personal success. If you can’t measure it, you can’t track it, and you won’t know how to improve it. This session will share with you the KPIs that reflect your progress and guide your future

Daylighting and Sustainable Design

Credits: 1 AIA LU|HSW

Topics discussed include the origins of translucent daylighting with the structural sandwich panel, considerations in design, enhancement of daylighting techniques, real energy conservation, the eight systems, and opportunities offered in contrast, design, form, and aesthetics. The benefits of diffused natural daylighting on performance, health, productivity, safety, and sustainable design are emphasized. Specialty performance systems including explosion venting, blast resistant, hurricane impact, and OSHA fall through protection is included

IMP 011 – Designing with Architectural Insulated Metal Wall Panels

Credits: 1 AIA LU

We review the characteristics that best describe architectural IMPs including the myriad design options available. Topics such as finishes and coatings, trimless ends, folded corners, variable reveals, segmented curves, running bond patterns, sunscreens and integrated windows are reviewed. Structural support considerations including stud walls and tube steel are studied, as well as the importance of maintaining proper wall alignment. The installation process is also reviewed using an animated video to provide step-by-step guidance. Air, water, vapor and thermal control layers are studied along with code compliance. Product and installation warranties are highlighted before wrapping up with a look at IMP sustainability and transparency.

Advanced Glazing Solutions for Optimum Daylighting, Energy Performance and User Safety + Wellness

Credits: 1 AIA LU | HSW

Topics discussed include developments in high-performance glazing to address key glazing design objectives – such as solar heat control, daylighting, views, and energy savings – and how honeycomb glazing uses angular selective technology to optimally balance these objectives. The benefits of ample diffuse daylighting on occupant well-being and productivity are addressed as are cost savings through reduced lighting and HVAC energy loads, and independent daylighting and energy studies are included. Honeycomb insert and glazing lite options will be overviewed, emphasizing the broad potential for meeting specific design, performance, sustainability, and wellness objectives. Resources and tools for building-specific daylighting and energy-analysis will be covered, including methods for accessing honeycomb insert data, and conducting comparative analyses of glazing options is commonly used building analysis software platforms.