Green Building Certification Inc.

The "GBCI CE" mark indicates that the course, as described in the application and materials submitted by the provider to USGBC, holds a General CE designation and meets the General CE conditions set out in the USGBC Education Partner Program course guidelines.

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 247 results.

FIRST [1-25] [26-50] [51-75] [76-100] [101-125] NEXT LAST

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Resiliency is a growing necessity. It is important to understand the impacts on the built environment resulting from natural and manmade disasters and disturbances and to design for those impacts now. Presented in this course is an overview of the benefits of using steel doors as part of a resilient design strategy for applications requiring resistance to blasts, tornadoes, and ballistics.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Rapidly changing trends in our society, such as urbanization and a modern lifestyle, have resulted in the isolation of humans from experiences within nature. Research has shown that the psychological effects of biophilic design on noise perception have a significant influence on the well-being and health of humans. In this course, we review the science of sound, identify the potential problems associated with noise, and introduce the range of acoustic solutions formed from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) felt designed to provide sound-dampening benefits for busy commercial, educational, and healthcare facilities.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 15 minutes ) 

    This course is designed to educate and raise awareness among landscapers and architects to assist them in making correct turfgrass selections for their projects. The focus is on warm-season sod turfgrasses suited for the southern and midsection tiers of the United States. The selection criteria and best practices for sodding and maintaining turfgrass are reviewed, along with an introduction to proprietary cultivars designed to offer improved aesthetics, greater tolerances, and fewer inputs.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Universal hot water availability is generally taken for granted. At a time when energy prices and sources, environmental concerns, and water shortages are increasing in significance, it is important to produce hot water in a manner that addresses all these issues. This course explains how electric tankless water heaters (ETWHs) do this while also improving health and safety conditions and reducing costs. The examination includes detailed descriptions of many types of ETWHs and the basic calculations and selection criteria for the most suitable system.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 30 minutes ) 

    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, protects against condensation, and meets stringent energy code requirements.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    While natural wood has traditionally been viewed as an ideal material for decking boards and tiles, wood-plastic composite (WPC) has emerged as a durable, easy-to-maintain, and sustainable alternative. This course provides insights into the advantages of composite decking, especially fully capped products, and explores topics including its environmental benefits; contribution to occupant wellness and safety; resistance to fading, staining, and other potential defects that decking experiences; various applications; and attractive aesthetics.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    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.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Sound control is a critical element in a building’s design. We all think of the walls, ceiling, and floor when discussing sound attenuation, but without the proper acoustic door, the sound-control goals in an acoustic plan may not be met. This course reviews healthy sound levels and how to test and identify target STC ratings. Also discussed are the elements of acoustic door assemblies and how they address fire ratings and ADA compliance, contribute to LEED® certification and green building, and provide security for classified files and electronic data.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Designing with green roofs affords design professionals opportunities to plan projects with exciting new elements, added value, and significant, tangible benefits, thereby enhancing the built environment with newly-created landscapes. This course examines green roof systems, including the types, benefits, components, and related standards. As well, it provides a discussion on how green roofs mitigate urban heat island effect and reduce stormwater runoff.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    The savings that water conservation measures can provide are real and practical and offer enormous untapped potential. One of the best ways to boost conservation really hasn’t been thoroughly utilized, yet it’s right here at our fingertips: faucets. This course provides an overview of commercial faucets, including the evolution of the modern faucet, design and installation considerations, and the faucet’s impact on water conservation and green building programs.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Bamboo is a versatile building material that brings warmth and character to indoor applications such as flooring, furniture, and wall and ceiling panels; an innovative process also allows bamboo to be used outdoors in decks, soffits, and siding. This course reviews the material technologies that make bamboo products with reduced environmental impacts and better performance than traditional materials and discusses their potential to meet requirements of the LEED® v4.1 Building Design and Construction and Interior Design and Construction rating systems and the WELL Building Standard™ version 2.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 15 minutes ) 

    Growing US cities face escalating housing costs, residential and commercial displacement, homelessness, and the suburbanization of poverty. As increasing numbers of households are pushed out of the city by rising housing costs, they are burdened with long commutes and increased transportation costs while their carbon emissions escalate. These challenges are exacerbated by a deeply embedded policy—single-family zoning—that accounts for 75% or more of the land area allotted for housing in many fast-growing US cities. Part 2 of this two-part series outlines policies implemented at the city and state levels to make existing single-family neighborhoods more inclusive, equitable, walkable, and sustainable. It illustrates innovative case studies at the building scale to increase access to these neighborhoods for both renters and homeowners. In addition, it reviews efforts by architects and AIA chapters to address this issue despite the controversy that surrounds it. Each part of Right to the City can be taken as an individual course. Want free access to this and other NCARB courses? The NCARB Continuum Education Program offers free HSW CE courses to licensure candidates and architects who hold a current NCARB Certificate, which can be accessed through their NCARB record. Renew your NCARB Certificate , or get NCARB Certified .

     In order to download this course, a USD $25.00 fee must be paid.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the use of entrance floor systems in commercial buildings in order to promote a safe and clean environment. The course explains the codes, regulations, and guidelines specifically related to entrance flooring systems for high-traffic entrances in healthcare, education, transportation, corporate, and other commercial settings.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    As more companies invest in solar to generate clean power for their operations, meet environmental goals, or save money on electrical bills, architects and building owners may need to be prepared to accommodate rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems in both existing and new buildings. This course provides an introduction to rooftop PV systems, including a discussion of modules, components, and attachments, and best practices for a durable roof and PV system.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Daylight is an essential part of our health and well-being, but it needs management. Shading strives to maximize daylight without compromising building occupant comfort and well-being. This course explores the role daylight has within the built environment and its impact on occupants and energy usage, with a focus on how to better specify shadecloth based on factors such as project type, solar optical properties, shadecloth composition, and environmental factors.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    A large portion of new commercial and residential buildings built today are equipped with clear, floor-to-ceiling glass. Does this new expansive area of glass lead to daylight optimization? This course explains the impacts of daylighting on human health and building occupant comfort. Proactive and reactive automated shading systems are discussed, and the course explains how a properly designed shading system can reduce whole-building energy consumption. Automated shading systems in projects of various scopes and scales are also discussed.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    The planet is currently in a water scarcity crisis, which is significantly affected by toilet water usage. This course examines the current plumbing codes, standards, and regulations that address toilet water usage, the need for and benefits of going beyond current standards, and the goals of a variety of beyond-the-code voluntary standards and rating systems, such as LEED v4 BD+C and ICC 700 National Green Building Standard®. It explains the various types of low-flow and ultra-low-flow toilets, their pros and cons, and their selection criteria. It concludes with a sampling of successful cost- and water-saving installations.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 30 minutes ) 

    Masonry is an ideal sustainable building construction material as it is extremely durable, recyclable, and reusable. It allows for extraordinary design versatility, so it can meet both aesthetic and functional requirements. This course looks at the design elements, components, and construction techniques that characterize sustainable masonry cavity wall building envelopes.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Bamboo is a versatile, strong material with a warm aesthetic that suits an array of interior design styles. This course looks at how bamboo is sustainably sourced to produce low-VOC products such as flooring, cladding, and three-ply architectural wall and ceiling panels. Project examples highlight a CNC routing method that produces panels with eye-catching patterns of varying depths and levels of intricacy. The course also examines how bamboo products may apply to several credits and features in the LEED® v4.1 Building Design and Construction and Interior Design and Construction rating systems and the WELL Building Standard™ version 2.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 15 minutes ) 

    Residential solar power generates clean energy, reduces carbon footprint, protects against rising electricity rates, and protects property from outages, but it is only effective during daylight hours. Adding battery storage to a solar system—called solar plus storage—removes this limitation and moves a home closer to energy independence. In this course, we will review the components of a solar-plus-storage system, including selection considerations for residential rooftop solar and DC-coupled solar batteries. The course also reviews the extended system of monitoring and DC charging.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 30 minutes ) 

    Growing US cities face escalating housing costs, residential and commercial displacement, homelessness, and the suburbanization of poverty. As increasing numbers of households are pushed out of the city by rising housing costs, they are burdened with long commutes and increased transportation costs while their carbon emissions escalate. These challenges are exacerbated by a deeply embedded policy—single-family zoning—that accounts for 75% or more of the land area allotted for housing in many fast-growing US cities. In this first of a two-part series, the history, evolution, and social equity and environmental impacts of single-family zoning policy in one city, Seattle, serve as an example of conditions in a number of fast-growing cities around the country. It also outlines the aggressive resistance to change and strategies architects can employ to address this. Each part of Right to the City can be taken as an individual course. Want free access to this and other NCARB courses? The NCARB Continuum Education Program offers free HSW CE courses to licensure candidates and architects who hold a current NCARB Certificate, which can be accessed through their NCARB record. Renew your NCARB Certificate , or get NCARB Certified .

     In order to download this course, a USD $25.00 fee must be paid.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    Architectural resin panels are engineered to suit the demands of a wide array of interior and exterior applications and offer almost unlimited combinations of color, pattern, and design. This course presents the features and options that allow resin panels to meet design requirements for both function and beauty and discusses how resin panels may play a role in projects seeking LEED® v4 BD+C, ID+C, and O+M; Living Building ChallengeSM v3.1; or WELL Building Standard® v1 certification.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 15 minutes ) 

    Our built environment must be optimized to create comfortable and healthier spaces. Shading systems can be used to enhance our spaces by providing optimal daylight and comfort to create an ideal indoor environment. This course reviews the performance, aesthetics, and material health of various shadecloth compositions and how each factor contributes to the shadecloth selection process.

  • ( ~ 1 hour ) 

    The office furniture industry is an ever-changing marketplace and this changeability has produced huge amounts of unwanted furniture. Remanufacturing addresses the waste, cost, and storage that comes with replacing office furniture. This course looks at trends in the office furniture industry, the environmental impacts created by legacy furniture, and a review of the environmental and economic benefits of remanufactured furniture as an alternative to scrapping, downcycling, or discarding to landfill.

  • ( ~ 1 hour, 15 minutes ) 

    Architects and designers have many options for specifying site furniture products for their projects. Selecting materials and finishes is an integral part of this process, yet making material selections has become more and more complex. The course examines conditions and constraints of outdoor environments; evaluates materials commonly used in outdoor applications; discusses using green building standards and rating systems, and the role of suppliers as resources for material selection; and provides examples of products that adhere to a higher environmental standard.

Displaying 1 - 25 of 247 results.

FIRST [1-25] [26-50] [51-75] [76-100] [101-125] NEXT LAST