Building Knowledge and Connections
Health, Safety, and Welfare
All courses identified as HSW, cover Health, Safety, and Welfare topics and have been approved by the AIA (American Institute of Architects) as an HSW Learning Unit (LU/HSW).
Displaying 1 - 25 of 583 results.
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https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s2955/www.aecdaily.com/course/890369
An expansion joint is a structural gap designed to accommodate the movement of a building in a controlled manner, preventing damage to the building’s internal and external finishes. Expansion joints run throughout a building in walls, ceilings, and floors. Expansion joint covers provide a covered transition across an expansion opening and remain unaffected by the relative movement of the two surfaces either side of the joint. This course explains how to determine joint movement requirements and how to size a joint. It also discusses the performance of different expansion joint cover systems and the applicable fire protection and building codes.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s12474/www.aecdaily.com/course/926173
In commercial, industrial, and parking structures, it is important to use doors that can provide speed, safety, separation, and security. High-performance roll-up doors provide all these elements better than conventional doors. This course provides an in-depth discussion of the different types of high-performance doors—fabric, rigid, and rubber—along with their benefits and functions in different applications. The design and installation considerations for using these doors are also discussed.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s14798/www.aecdaily.com/course/1045296
The operation of mechanical equipment generates vibration and noise, which, if left untreated, can damage the building structure and the equipment itself and be a source of discomfort for building occupants. This course examines HVAC equipment vibration and the specification of isolation solutions. It provides discussions on each of the ASHRAE isolator and base types and describes some acoustical floor treatments.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s671504/www.aecdaily.com/course/1172154
Stone has long been valued for its durability, reliability, and beauty. Today, natural thin stone veneer offers these benefits with reduced weight, cost, and environmental impact. This course explores its applications in commercial and residential settings, covering aesthetics, performance, and key specification standards. It also examines the sustainability profile of thin stone veneer compared to full natural and manufactured stone, highlighting an industry-wide LCA, responsible quarrying and processing, and how collaboration with fabricators can reduce environmental impact while preserving quality and design integrity.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s3379/www.aecdaily.com/course/917631
Exterior wall systems are the dividing line between the exterior and the interior and must address several fundamental performance goals of the building envelope. This course reviews traditional rainscreen design and examines why, with its single-component construction, an insulated composite backup wall system is a vast improvement over traditional multicomponent building technology.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s661112/www.aecdaily.com/course/880724
Due to advancements in architectural decorative glass technology, the number of design options available to help designers and architects achieve the specific aesthetics and performance requirements they desire has dramatically increased. This course provides a review of architectural decorative glass including product options, applications, features, and specification considerations. Also discussed is how decorative glass can contribute to sustainable design and LEED® initiatives.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s904648/www.aecdaily.com/course/1065274
This course is designed to help the commercial building team understand how to best use new products introduced into the market for building enclosures. These innovative products and systems assist in combining multiple steps of a traditional commercial exterior assembly, such as structure, fire, water, air, thermal, vapor, and acoustic control layers, into fewer steps. The course reviews various hybridized sheathing solutions and shows how the integration of advanced technology has improved performance, capability, and sustainability.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s584379/www.aecdaily.com/course/622057
Animals, plants, and microbes are engineers of what works and lasts on earth. Biomimicry is a practice in which nature’s designs, patterns, and strategies are examined to find sustainable solutions to our technical and design problems. This course discusses how applying the concepts of biomimicry can better connect our designs and buildings with nature and examines the relationship between nature’s solutions to light, heat, glare control, and shading design principles.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s5023/www.aecdaily.com/course/1009062
Protected roof membrane assemblies (PRMAs), and vegetative roof assemblies (VRAs) in particular, place extreme requirements on the components below the surface, from waterproofing to insulation and everything in between. Each element must meet specific standards for energy efficiency and durability. This course reviews the benefits and design considerations of VRAs. It also describes the high-performance attributes of VRA components and defines the building code/performance standards and best specification practices for optimal fire, wind, thermal, and moisture performance.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s1118374/www.aecdaily.com/course/1142344
Waterproof, fireproof, nonporous, and eco-friendly natural slate has great value as a building material, particularly given its ability to protect structures for generations. This course reviews the characteristics and properties of slate, presents some of the many design options, and provides guidance on sourcing and specification. The sustainability benefits of roofing slate are also discussed, from its extraction and low-impact processing to its strength and enduring properties in all weather conditions.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s1003903/www.aecdaily.com/course/1005746
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.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s12219/www.aecdaily.com/course/828002
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.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s935649/www.aecdaily.com/course/960004
At their root, metal roofs and walls made from steel, copper, zinc, or aluminum have a lower environmental impact because of their ability to be recycled and reused. This course focuses on the green aspects of standing seam metal roofs, and in particular, their cool roof characteristics. Also addressed are the implications of heat islands, what constitutes construction of cool roofs/walls and how they work, some rules of thumb for understanding cool metal roofing, roof slope impacts on performance, and codes, ratings, and standards that apply to designing cool roofs/walls.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s3552/www.aecdaily.com/course/884605
Trash, recycling, and linen chutes must be designed, installed, and maintained to meet the 2019 NFPA 82 standard. This course addresses trash, recycling, and linen chutes and includes discussions on system components, accessory components, compactors and sorters, and meeting NFPA 82 requirements. The program also guides you through a typical installation of a chute system.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s5712/www.aecdaily.com/course/1197561
This course examines the evolving expectations for hygiene, sustainability, and cost efficiency in commercial restroom design. Drawing on insights from a global postpandemic survey, it explores how shifting perceptions are influencing design priorities and industry standards. Learners will gain a deeper understanding of strategies and products that promote safety, occupant health, and wellness while achieving measurable environmental, cost, and time savings, and how integrating innovative solutions may help meet credit requirements in the LEED® v5 Building Design and Construction and Interior Design and Construction rating systems and the WELL Building Standard™ version 2. Lastly, real-world project examples illustrate how these considerations can be effectively integrated to enhance performance, sustainability achievements, and user experience in modern commercial restrooms.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s14798/www.aecdaily.com/course/1056815
Undesirable acoustics in educational spaces adversely affect the learning and teaching processes. The impact on students’ academic achievement, social adaptation, and mental health can be profound and long lasting. This course examines the impact of different sound problems and presents solutions that create synergy between the architecture and the classroom environment to optimize student learning and engagement and teacher retention.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18525/www.aecdaily.com/course/1097698
“Good” lighting is more than photometric performance: it is an art and a science that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. It must meet the visual needs of many and satisfy a myriad of individuals’ subjective perceptions. Architectural lighting design is a series of planned experiences involving people and spaces that we create by modulating and delivering light. This course discusses a conceptual framework for lighting design that specifiers can use to bring an architectural vision to life with the most powerful medium available to enrich the built environment and enhance the end-user experience: light!
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s779980/www.aecdaily.com/course/1040371
Site security is a major concern in today’s unpredictable world. Public and private buildings, government facilities, campuses, and public parks are all susceptible to both accidental and deliberate vehicle infringement. This course examines how security bollards create safeguards for structures and people while adding to the aesthetics of a project.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s936437/www.aecdaily.com/course/948026
Thermal modification is a tried and tested process for increasing the durability of wood while maintaining a warm aesthetic in building design. This course examines all aspects of this sustainable wood product and how it can be incorporated into a variety of projects.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s12454/www.aecdaily.com/course/900566
While providing fresh air intake and exhaust, reducing noise, and keeping out unwanted water and debris, louvers can also provide architectural style to a building design. This course discusses the aesthetics, performance, and weather resistance features of a variety of louver designs from the basic to the extreme. A discussion about the industry standards and test protocols for louver performance is included.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s1078641/www.aecdaily.com/course/1083010
Solid surface material is a durable and sustainable solution for custom architectural solutions. Explore the extensive design possibilities of this nonporous, thermoformable material and review key performance characteristics and fabrication guidelines.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s3379/www.aecdaily.com/course/869438
The facade is one of the most significant contributors to the energy consumption and comfort parameters of any building. This course explores high-performance building envelopes and the use of advanced insulated metal panel systems featuring integrated daylighting and ventilation components that combine to provide weathertightness and maximum thermal performance.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s473431/www.aecdaily.com/course/873972
Concrete is a very versatile and fundamental building material; however, because it is porous and wicks water through its matrix, concrete has water-related design challenges. This program examines the sustainable benefits of integral concrete waterproofing and analyzes traditional waterproofing methods as compared to integral methods in terms of performance, durability, risk, cost, and construction timeline.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s7934/www.aecdaily.com/course/945391
Today's complex steel structures present numerous design challenges, including the challenge of fireproofing appropriately in order to ensure the safety and well-being of building occupants as well as protection of the structure itself. This course outlines the code and testing standards that inform fireproofing choices and the various passive fire protection products and methodologies that can address a comprehensive range of design challenges; insight into the proper specification of fire protection products as well as their ability to improve LEED® certification levels is also provided.
https://redirect.aecdaily.com/s2955/www.aecdaily.com/course/887740
Today’s louvers not only are functional but also offer enhanced architectural design to the façade of many buildings. More than just a hole in a wall, louvers are responsible for reducing or eliminating water infiltration and offer protection from heavy storms and hurricanes. Different types of louvers and their applications are discussed in this course as well as specific terminology, AMCA/BSRIA testing procedures, and the Certified Ratings Program.
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