Understanding how insulated metal panels comply with fire safety regulations under the code are critical to their proper use in creating highly energy efficient and sustainable buildings. This course takes a relatively complex subject and addresses the most important fire safety related aspects to allow building designers to make an informed decision on the use of these popular cladding systems. We will review how these products have been addressed in the development of the International Building Code, including their applications in both combustible and noncombustible structures as well as single and multi-story construction. The program will conclude with a look at the various third-party product listings, evaluation reports, and engineering judgements used to evidence compliance with the International Building Code....
Continuous insulation is part of building standards and state and energy codes due to its ability to reduce thermal bridging and the associated heat loss and energy consumption. This course looks at the use of polyisocyanurate as a continuous insulation in Type V and residential construction and its use as a multifunctional envelope component—air barrier, weather-resistive barrier, and vapor retarder—by reviewing code requirements for the building envelope....
View the PIMA - Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association Course Library
PIMA - Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association
By design, automatic pedestrian doors provide easier, more convenient access than manual doors for a wide variety of building types, and their popularity in commercial design continues to grow. Reviewed in this course are the available options of automatic door solutions, including sliding, swinging, ICC/CCU, and revolving door systems. Also discussed are the code requirements and considerations relating to automatic doors for proper specification....
View the ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems Course Library
This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details.
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....
NFPA 285 is defined as: the Standard Fire Test Method for Evaluation of Fire Propagation Characteristics of Exterior Non-Load-Bearing Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components. NFPA 285 assembly tests are required when exterior non-combustible walls contain combustible components per the International Building Code (IBC). The scope of materials classified by the IBC requiring NFPA 285 testing is increasing. Combined with more stringent energy code requirements, the use of combustible materials is also growing in exterior walls. The most common contributing factors to non-compliance of designs requiring NFPA 285 assembly testing include: −Lack of understanding of applicability of test on exterior wall assemblies. −Recent building and energy code changes causing new triggers for the test. −Lack of understanding of assembly vs. product results for NFPA 285 tests. This seminar will discuss the impact of the NFPA 285 Test on buildings using IBC-2018, the parameters and history of NFPA 285, which building envelope components are combustible and require NFPA 285 testing per IBC, and the paths to NFPA 285 code compliance that a designer can take. These elements all combine to integrate NFPA 285 compliant assemblies into building envelope systems....
View the DuPont Performance Building Solutions Course Library
This program is designed to provide the design community with an understanding of how energy efficiency impacts water management in wall systems and how to address the control layers of the envelope. The presentation will cover building science, code for bulk water, air, thermal, and vapor, and practical solutions for WRBs, drainage, and flashing....
View the DuPont Performance Building Solutions Course Library
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....
This course reviews the evolution of accessible restrooms and the recent, sudden prominence of universal (or adult) changing tables. We’ll examine how new changes to both the International Building Code® and statewide legislation affect public restroom design, and the profound impact universal changing tables can have on the lives of people with disabilities and their caregivers....
Having an up to date specification starts with understanding what is in the building code. This course reviews the requirements that steel framing must meet to be compliant to IBC 2021. It covers the standards for manufacturing tolerances, minimum thickness and protective coatings. Participants will also review fire-rated partitions...
Explore specialized materials, code compliance, and the unique environmental demands of mission-critical facilities to optimize energy efficiency and building resilience. Learn about the unique fire risks and environmental demands of data center operations. Evaluate how product solution choices affect energy efficiency, installation, maintenance, and risk management....
3M - Building Protection - Air Barrier, Fire Barrier, and Insulation Moisture Barrier/Jacketing
How to Achieve Superior Building Envelope Performance in Rainscreen Wall Design explores rainscreen wall design theory, how rainscreen walls control hygrothermal loads, and shortcomings of today’s multi-component backup wall assemblies used in rainscreen wall construction. The course will compare and contrast the common multi-component backup wall assembly with the single-component insulated metal composite backup wall system, and demonstrate how the latter overcomes deficiencies of the former in creating a building envelope with superior performance as well as other key benefits....
With limited exceptions, the International Building Code® (IBC®) requires testing and compliance with NFPA 285 for exterior wall assemblies of buildings of Types I, II, III, and IV construction containing foam plastic insulation. This course examines three methods for demonstrating that an exterior wall assembly design complies with NFPA 285, including engineering analysis. The course also discusses how and where to locate NFPA 285 information for each compliance method....
View the North American Modern Building Alliance Course Library
Now more than ever, the environmental impacts of products used in construction are a worldwide concern and one that the architecture and design (A&D) community is being asked to address in their work. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) are powerful tools when choosing materials for commercial projects. This course discusses how, where, and why to use EPDs to inform sustainable product selection and specification decisions and how EPDs are incorporated into key green building rating systems and codes, including LEED® v4.1 Building Design and Construction (BD+C) and Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Green Globes® for New Construction (NC), and the International Green Construction Code® (IgCC®)....
View the Resilient Floor Covering Institute Course Library
Resilient Floor Covering Institute
This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details.
Locating mechanical and electrical equipment on a roof is often necessary for space and efficiency in a building design. However, it can be challenging to provide a means for safe maintenance access while preserving the roof membrane and structural integrity and not interfering with other rooftop equipment. This course presents the components that comprise rooftop support systems designed to solve these challenges, as well as system design considerations and compliance with the International Building Code® (IBC®) and the International Mechanical Code® (IMC®)....
With the coming of the 2009 and 2012 International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC), insulating sheathing has played a growing role in the drive to make homes more energy efficient and comfortable for their occupants. The pressure is on for builders, home designers, and architects to find cost-effective construction methods and materials to meet these ever-growing performance standards. Educating one’s self and remaining current on building science trends, technologies and materials has proven to be a powerful measure of success in today’s residential construction markets. The following presentation “Why Use Insulating Sheathing”, aims to educate attendees on the flexibility of using foam sheathing in various Type V construction assemblies in order to meet stricter energy code minimums. Additional learning takeaways from this presentation include investigating common faults in Type V wood-framed walls from a framing, moisture, thermal bridging, and air sealing perspective; and how insulating sheathing can help correct these faults. Attendees will walk away with a thorough understanding of the advantages of using insulating sheathing in residential walls and be able to effectively communicate these advantages to their customers. Additionally, attendees will also leave with a solid understanding of the basic science behind any insulating material and how to better utilize these materials in various environments....
View the DuPont Performance Building Solutions Course Library
The need to evaluate thermal bridging in a building’s design and performance has become more prevalent because of the increasing requirements for more energy-efficient buildings. This course provides an introduction to thermal bridging, energy code requirements, and the use of thermal break solutions designed to improve energy efficiency in the building envelope....
At this time, there are no national or state codes relating to snow retention for roofing applications, even in the heaviest snow load areas. Consequently, it is very important for building professionals to take extra care when designing a snow retention system for installations in snowy environments. This course provides a review of the problems and solutions associated with roofing in cold climates, including a discussion on the proper engineering of snow retention devices. There are many dangers involved if the appropriate considerations are not made while building and maintaining a roof in an alpine region....
Extreme weather events of all sorts are becoming increasingly frequent and ferocious. Wood stick-framed structures struggle to withstand them. As climate behavior shifts and worsens, building damage and destruction increase, building codes evolve, and insurance premiums skyrocket or simply become unavailable for certain building types in some locations. Architects must now utilize stronger, more resilient, noncombustible building approaches to address this situation. In addition, mounting pressures related to labor shortages, rising material costs, stringent building codes, and environmental volatility are pushing architects, developers, and engineers to reimagine their approaches to structural design and material selection. This course explores how an innovative, scalable, and economical cold-formed steel column and composite beam framing system can and does address these issues to create faster and deliver stronger, more cost-effective, and sustainable projects. This well-proven, code compliant system reduces dependencies on multiple trades and minimizes the number of handoffs, positively impacting schedule compression, which then translates directly into earlier openings, faster revenue generation, and reduced labor costs. The system is applicable to a range of housing, hotel, and commercial midrise projects in all climates. The course begins by exploring the limitations of traditional wood and metal framing systems. It then describes this prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) column and beam framing system and its details, erection methodology, advantages, environmental and sustainability benefits, accreditations, and certifications. It concludes with some representative examples of real-life projects....
Architects and other design professionals have a critical role to play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions through building design and product selection. The urgent need to reduce both operational and embodied carbon means that building designers must be familiar with transparency documents that facilitate low-carbon product selection. In this course, we review the types of carbon of concern, transparency documents that provide critical information, and tools for sourcing embodied carbon information. We also look at the contribution of insulated metal panels to both low embodied and low operational carbon buildings....
This course defines and explains building science behind the code for the four control layers of the building envelope: water, thermal, air and vapor. There will be a detailed overview of air leakage, why it matters in a sustainable envelope and why air barrier continuity is critical to building performance. Participants will be asked to explore typical design principles for addressing the four control layers within the wall assembly. Finally, there will be an in-depth discussion of the critical interfaces, how to detail them and test them to ensure continuity of the control layers for the entire building....
View the DuPont Performance Building Solutions Course Library
Code-mandated requirements for inspections first appeared in the Uniform Building Code in 1927, and their original intent is still recognizable in our current codes: inspections by a building official are required at specific points in the construction process. In this course, we will examine an alternative to the periodic inspection process, the full-time inspector of record (IOR). We’ll review the historical context and qualifications of the IOR, when a project may benefit from an IOR, and the impact of using an IOR on life safety and property damage....
View the AEC Daily Course Library
This course is part of one or more "Course Collections". Click here to view the details.
Course will cover where FRT wood is specified in the codes, definition of FRT wood, and the use of coatings as an equivalent solution to FRT wood in various construction types....
Increased energy efficiency in both new and existing construction continues to be a large factor behind the design decisions we make and the materials we choose to integrate into our buildings. Concrete masonry construction can provide a wide range of benefits. This course illustrates how building envelopes constructed with concrete masonry create high-performance buildings that can exceed energy code requirements....
View the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA) Course Library
Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) offer higher thermal resistance per unit thickness than traditional insulation materials. This means a building envelope can meet the effective R-values for enclosures required by the energy codes without having to increase the thickness of the walls, roof, or floors. This course discusses how VIPs work, why they are effective, and the impact the properties of the materials used to construct a VIP can have on its performance. VIP installations and the latest developments in VIP technology are reviewed to illustrate the advantages of using VIPs as thermal insulation in the design of energy-efficient buildings....
View the Panasonic Industrial Devices, Building Materials Group Course Library
One hour seminar detailing the use of Expansion Joint Covers. Designed to broaden knowledge of joint movement and proper joint sizing to ensure there is no structural damage or life safety issue. Contains an overview of both interior and exterior Expansion Joint Covers and which are most appropriate for certain conditions. Fire barriers are discussed and what's important to know regarding current testing requirements and how to specify them to meet current building codes....
