Neuroarchitecture 101
Neuroarchitecture is a design discipline that seeks to incorporate neuroscience into design to augment the built environment’s positive influence on the emotional and physical health of people.
...Read MoreThis is your go-to source for free AIA-approved continuing education for architects. Plus, almost all our courses are delivered in streaming HD video. Registration is fast and easy, just click on Login/Register above. Then, you can enroll in any of our courses found in any of our programs with a single click. Our courses meet or exceed NCARB's high standards for state board license renewal. AIA member? Your credit will be reported to AIA for you.
Neuroarchitecture is a design discipline that seeks to incorporate neuroscience into design to augment the built environment’s positive influence on the emotional and physical health of people.
...Read MoreProgram: The Art and Technology of Lighting
This course will review the components and uses of connected luminaires, their specification and the standards and protocols involved in current lighting controls application. Further, this course will review the emergence of the Internet of things, and how it will impact future lighting controls application.Understand the definition, components and function of a connected luminaire.
Learning Objective 1:
Understand the definition, components and function of a connected luminaire.
Learning Objective 2:
Understand how connected lighting systems interact with the Internet of Things (IoT).
Learning Objective 3:
Understand the basic components of a lighting control system and uses with LED technology.
Learning Objective 4:
Understand the specification of connected luminaire systems.
AIA Course Number FP2018-D
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High rise fires are not new to us. In fact, we have seen an increase in fire incidents in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in the last 5-10 years that have amplified awareness on fire safety performance of taller structures. High rise buildings present a greater risk with an increased number of occupants that have a limited means of escape in the event of a fire. That is why the time element for containing a fire is so critical. Also, as we have seen in actual fires, vertical fire spread at the exterior façade can rapidly overwhelm fire fighters means of interceding the fire from ground level. As the fire accelerates and upward spread progresses, it often reaches a height beyond the reach of fire services water streams. That is why containing a fire and preventing it from spreading vertically is so critical for both occupant and first responder safety.
...Read MoreThis course will explore the requirements, challenges, and best practices for achieving the Circadian Lighting Design Feature L03 in the WELL Building Standard version 2.0.
HSW Justification:
The purpose of this feature in the WELL Building Standard is to provide building occupants with an appropriate exposure to the type of light that can maintain circadian health and align their circadian rhythm with the day-night cycle. The support of the circadian system has been shown to have tremendous health benefits to the people in the space.
Learning Objective 1:
Explain the relationship between spectral power distribution (SPD) and circadian lighting.
Learning Objective 2:
Summarize the circadian lighting feature requirements in the WELL Building Standard v2.
Learning Objective 3:
Describe a few best practices that can help architects to meet this challenging circadian lighting criteria.
NFPA 70, the national electrical code details 2 different types of Emergency Lighting Control Devices—devices that guarantee that life safety lighting will be on at desired illumination levels in the event of an emergency. This course will help mitigate the confusion regarding the specification of these devices and understand their applications in the real world.
Prerequisite Knowledge: Knowledge of life safety systems, particularly a high-level understanding of the purpose of emergency lighting inverters and generators. In particular, ISO-1001/ISO-1002 would be a perfect lead into this course.
HSW Justification: This deals with life safety, the safe egress, and illumination of buildings in the event of an emergency.
Learning Objective 1:
Understand the background technology where ALCR and BCELTS devices need to be deployed.
Learning Objective 2:
Learn the difference between the technologies and reviews how they sit within one-line diagrams.
Learning Objective 3:
Understand some of the real world tradeoffs between the device types as it relates to wiring, proximity and ease of testing.
Learning Objective 4:
Understand the integration of lighting controls with the different types of ELCDs and review some tricks for how to reduce costs in systems.
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The class is a high-density orientation to lighting considerations and methods in the healthcare environment. Topics will include application situations, impacted populations, design methods, and a review and critique of examples of successful and less-than-successful healthcare lighting designs.
At the end of this course, participants will:
Program: Architecture, Design and Building Science
This course explores a few of the many ways that interiors impact the health and well-being of the people inside them. From restrooms being designed to reduce contact with contaminated surfaces and inhibit the presence of bacteria, to acoustics solutions that absorb or isolate noise, making interiors more comfortable and productive. Biophilic design, a health-focused design concept that encourages the inclusion of plants, daylight, and natural elements like wood and stone, is also discussed, as are the options designers have for bringing stone elements inside.
...Read MoreAddressing student behaviors, improving the learning environment, and enhancing the sustainability of educational buildings with design.
Learning Objective 1:
After reading this article, you should be able to: describe how the inclusive restroom design concept addresses the bad behaviors plaguing bathroom spaces and improves student safety
Learning Objective 2:
After reading this article, you should be able to: summarize the ways that acoustical surfaces, lighting, and HVAC systems are being used to improve the comfort of the learning environment, helping students perform better in class.
Learning Objective 3:
After reading this article, you should be able to: identify various solutions that can be incorporated to heighten security throughout a school.
Learning Objective 4:
After reading this article, you should be able to: explain some of the sustainability strategies making schools more environmentally friendly.
This course aims to help educate the designer about what performance fabrics are, the content of various fabrics, how they work, and the benefits to a sustainable design in meeting and maximizing your goals of occupant health, safety, well-being, and sustainability. Windows, views, and openings in buildings present the classic battle between form and function. The designer naturally wants the building’s occupants to enjoy views and light, but the solar heat gain from these openings can wreak havoc on sustainable goals. Sophisticated and high-performing solar control fabrics can help reconcile the form and function of light, views, and sustainability.
HSW Justification:
Substantially all of this course is dedicated to a discussion of the health, safety and welfare aspects of performance fabrics through their appropriate specification, their fabrics' chemical composition, their proper use, their ability to meet safety and performance standards, and their aesthetic contribution.
Learning Objective 1:
The student will learn how to analyze shading fabrics for solar light management including energy reduction, glare and outward visibility, using published shading coefficient data.
Learning Objective 2:
The student will be able to list certification requirements for indoor air quality, anti-bacterial protection, flame retardancy, and environmental regulations.
Learning Objective 3:
The student will be able to identify fabric composition options with an emphasis on sustainable design.
Learning Objective 4:
The student will be able to apply their knowledge of performance fabric features to unique, real-world applications in healthcare, hospitality, government, business, and residential projects.
The building envelope has a lot of different jobs to do—from insulating the building so that it can be efficiently heated and cooled to providing air and water barriers that keep harmful moisture at bay, as well as providing the aesthetic face of the project. High performance building envelopes do all of those things extremely well. This article explores some of the latest high-performance solutions that can be used to create those high-performance envelopes.
HSW Justification:
A high-performance building envelope is necessary to create a building that is efficient and healthy. This article takes a look at how different components in the building envelope perform—giving architects the information they need to choose high-performance components that will produce a high-performing envelope.
Learning Objective 1:
Compare different types of continuous insulation in terms of the thermal performance they offer and the way they behave when exposed to water and fire.
Learning Objective 2:
Describe how insulated metal panels (IMPs) can be used on the envelope to improve building performance, create efficient and healthy interiors, and enhance design flexibility.
Learning Objective 3:
Explain how PET bottles can be upcycled into insulation creating a new product that contains recycled material and improves thermal performance of the building envelope.
Learning Objective 4:
Describe the ways that architectural metal wall systems enable architects to push the creative boundaries of their designs.