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.

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.

In this session, we will learn the fundamentals of all successful AE firms and provide the basis for making well-grounded business decisions. We will learn how firms can transition from being professionals providing services, to highly tuned businesses that can identify the needs of the marketplace and create services and products that are appropriately priced and yield consistent and greater profits.

Rather than seeking out new projects that merely build upon your current skills, you will start from a business-thinking mindset, where processes that are critical to building a thriving firm are examined and constituted in your firm. We will explore the importance of data within an architect firm and demonstrate how careful collection and interpretation can lead your firm into more exciting and profitable territory.

Following are the course's Learning Objectives:

1. Identify why a “business-thinking” mindset is of utmost importance for service professionals
2. Explain best practices for implementing a metrics-oriented leadership system
3. Summarize how data-based performance management drives smarter business decisions
4. Analyze how profitability drives growth rather than being merely a result
5. Reframe your firm as a platform that enables you to achieve your business and personal goals

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.

Architecture tells us a great deal about society. In fact, glass and glazing are used to blur the lines between inside and out, helping elevate performance and the experiences of people. Yet while humans can use environmental cues to identify glass as a barrier, there is growing realization that birds cannot. The solution is bird-friendly glass that delivers on performance, energy efficiency and the needs of people. This course from Guardian Glass is intended to provide the basis for a better understanding of how to recognize issues affecting the bird population while learning about best practices and design fundamentals for smarter, safer buildings.

The pattern map evaluates a pattern on two key elements: structure and nature. This course explains why these two elements affect how we recognize and respond to patterns and examines ways to bridge architecture and nature by using architectural panel systems with patterned openings, and provide a sense of space, privacy, shade, or camouflage with cladding, screens, or railings.

HSW Justification: Architectural use of patterns plays a vital role in enhancing the Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) in of our built environments. Our mental well-being, for example, can be positively impacted through organic biophilic geometries that connect occupants to nature to positively affect mood and reduce stress, while geometric or crystalline patterns create the dynamic visual interest necessary for effective way-finding elements to prevent accidents and ensure safer navigation. Some patterns can also be visually transparent while others act as camouflage which can be an important consideration for surface treatment in circulation areas. From a macro perspective, patterns can promote inclusivity and community engagement, while enriching their overall user experience.

Learning Objective 1: Students will learn to compare patterns on a pattern map and explore how different geometries are perceived and processed in the mind of the user, how they contribute to issues affecting safety, and even encourage engagement in built environments.

Learning Objective 2: Students will learn to explain how different characteristics and application of a pattern’s functionality can impact on how we perceive visual space to improve safety and social interaction, as well as contribute to positive mental health.

Learning Objective 3: Students will learn the importance of selecting the most appropriate openness factor and base material for the given project objectives, for example, how to enhance natural light, improve air quality, and create a welcoming atmosphere in built environments.

Learning Objective 4: Students will learn how to apply HSW Best Practices to provide privacy, facade screening, camouflage, shade, or railings with architectural panels with patterned openings to best create a positive user experience.

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. It also reviews a number of installations that demonstrate these principles.

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.

As architects and clients alike demand the creation of what’s next, design teams rely on new product systems and solutions to help them push the boundaries of form and function. This article profiles a few solutions that enable architects to create distinct building envelopes that don’t sacrifice on the efficient performance or sustainable design considerations that also occupy prominent spots on almost every client’s wish list.

HSW Justification:
This article explores solutions that enable architects to deliver a desired aesthetic that also performs efficiently and offers sustainable design benefits. For example, thermal barriers in the aluminum framing that hold the glazing in place allows architects to complete historic renovation projects that exceed thermal performance targets, without compromising the integrity of the historical aesthetic. Composite metal panel systems that support very unique applications and creative demands from design teams can also offer top-tier performance in terms of fire-, water-, and impact-resistance. Extruded aluminum trim beautifully meshes different types of exterior cladding, while helping the envelope to better manage moisture.

Learning Objective 1:
Explain how incorporating thermal barriers into the aluminum framing in the fenestration of the Crosstown Concourse helped the project become the world’s largest LEED Platinum historic rehabilitation project, while maintaining the integrity of its historic aesthetic.

Learning Objective 2:
Specify a composite metal panel system that offers the resistance to fire, water, and impact best-suited to the needs of a particular project.

Learning Objective 3:
List the aesthetic and sustainability-related benefits of specifying extruded aluminum trim on an exterior cladding.

Learning Objective 4:
Describe how the different finishes of precast concrete used in the façade of the Ale Asylum were reverse engineered to perfectly match the concept originally pitched and accepted by the city.

Addressing 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.