Read Course Descriptions Below
Smart Enclosure: 21st Century Advanced High-Performance Building
Course Description
With carbon reduction deadlines fast approaching to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, architects, engineers and builders must maximize the positive impact of their work - providing not just optimized comfort and safety but also energy efficiency and negative carbon emissions. By reviewing common assembly types, and how we can make them more durable, ecological, efficient and lower carbon, participants discuss not just a framework of building delivery, but a guide and toolkit for professionals to implement actionable solutions, today.
Learning Objectives
1. Outline how carbon emissions reductions of 2030 and 2050 change the thinking about embodied versus operational carbon emissions savings. 2. Describe how common high-performance building practices don't necessarily address the deadlines. 3. Outline framework principles for successfully making high-performance appropriate for 21st Century. 4. Describe how principles can be made actionable and applied to common assembly types to maximize climate mitigation effectiveness.
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
Foam Free High Performance Building Enclosures
Course Description
Foam Free High Performance Building Enclosures presents a clear and practical guide to achieving the highest levels of resilient and sustainable building enclosures while eliminating foam.The growing performance demands of air control, vapor control, thermal control, health and sustainability are examined.Foam insulation,dominant in today's high-performance marketplace, is increasingly recognized as hindering many of these building performance goals. Practitioners are therefore wanting and finding new solutions that virtually eliminate foam and provide greater performance. This presentation is a careful look at how to do it.
Learning Objectives
1. Define what qualities differentiate high-performance enclosures from typical construction and how those qualities are evolving. 2. Describe practitioner concerns of foam insulation hindering efforts to meet the evolving high-performance qualities. 3. Describe how a foam free enclosure can more robustly achieve the qualities of high-performance. 4. Describe practical methodologies practitioners can implement, to successfully produce a high-performance enclosure that is foam free.
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
High Performance Historic Masonry Retrofits
Course Description
The goals of historic preservation and energy efficiency and comfort often seem in conflict, as higher insulation levels can pose new risks to these timeless structures. Yet it need not be so. This comprehensive presentation discusses strategies for minimizing the apparent conflict while allowing for the highest possible performance - ensuring that the integrity of the structure won't be compromised and making a more robust structure for the next 100 years: preservation and high-performance working together for a truly sustainable future. The classic brick wall is un-insulated (R-6-ish) 3 wythe thick wall, prone to air infiltration. As many historic buildings fall under some form of aesthetic scrutiny often exterior insulation is prohibited. Therefore, the only option to make these buildings energy efficient is to insulate them on the interior. This presentation takes a close look at how to insulate these walls safely from the interior - considering moisture drive, bulk rainwater issues, and insulation materials - avoiding the dangers of freeze-thaw and mold.
Learning Objectives
1. Describe key attributes for high-performance enclosures and how historic masonry walls often fall short. 2. Describe key threats to the long-term stability of historic masonry walls. 3. Describe ways in which high-performance goals can make a historic masonry wall stronger or riskier. 4. Outline key qualities, components, and strategies to optimize both energy efficiency and wall longevity
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
Decentralized High Efficiency Ventilation
Course Description
Decentralized High Efficiency Ventilation is a high-performance alternative to centralized, ducted systems for whole house ventilation. As buildings are being renovated or built airtight to meet greater demands of low-energy, high-comfort, toward Passive House and similar buildings - they need to be properly ventilated. Often centralized systems are not ideal given equipment and ductwork space requirements. With a decentralized system, there is no ductwork and the units are mounted within the exterior wall assemblies - giving designers and building owners new options for achieving high-performance ventilation. This course examines the component options and design parameters for such a system.
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the difference between centralized and decentralized ventilation systems. 2. Describe essential qualities of high performance, high-efficiency heat recovery ventilation systems. 3. Calculate the decentralized system sizing and layout. 4. Describe essential installation parameters./p>
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
High Performance Roof Daylighting
Course Description
Roof daylighting elements and architectural roof glass are striking and desirable building features that historically come at a high cost - leaks, energy loss, thermal discomfort, and condensation issues. Next generation roof glazing is addressing these issues and developing roof glass elements designed to be thermal-bridge-free, and suitable for high performance and Passive House envelope needs. Fenestration of all kinds requires special attention, but failures in roof glazing can unravel the thoughtful planning put into the rest of the building. Potential for thermal bridging, overheating, cold air convective currents and air or water leaks can dampen or destroy the gains of free daylight and visual comfort. In this presentation we cover design considerations for roof daylighting of all types and sizes - commercial or residential, flat or pitched roof, light tube or wall-to-wall roof glass. Proper integration and design decisions result in roof daylighting that addresses energy, light, health, ventilation, comfort, and overall wellness of both occupants and the longevity of the building envelope.
Learning Objectives
1. Describe common problems with roof daylighting elements, from design to installation. 2. Describe attributes necessary for roof daylighting in high performance enclosures. 3. Describe the methods for analyzing daylighting elements for thermal performance,and energy balance. 4. List key design considerations of roof daylighting elements in regard to health impacts (air, light, and condensation risk).
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
High Performance Gets Real
Course Description
Truly high performance or Passive House certified projects have gone from being an idealistic aspiration to a tangible reality in less than a decade. Enough time has passed to have examples, stories, and data to reflect on the first generation of these buildings and learn from their example. This presentation is a series of case studies about the methods, materials, and successes - as well as some of the real-world challenges and compromises. We review the building science behind high performance enclosures, from durable airtightness to robust vapor control, sustainable insulation, efficient daylighting and healthy balanced ventilation. We also look at the unfolding climate emergency and show how enclosure design and material selection can dramatically cut carbon use in buildings.
Learning Objectives
1. Describe attributes of a high-performance building enclosure components and mechanical systems, and how they contribute to the long-term health and comfort of building occupants. 2. Outline known challenges in use of materials and components in making high performance buildings. 3. Describe what is meant to have a systems approach and how it differs from conventional approaches in making more predictable and cost-effective high-performance buildings. 4. Outline critical criteria in how data collection informs the improvement of building performance and the protection of occupant health and comfort.
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
Passive House for Multifamily Buildings
Course Description
In this one-hour course, we will address the challenges that building larger, multifamily buildings to meet Passive House standards can pose. This presentation will look at critical goals such as the comfort, health, affordability, reliability, and occupant-friendliness of the building. We will detail strategies to hit these goals and to make the best living environment for the building's population.
Learning Objectives
1. Outline known challenges and advantages in design and construction of high performance multifamily projects. 2. Describe attributes of Passive House certified building enclosure components and mechanical systems, and how they contribute to the long-term health and comfort of multifamily building occupants. 3. Provide critical analysis of data collection which informs the improvement of building performance and the protection of occupant health and comfort. 4. Describe cost-effective strategies for systems approach to envelope design and use of materials and components to achieve Passive House design targets.
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW
Make it Tight: Building Enclosure Airtightness Training
Course Description
In this four-hour comprehensive introduction to building airtightness and air sealing, attendees will gain detailed knowledge about theory, details, strategies, and practical applications of building enclosure air sealing.
Learning Objectives
1. Why an air barrier is critical to high-performance construction - with an in-depth discussion of the supporting building science. From energy efficiency to health to prevention of moisture damage, the essential importance of airtightness is one of the best kept secrets in construction today and this session will unravel the myths and provide clear explanations. 2. What is an air barrier and what are air barrier standards today - including a comprehensive look at the materials and components used in making air barriers. From sheathing, to membranes,caulking, tapes and gaskets, there is a growing array of products to choose from and we'll discuss them all and how they can help hit the airtightness numbers you need and keep it that way. 3. How to design an air barrier - uncovering the complete process and critical decisions needed to optimize chances for success.Should the air barrier be outboard or inboard; how are the walls connected to the roof; what design decisions will make airtightness easier to achieve or harder.How the materials and components go together and how to describe it in a way that helps the contractor make the airtight system a reality on site. 4. How to construct and test an air barrier - describing implementation of design with real world examples of both new build and retrofit construction. We'll see what is working well and what is not for different construction types. Then look at the tools and methods for testing airtightness and delivering quality assurance.
Continuing Education Units:
1 AIA HSW