Zonda - Resource Library

Architecture is far from simple shelter. When thoughtfully and carefully designed, it can lift citizens and entire communities from their burdens, whether physical, mental, or economic. Community-led architecture is an evolution toward equitable, inclusive, and diverse design.

This course will explore some of the challenges underserved populations face and how community-led architecture can help create more sustainable, healthier, and happier communities. It will also examine how designers can incorporate propane into buildings for cooking, water, and space heating as an affordable, energy-efficient alternative to electric appliances for vulnerable communities worldwide.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of polymeric materials in architecture, including their chemical composition, performance characteristics, and applications in exterior cladding. Participants will learn how to select appropriate polymers for different environmental conditions, debunk misconceptions about plastics in architecture, and analyze real-world case studies of successful implementations. The course also covers fire resistance, sustainability, and best practices for seamless integration into modern and traditional designs.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation with ARCHITECT's Editor in Chief. How can advances in wood construction and sustainability reimagine the future of the built environment? In this session, ARCHITECT explores the efforts of firms CO Adaptive and Lord Aeck Sargent — the latter of which collaborated with The Miller Hull Partnership on the groundbreaking Kendeda Building in Atlanta — to use wood in sustainable ways.

Each panelist will provide a unique look into the reasons why wood was chosen and how it supports the project needs and goals. Learners will have an opportunity to explore how each project utilized wood in a unique way — through adaptive reuse, low-carbon design, and sustainability, and as an educational experience.

This course provides a learning opportunity to understand the elements that provide endless design possibilities for direct vent gas fireplaces using "cool wall technology" for both residential & commercial projects.

Thermal bridging is a common occurrence—and has been overlooked for a long time.  Most building scientists knew thermal bridging was influencing energy consumption, but did not know how to measure it.  There was also not a standard or method of addressing it. Today, thermal bridging is widely recognized as a significant factor in energy efficiency, and advanced building modeling techniques allow for detailed analysis of thermal bridging’s impact on building design. This course will cover the basics of thermal bridging, as well as how thermal breaks can reduce energy loss and ways to avoid conditions that allow condensation to occur. It will also discuss codes, standards, and incentives to make buildings more energy-efficient.

Slate has been used for centuries as a long-lasting building material, and its natural beauty is unsurpassed. Today, rainscreen cladding systems have been developed to adapt natural slate to new architectural demands for sustainable building design approaches.

This course explores the energy efficiency and moisture management benefits of a rainscreen system in combination with the durability and versatility of slate. The different designs and fastening systems are reviewed, and case studies demonstrate the advantages and possibilities for sustainable and beautiful slate projects.

Backyard cooking has evolved beyond grills and barbecues, with increasingly innovative options becoming available for complete outdoor kitchens. Homeowners wanting to invest in luxurious spaces for cooking, gathering, and entertaining need solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but durable and long-lasting, with cabinetry and workspaces able to withstand the elements and retain their beauty and structural durability.

This course will explore the design flexibility offered by acetylated wood, a modified timber that’s been used in many outdoor building applications for decades and is now enabling new possibilities for luxury outdoor kitchen construction.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. We live in a world of limited resources, and the AEC industry not only has a large impact on the use of those resources, but also the overall health of our planet. As designers, it is important to consider the impact of the project not only on the environment, but also on the health of its occupants.

In this course, we’ll discuss how to better identify and reduce a design’s carbon footprint using Building Information Modeling (BIM). Specifying high-quality, sustainable materials for interiors can not only lead to longer product life cycles and better energy management, but also benefit the overall health of the occupant by limiting the use of toxic substances and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We’ll demonstrate how BIM gives the designer more control over a building’s level of sustainability – such as generating embodied carbon calculations – and gives the designer more opportunities to enhance the aesthetics and occupant comfort by using a systems approach.

Creating spaces that embrace nature have both physical and mental health benefits. These benefits enhance the occupants experience in an indoor space creating the ambiance of outdoor living. In this course, we will discuss how the exposure to nature through living green walls contribute to LEED, WELL, and other green rating systems. We will cover common places where you might find living green walls, and where exposure to nature can make a dramatic difference, including offices, hotels, retail shops, and healthcare. This course will examine different types of living green walls available, how systems are designed, installed, and maintained. In addition, the course will look at the latest large scale green wall technology and how it can be applicable to a variety of applications.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. The use of metal roofing and wall cladding can help lower operating carbon emissions and make a building more energy efficient, which will positively affect the health, safety, and welfare of a building’s occupants.

There are many ways to achieve this, including the use of cool roof paint technology and above sheathing ventilation for metal roofing, metal roofing panels as a solar ready platform for photovoltaic systems, and solar air heating metal wall cladding.