Zonda - Resource Library

Architects are called on to design to increasingly stringent standards for performance, safety, sustainability, and now occupant wellness. The stakes are even higher in a post-pandemic environment that demands even higher performance from building materials. This course will discuss 100% waterproof, sanitary solid polymer ceiling and wall panels products that can withstand the demands of high-traffic environments such as hospitals and schools. We will cover the challenges these applications face and performance measures such as impact, abrasion, and stain resistance that ceiling and wall panels must meet.

Americans are increasingly turning to professional builders and remodelers for their home renovation projects. But homeowners looking to increase the value of their residences need to be strategic in their upgrades. For builders and remodelers, that means the opportunity is now back on the table to offer homeowners cost-effective and stunning ways to improve the value of their homes, while employing one of the most versatile and easy-to-work with building materials available: wood.

Achieving optimal comfort requires focusing on design principles and selecting materials that address acoustics, indoor air quality, daylighting, cleanability and more — everything occupants see, hear, and feel. Some of the most significant contributors to the aesthetics and performance of interior spaces are ceilings and walls. Today’s architectural ceiling and wall solutions are sophisticated products that play an enormous role in occupant comfort. This course will explore how architects and designers can improve occupant health and well-being through the use of acoustic ceiling and wall systems in the built environment (more specifically in offices, classrooms, and healthcare facilities, where people spend a great deal of time).

As open plenum design has become increasingly popular in public, office and even residential buildings, so has the need for seamless wall-to-ceiling transitions that complement its use - as well as address the challenges. Read about three projects which highlight the benefits, but also present challenges and solutions of seamless transitions.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course encourages participants to think outside the box and consider using polymer cladding as a material to create aesthetic, enduring, and moisture resistant rainscreens that will better protect buildings and its occupants. We will discuss other more commonly used products and the issues faced with each. We will also consider life cycle costs of various cladding options, including polymer. Finally, participants will leave with a thorough understanding of how to install polymer extrusions as cladding. We will explore doing so on different substrates, detailing around openings, transitions between differing cladding materials and how to handle joints between cladding components with the goal of using polymer as a resource to promote health, safety, and welfare of both people and the environment.

The ceiling has become a canvas for architects and designers to use a growing palette of styles, colors, and textures to transform office, school, medical, hospitality, retail spaces and more. Perhaps there was a time the fifth wall was overlooked as a design element. No longer! Where is ceiling technology taking us, and how are architects responding to emerging trends and options? Find out more.

Modern open spaces create a unique set of challenges when it comes to acoustics, particularly because many new buildings are designed with open plans and open plenums. Fortunately, there are innovative acoustic systems on the market that are designed to integrate with open plenums that can help to overcome these challenges. This course will discuss customizable acoustical solutions for open plenum design, including baffles, beams, clouds, and acoustical wall panels, which are available in a variety of materials like metal, wood, fiberglass, and felt. The course will explore the importance of acoustical design and how these open plenum ceiling systems can transform a space aesthetically while maximizing acoustics.

Wood, in its natural state, is a highly sustainable material. But there are many factors that can either diminish or improve its sustainability, including how and where it’s harvested, how end products are treated and finished, and the lifecycle of the material.

This course will explore the sustainability of wood wall and ceiling systems, and considerations for specifying wood products that are sustainably sourced. We will cover different manufacturing and treatment processes, and environmental factors affecting wood, its lifecycle, reuse, and salvageability. We will also discuss applications for wood ceilings and walls, certifications available for projects specifying these materials, and insight into the world of sustainable wood systems.