Zonda - Resource Library

Consumers are increasingly interested in understanding the environmental impact of the products they use. This course will help you understand how the choice of building materials can have profound impacts on local and global ecosystems, as well as on consumer preferences. “Green building” practices have expanded beyond operational energy efficiency to include factors such as minimizing the embodied carbon impact of a built structure along the supply chain.

As a result, wood’s role as a sustainable building material has become increasingly important. Compared to nonrenewable materials such as steel and concrete, wood is renewable and stores carbon throughout the lifetime of the material. Wood also uses less fossil fuel than substitutable materials (e.g., steel and concrete) across the supply chain, from harvest to manufacturing, transport, installation, maintenance, and disposal or recycling. Procurement of wood building materials from sustainably managed forests creates a sustainably built environment and also supports forest biodiversity, soil and water health, wildlife habitat, social and economic goals, etc.

This course will demonstrate how using wood as a building material contributes to forest sustainability, especially in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

In this course, you’ll explore foundational concepts of prefabricated construction, along with its potential advantages. Materials cover the unique benefits of prefabricated light wood-frame and mass timber construction, including types of prefabricated timber systems, assemblies, and wood products used in offsite manufacturing.

Case studies throughout demonstrate a wide range of sustainable prefabricated building examples using advanced light-frame and mass timber construction.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. The world needs to rapidly reverse the trends caused by extraction economy processes and recognize that sustainability and resilience are not enough to meet global 2030 commitments. Increasing carrying capacity and regenerating the earth is needed to achieve a future of equity and abundance while greatly reducing GHG emissions along with building resilient capacity. Project by project, from small to large, architects can and must be the change to meet these challenges along with dedicated industry partners. This presentation demonstrates projects that fuse together resiliency and sustainability while incorporating ecosystem services strategies to advance regenerative design practice.

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.

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.

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.

Time-honored material offers a bold new expression of architectural excellence. Read why slate is an ideal cladding solution for numerous applications. In an industry and design environment where so many materials ask architects, contractors and owners to make difficult sustainability, performance and aesthetic decisions, consider how the simplicity and elegance of a reimagined building material presents a way forward with minimal compromise.

As people spend an increasing amount of time indoors, the need to bring natural light into building interiors becomes even more imperative. Daylighting is an important part of architectural design for many reasons, with occupant well-being and sustainable practices at the top of the list. This course will explore the health and environmental benefits of daylighting, look at polycarbonate fenestration products as a practical and high-performing option, and discuss design considerations and possibilities, including case studies of polycarbonate products used in daylighting projects.