Zonda - Resource Library

Resilience has become a central idea for assessing how our social, economic, technical, constructed, engineered, and ecological systems can withstand and bounce back from a man-made or weather- and climate-related disaster. Globally, wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, typhoons, high winds, hail, coastal and valley flooding, sea level rise, heat waves, seismic activity, extreme cold, ice storms, and snow melt have destroyed ecosystems, caused loss of life, damaged property, disrupted healthcare and financial networks, and in some cases, brought essential services to a halt. During this presentation, we’ll discuss the composition, performance, and application of engineered polymer siding and trim and capped polymer cladding to illustrate the benefits to home and building owners when construction materials are selected with resilience and sustainability in mind.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This one-hour program explores the art of terra cotta, beginning with a quick overview of the manufacturing process, covering the natural variation in clay tile along with the glazing techniques to achieve the desired color.

This course also focuses on the color selection and matching process to custom and historic profiles. The course provides several case studies comparing the original tiles to the new terra cotta replacements.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Are you an architect seeking to enhance your client and project management abilities while securing long-term success for your firm?

The primary objective for every firm is to generate value. This value stems from the loyalty and trust you cultivate with your clients. From initial interactions with potential clients to delivering exceptional service through effective project management, your responsibilities extend far beyond the completion of a project.

This webinar reviews each step of the ideal project process and includes 10 strategies your firm can implement to achieve financial stability and increase profit margins, which will not only alleviate financial stress but enable your firm to recruit top talent, attract the right clients, and grow.

Building materials face deterioration from a variety of threats, the most serious and persistent being water and moisture. When installing masonry (e.g., manufactured stone veneer) or metal building systems, there are many common installation mistakes that can lead to failure, including neglecting to follow moisture management best practices to prevent water intrusion. This course will examine the importance of moisture management in the building envelope and common mistakes to avoid when specifying and installing wall assemblies. We will take a holistic view of water management and how it can impact the building envelope, whether that is manufactured stone veneer, metal, or another material.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Culled from experiences working with more than 3,000 AE firms over 25 years, this session will examine the seven common denominators of every successful firm. Success comes in many flavors. For some, it’s money; for others, it is peer recognition, awards, or fame; for most of us, it’s having access to challenging or exciting projects.

Regardless of how you measure success, by adopting these Seven Pillars you will create the framework from which you and every member of your firm can achieve their professional goals.

Passive fire protection systems such as fire-rated floor doors provide incredibly important life-safety measures in commercial buildings. This course will discuss construction access products, the difference between active and passive fire protection, and how fire-rated floor doors provide passive protection.

We will also explain 2021 International Building Code requirements for fire-rated floor doors and how they differ from fire-rated access doors. Finally, you will learn about a project where fire-rated floor doors were used in a large New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority project.

The impacts of noise on occupancy health and wellness must be taken seriously. By understanding the importance of good noise control, learners will be able to understand the link between acoustic control and health, well-being, learning and productivity. This course will describe different scenarios like healthcare facilities, schools and offices.

The course will give you an insight into the different sound absorbing materials that can be used to improve room acoustics. In addition, we will discuss best practices using different solutions such as incorporating Melamine Foam as a sound absorbing material in different scenarios.

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.

Resilience is a key component of building design when addressing both seismic and wind design. Properly designed and constructed wood structures that comply with building code requirements are resilient, performing with minimal damage while protecting occupants during both seismic and high wind events.

This course will look at how wood-frame Lateral Force Resisting Systems (LFRS), that resist wind and seismic loads, can contribute to resistance in the built environment.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Is your architecture firm operating at peak efficiency, or are you constantly putting out fires? Many firms struggle with inconsistent business development, project bottlenecks, financial uncertainty, and disorganized operations—often without realizing the root cause is a lack of business maturity.

In this webinar, gain a clear understanding of where your firm stands today and, more importantly, the specific steps you can take to level up your business processes, improve efficiency, and drive sustainable profitability. We explore practical, real-world strategies for moving from reactive to proactive firm management, ensuring you’re not just delivering great designs, but also running a thriving, resilient business. Whether you’re a principal, partner, or senior leader in an architecture firm, this session will equip you with the actionable insights needed to build a more predictable, scalable, and profitable practice.