Zonda - Resource Library

Daylighting has already been proven to increase a building’s energy efficiency and occupant well-being. Material choice matters. This course will explore the role of daylighting as part of sustainable project design and how to maximize the availability of natural light.

Substantial attention will be given to the role of polycarbonates in daylighting strategy, including product choices and applications. Case studies are also included and examine the use of polycarbonates in various daylighting settings, ranging from a five-year comparative study to an internationally renowned sports stadium, higher education, and a condo in Florida.

This course will provide learners with an introduction to Green Concrete. In addition, the course will examine the key components of Green Concrete Mixtures, illustrate some performance attributes of High-performance Green Concrete, and demonstrate the need for a process and methodology for quantifying sustainable concrete. Finally, the course will look at various project profiles that specified Green Concrete mixtures and how architects can incorporate this material to specify Green Concrete with a comparative life cycle assessment or Eco-Efficiency Analysis.

Over the past decade, the architectural, construction and engineering (AEC) sector has grappled with unprecedented technological and socioeconomic changes along with an unprecedented confluence of challenges to the health of our communities, our cities and our planet. Climate change is accelerating—the 10 years leading up to 2020 was the warmest decade on record. Buildings and their construction account for 39% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

At the same time, the built environment is growing at a record pace in the US. It is estimated that 2.5 million new housing units are needed to make up for the nation’s housing shortage, a trend that has not abated in the face of a global pandemic. Technological gains within the built environment are making zero-carbon construction attainable, dramatic energy savings achievable and taller mass timber construction possible. Industry research, along with bold demonstration projects, is expanding the sector’s understanding of carbon sequestration, life cycle assessment (LCA), Passive House principles, and biophilic and health-centered design. In this course you’ll learn from design teams who are embracing these strategies and delivering solutions that begin to address some of the most pressing global challenges of our times.

Are we able to dive deeper into these numbers to find ways to reduce a building’s carbon footprint in meaningful ways? What are the methods used to measure building material carbon footprint and do they tell the whole story? Are there simple tools to assess material choices? This course seeks to address these and other questions by explaining the principal methods and tools that are used to assess carbon footprint in the context of building materials.

It includes a primer on product terminology, including life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental product declarations (EPDs), carbon footprint, embodied carbon, and whole building LCA (WBLCA) tools. It explains how biogenic carbon is treated in standard LCA methodology and dives into the forest side of the equation, explaining basics of the sustainable forestry cycle. This course also highlights some ways to track and assure wood comes from sustainable forests in North America and why demand for wood products supports investment in forest management.

Every indoor space is unique, and interactions between people and the systems that control any indoor environment they occupy, such as HVAC, lighting, and acoustics, are dynamic and complex. These relationships have the ability to positively or negatively impact health and wellbeing. This course explores the ways in which HVAC systems can contribute to wellbeing and focuses on indoor environmental quality (IEQ), holistic HVAC system solutions, and the WELL concepts of Air, Thermal Comfort, and sound.

Webinar On-Demand: This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course examines the principles associated with carbon emissions over the life of a building. The carbon footprint of a building does not begin when the building becomes operational but rather during design and continues through demolition or deconstruction. The role that design and construction professionals play in regard to product transparency will also be discussed.

One of the most fundamental decisions facing a multi-family design team is choosing the building’s structural material. While dominant in single family residential construction, the cost-effective, code compliant and sustainable attributes of wood construction apply to mid-rise multi-family projects too. This course explores the reasons for the increasing popularity of wood in multifamily buildings, reviews code compliance and fire safety technical considerations, and discusses techniques for successful wood building designs. In addition, it addresses trends expanding the opportunities for wood use in multi-story design.

This course will help you understand that sustainable design begins with sustainable building materials. Because there are many factors to consider in assessing a building’s sustainability, it can be challenging to fully understand the long-term impacts of choosing one building material over another. However, material choice greatly affects the environmental impact of buildings, both during construction and over the building’s lifecycle.

As both sustainability and efficiency advance in the built environment, architects, specifiers, and buyers are increasingly concerned with purchasing products that are environmentally friendly and can achieve project performance and client welfare goals. Architects and designers are, in essence, visionaries.

This course explores options that architects and designers have when choosing products that accurately support and fuel their passion for possibilities while maintaining the health, safety, and welfare of the clients needs. Definition for PCRs, LCAs, and EPDs are discussed and various case studies are examined.

How is the material construction of individual buildings tied to larger patterns of land use and planning at the urban and regional scales? What will be the impact of carbon sequestering building material production on natural resources? What determines the bearing capacity of cities to accommodate the growth that is expected in coming decades? What are the leading examples of responsible and sustainable growth from around the world?

This content was produced thanks to funding from the AIA California as part of the CarbonPositive Conference, a partnership between Architect Magazine and Architecture 2030.