Zonda - Resource Library

In this course, you’ll learn about the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) changes related to tall wood construction, including three new building types that allow for wood buildings up to 18 stories and even taller using an Alternate Materials and Methods Requests (AMMR). Rigorous fire testing was conducted as part of these code changes to validate the safety of tall mass timber construction. Along with advancements in tall mass timber construction, the course explores design tactics and relevant code applications used to boost the density of light-frame wood construction.

Finally, this course will review the science related to wood’s embodied carbon and life cycle assessment in the context of curbing a building's impact on climate change, including a growing body of research demonstrating how building with timber represents an opportunity to increase the long-term storage of carbon in today’s built environment.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation with ARCHITECT's Editor in Chief. Specifying wood in building design has a multitude of benefits, including elevating the design of the project, enhancing sustainable initiatives, and incorporating mixed materials for innovative buildings.

In this session, ARCHITECT explores the work and research of several firms using wood for innovative designs.

Webinar On-Demand: This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. The course offers detailed information about modern redwood timberland management approaches that contribute to the species’ long-term sustainability as a building material. The course also provides insight into how third-party certification helps the redwood industry communicate environmental stewardship. The course details how wood is created through the process of photosynthesis and how carbon is sequestered long-term in wood products, drawing a connection between sustainably sourced redwood lumber products and the ability to achieve carbon-neutral standards. Lastly, the course defines redwood grades and performance characteristics and describes how these properties achieve building code acceptance.

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 will explore the work of two firms using 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.

Architects and others who specify wood products have the responsibility to specify wood from sustainably managed forests. By selecting sustainably harvested wood products, architects can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support a low-carbon future.

This course will examine commonly held beliefs about forestry; review the environmental, economic, and social importance of specifying responsibly sourced wood products; and discuss North American softwood species that are increasingly being used as an alternative to more energy-intensive building materials.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course investigates the most recent code changes emphasizing building envelope performance. We will explore next generation integrated solutions that simultaneously provide protection against moisture penetration, air leakage, and thermal bridging. Installation benefits and on-site quality control issues related to multi-solution integrated systems will also be evaluated in this course.

Lumber supply and demand has taken home builders on a ride throughout the last year and a half with wild swings in pricing.

To understand where lumber prices will go from here, and what builders can do to adjust to ongoing market volatility, industry experts from building material leader 84 Lumber and commodities tracker Fastmarkets unpack the specifics of what caused the whipsawing in the market over the last 18 months - and provide clues for what may lie ahead.

Many materials such as vinyl and composites try to replicate the look of Cedar, but it is difficult to achieve the wood grain, color, and feel of Real Cedar. In addition, it is compatible with numerous architectural styles, from modern to traditional, and is endlessly versatile.

This course will explore the design versatility of Western Red Cedar, exterior and interior applications, and the value that Western Red Cedar brings to a project. We will also compare Western Red Cedar to alternative building materials and demonstrate how it is often imitated but never duplicated in numerous project applications.

Western Red Cedar (WRC) aesthetic, economic, and environmental benefits are just some of the reasons why builders and designers are increasingly gravitating to this species of wood. Presented here are modern, historical, and cultural uses of western red cedar, as well as its performance characteristics, grade specification, and finishes. Also discussed are sustainable forest management practices and certification agencies, and how sustainably sourced wood can contribute to LEED® credits.

Western red cedar (WRC) is a widely popular softwood species throughout North America for use in residential and commercial buildings, but there are other important sustainable and renewable coastal softwood species you should know about. Yellow cedar, western hemlock (hem-fir), and Douglas fir have similar performance characteristics and can be used in the same applications as western red cedar. This course will discuss where these species grow, their identifiable characteristics, and where to use coastal softwood appearance lumber in green building projects. We will also explore how these coastal softwood species are a highly sustainable and renewable product that should be considered for use in sustainable design.