Zonda - Resource Library

Two years into the pandemic, homeowners are looking to return to their roots. For home design trends, that means a pivot to warmer living spaces accented with wood tones that help residents relax and reconnect with nature, especially as families continue to spend time indoors. Continue reading for ways to keep your clients’ homes current while leaning on wood’s restorative nature to give them the calm and peace they’re seeking today.

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.

Renovating for long-term ROI can be a balancing act. For homeowners, it’s important that renovations offer immediate benefits while also standing the test of time, both functionally and aesthetically. The key to timeless renovation is functional design rooted in tradition. One of the oldest and most renewable building materials—wood—is sustainable, stylish, and classic.

Western red cedar is a wood prized for its beautiful color and grain, natural insect and moisture resistance, and durability. It is an extremely versatile building product that can be used both indoors and out and can be finished in myriad ways to complement a building’s aesthetic.

This course will discuss best practices for finishing, care, and maintenance of western red cedar that will ensure a long-lasting finish in both exterior and interior applications.

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.

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.

Read about various multifamily construction projects where the use of wood was critical to the success of the building. New design, manufacturing, and construction techniques - coupled with evolutions in building codes - allows light-frame wood and mass timber buildings to reach higher heights and densities. New wood construction also achieves superior design aesthetics and fire safety characteristics in residential buildings.