Zonda - Resource Library

Water heaters are the second-largest energy user in the home, costing residents hundreds of dollars each year. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy updated the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) standards, which increased water heater efficiency requirements and drove major product changes in the U.S. market. NAECA standards include federal regulations for water heater minimum efficiency levels. Against this backdrop of updated standards, products, and decision-making factors, this course will review a detailed analysis of water-heating systems.

This analysis compares water-heating technologies based on their energy, economic, and environmental performance, with a focus on the performance of propane-based systems relative to electric and heating oil alternatives. The course also reviews the federal standards for water heaters and describes the market implications for both new construction and replacements.

The world is experiencing an increase in extreme weather events due to climate change, which results in more power outages and stressed energy infrastructure. Energy resiliency and decarbonization efforts are expanding due to frequent and intense weather events, the influences of economic and political pressure, consumer interest, and technological advances.

This course will discuss the importance of emergency preparedness and current approaches to power generation and grid resiliency. It will then examine how propane can be used for energy generation, backup power, fuel conservation, and resiliency planning.

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.

There are numerous challenges facing the construction industry today, but the building process can be optimized with a collaborative design process leveraging advanced components like floors, roofs, and wall systems. An off site construction approach empowers designers to embed off site methods and solutions into the design phase. Harnessing the power of 3D design and building information modeling (BIM) can also help to overcome industry challenges by providing a streamlined, more efficient process.

This course will explore how adopting the design-make-build process, advanced components, and 3D technology creates a common ground that guides each design decision and optimizes construction.

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.

Wood, in its natural state, is a highly sustainable material. But there are many factors that can either diminish or improve its sustainability, including how and where it’s harvested, how end products are treated and finished, and the lifecycle of the material.

This course will explore the sustainability of wood wall and ceiling systems, and considerations for specifying wood products that are sustainably sourced. We will cover different manufacturing and treatment processes, and environmental factors affecting wood, its lifecycle, reuse, and salvageability. We will also discuss applications for wood ceilings and walls, certifications available for projects specifying these materials, and insight into the world of sustainable wood systems.