Zonda - Resource Library

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.

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.

The internet has given American consumers unfettered access to the global market, which is greatly influencing our design choices, from clothing and furniture to home and even kitchen design. Whether it’s an indoor/outdoor connection with a breezy island feel, architectural details reminiscent of French bistros, or the functional minimalism of Scandinavia, kitchens play a significant role in expressing the style of a home and its homeowners, which is more global than ever. This course will take a closer look at these global influences, including forward-thinking design ideas from abroad that will impact the sustainability, safety, and accessibility of kitchens. The course will also discuss innovative kitchen appliances that complement many kitchen styles and will explore several case studies that allowed designers to integrate global influences, wellness, and sustainability into their designs.

The operation of multifamily and hospitality developments has drastically transformed over the past decade, and more recently since the pandemic. Residential developments are no longer just a place to hang your hat — they have come to represent a resident’s lifestyle and community. Developers have followed suit, offering numerous community-building and wellness amenities. Like in multifamily properties, hotels and resort guests are also seeking home-like and wellness amenities with a touch of luxury.

Restaurants, hotels, and resorts have had to overcome massive hurdles since the pandemic and have come out on the other side with expanded offerings, many centered around outdoor dining, lounges, and green spaces. This course will examine some of the amenities these developments are offering and the role propane can play in attracting new residents and guests with expanded amenities.

In this age of constant change, it’s important for business owners working in retail, office, and healthcare to be able to pivot their operations and space needs quickly — and sometimes often. Whether you design retail environments, workspaces, healthcare facilities, or other configurable spaces such as education and hospitality — spaces that need to be capable of adjusting to changes in location, circumstance, or even human behavior — you’ve likely too often been forced to make uncomfortable trade-offs. This course will explore the dynamic nature of business environments today and design options for prefabricated, modular, customized structures that can help your clients adapt their physical spaces quickly while remaining design forward. The course will also help you understand how prefabricated structures combat construction waste and address sustainability.

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.

Conscious planning, designing, and developing for wellbeing is a growing trend in the design industry. Indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and lighting in a building, among many other factors, can significantly affect the productivity and comfort of building occupants. Light is one very important tool that can be used to improve the mood, productivity, attention span, and overall health of occupants because it is the main driver of the visual and circadian systems. This course will explore the connection between lighting design and wellness and will examine a new advanced LED chip technology that provides blue peak free lighting that mimics natural sunlight (meaning the traditional harsh blue peak found in most LED technology has been reduced). This technology is being used to improve occupant wellbeing in healthcare facilities, schools, and offices, among other commercial applications.

Achieving carbon neutrality and protecting the world's water supply are vital to the AEC industry because of the significant impact buildings have on the environment and occupant health. The structures that we live, work, and commune in use a vast amount of the energy and water consumed on the planet for building operations and maintenance.

Over the past two decades more and more organizations, from private companies to federal governments, have taken steps to minimize their impact on the environment and, more recently, on society's wellbeing as a whole. This has been accomplished through sustainable building design, social accountability, and ethical economic practices. This course will discuss a Net Positive approach to design and business operations.