Zonda - Resource Library

Design and construction industries are vulnerable to natural disasters and manmade hazards that can result in everything from reducing the lifespan of infrastructure to loss of life and property. Professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) can mitigate these vulnerabilities by having a fuller understanding of resilience as well as the building materials and construction and operational techniques that lead to stronger, more durable buildings.

This course will examine resilience in the built environment and provide several strategies to achieve resilience at the building scale for stakeholders. It will then assess continuous insulation, particularly mineral wool, as it relates to resilient design before reviewing ASTM resilience testing standards. Finally, this course will help learners evaluate resilience in current code and beyond as well as how to enhance structural systems through the use of mineral wool insulation.

Fire. It’s been integral to human evolution and civilization as a tool for heating, lighting, cooking, and socialization for millennia. Today, with the advent of central heating, electric lighting, and highly sophisticated cooking appliances, fire tends to be used primarily for ambience but continues to provide an important role in gathering and socializing.

This course will explore how fire has evolved from a utilitarian element to a technological tool that can be used in both vernacular and high style architecture as a design element indoors, outdoors, and as functional art.

Architects have an important role to play in proper surface preparation and coatings selection through project-specific painting specification. It’s important for architects and designers to be actively involved in the specifying process and to understand the limitations, benefits, and features of different paints and coatings.

This course will help the learner to understand the main causes of paint and coating failures, the importance of proper surface preparation for various substrates, and problem-solving primers and other coating technologies that can help improve the longevity of structures.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets the minimum requirements for newly designed and constructed or renovated state and local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. When designing restrooms, some of each type of accessible plumbing fixture and restroom accessories and their installation location must meet accessibility requirements contained in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Many projects must also follow the provisions of the 2017 Edition of the ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities Standard.

As states adopt the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) into their states’ building code, the ICC A117.1-2017 Accessible Standards will become effective for existing and new buildings. Forty-six states follow the ICC A117.1-2017 Standards (all but California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Texas; who harmonize with the ADA Standards). Additionally, states such as California have accessible requirements that vary from the ADA standards and are more stringent providing greater access.

In this course, we will cover the 2010 ADA and the ICC A117.1-2017 accessibility standards. We will also point out where and how the states including California, Florida and Minnesota building codes differ from the ADA and the ICC A117.1-2017 standards. It is important that you always check the accessibility standards that apply to your project’s location.

Extruded aluminum trim has long been used for exterior applications with panel cladding systems, but there are new opportunities to use the material for interior applications. This course will describe the performance and aesthetic benefits of extruded aluminum trim when used for interior trim. It will cover how extruded aluminum trim is manufactured and characteristics that improve fire resistance, durability, and sustainability. The course will also discuss finish and profile options, installation considerations, and emerging technologies and trends for the product.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course will explore the versatility of wood plastic composites, with a specific focus on composite rainscreen cladding. It will cover the sustainability of wood plastic composites from manufacturing, performance, and life cycle perspectives. We will also discuss color and design options for composite cladding, as well as applications in the residential and commercial sectors.

Vinyl flooring products have a long history and have evolved into technologically advanced flooring options over the past decade. Today, vinyl flooring is available in several formats ranging from sheet vinyl to vinyl composition tile and luxury vinyl tiles and planks. The most recent innovation is eco-resilient flooring, which can be used to meet green building standards because it is manufactured without PVC.

This course will explore the evolution of vinyl flooring and the different products available today, including their performance benefits, residential and commercial applications, and installation considerations.

This course will explore mass timber construction, including the different types of mass timber products that are manufactured from Douglas fir, spruce-pine-fir, and Southern pine species; their performance and environmental benefits; and applications for this type of construction.

The course will also examine the importance of Western red cedar as a sustainable building product that introduces biophilic design into a space, and how it can be used to complement mass timber construction in both interior and exterior applications.

Resimmercial or commercidential? The blurring of the residential and commercial lines of design isn’t necessarily new - but the trend is evolving.

One of the main questions in this Session with ARCHITECT's Editor-in-Chief is "Where do we draw that line between interior and exterior, between public and private, to create a holistic design which provides an experience for whoever's using it in whatever type of use?"

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Concrete is the building block of modern society and the most widely used building material. Nearly every structure built today, including buildings, bridges, homes, and infrastructure uses concrete in some way. It provides us with shelter along with places to work, learn and play. It connects us through roads and rapid transit and airports. Water is delivered and treated in concrete structures. Concrete is economical, available everywhere, durable, and versatile.

As demand for building construction continues to increase, it is likely the demand for concrete will also increase. Like all building products, however, concrete has a carbon footprint. This presentation will analyze the top ten strategies to take advantage of concrete’s benefits while ensuring the lowest possible carbon footprint.