Zonda - Resource Library

Creating spaces that embrace nature have both physical and mental health benefits. These benefits enhance the occupants experience in an indoor space creating the ambiance of outdoor living. In this course, we will discuss how the exposure to nature through living green walls contribute to LEED, WELL, and other green rating systems. We will cover common places where you might find living green walls, and where exposure to nature can make a dramatic difference, including offices, hotels, retail shops, and healthcare. This course will examine different types of living green walls available, how systems are designed, installed, and maintained. In addition, the course will look at the latest large scale green wall technology and how it can be applicable to a variety of applications.

The workplace is changing — and not just where people work but how and when. Changing employee preferences and attitudes combined with new health and safety expectations are causing organizations to rethink their office space design and homeowners to take a second look at their home office. Quartz surfaces, most often specified for the kitchen and bathroom, also have wide-ranging applications for workspaces thanks to superior hygienic and performance properties. This course will explore workplace changes; where people are working now and why; how architects can position themselves to reshape the workplace; and the role of quartz surfaces in improving consumer health, safety, and comfort.

In order to produce a long-lasting, functional structure, any abrasive or erosive forces need to be ameliorated through its design.

This educational unit examines concrete hardening technologies – comparing features and limitations – so the best method can be selected.

Fully customizable, luxury fireplaces and fire features expand the versatility of where hearths can be located, whether in residential or commercial projects. They add a personalized, experiential element to a space, and are increasingly being used in commercial facilities to provide ambience, a focal point, and even marketing, as logos and company names can be incorporated into fireplace designs.

This course will help you understand the technologies and design options available with made-to-order gas fireplaces, as well as how to work with a manufacturer to see a custom fireplace project through from predesign to installation.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Water heating is a major energy end-use in commercial buildings, and is very significant in certain commercial building types. Many commercial building owners and operators have a critical need for water heating systems which are reliable, able to meet varying levels of demand, energy efficient, and able to fit within a building’s space constraints in order to maintain their business operations.

Propane tankless water heaters are a flexible and energy efficient technology which provides these attributes in many commercial applications. This course will explore how commercial buildings use energy and the potential application of propane tankless systems to provide a solution for water heating needs.

Webinar On-Demand: This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. In the fight against climate change, efforts intensify against the planet’s number one enemy—carbon dioxide. The building industry will play a significant role in these efforts. Embodied carbon—the global greenhouse gas emissions generated from sourcing raw material and processing, manufacturing, transporting, and installing building materials—will be the target over the next decade. This course will define embodied carbon, its impact on greenhouse gas emissions, the construction industry's impact, and the methods and tools that building designers can employ to limit embodied carbon.

Webinar On-Demand: This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. This course will discuss considerations for the holistic design and construction of durable, long-lasting structures that are sustainable, safe and resilient. A building's primary goal is to protect the lives, lifestyles and livelihoods of its occupants. Precast concrete has numerous qualities that can help buildings perform efficiently and offer occupants and communities healthy, flexible and useful spaces that can be effectively utilized over many years. Attendees will have the chance to see and hear case studies of projects that used precast concrete for durability, resilience, and sustainability, and examine important qualities and attributes to consider when specifying the material.

This On Demand CEU is a recorded presentation from a previously live webinar event. Thermal bridging has been recognized as a significant factor in building envelope heat loss and yet traditional construction practices have not effectively addressed many of the causes. Building Better with Thermal Breaks will identify areas most susceptible to thermal bridging and offer solutions that will minimize those heat loss conditions. Designing structural thermal breaks into buildings will improve the comfort, safety, durability, and reduce the environmental impact.

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. Look around and you’ll see many 5 to 7 story residential projects being built today with one or two floors of concrete, supporting up to 5 floors of steel or wood frame. These “pedestal” projects are assumed to be the cheapest way to build while longer term ownership implications of these designs are not well understood. This 1-hour presentation dispels the myths that are driving the popularity of pedestal construction and demonstrates the ownership value concrete provides including lower operating costs, less maintenance, and improved tenant retention.