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Designing for Wellness

This article explores some of the latest products and solutions improving the air quality, thermal comfort, electric light, and daylight control that can be incorporated into a project. Each improves the wellness of the people in the built environment.

HSW Justification:
“Increased evidence shows that indoor environmental conditions substantially influence health and productivity. Building services engineers are interested in improving indoor environments and quantifying the effects. Potential health and productivity benefits are not yet generally considered in conventional economic calculations pertaining to building design and operation. Only initial costs plus energy and maintenance costs are typically considered. A few sample calculations have also shown that many measures to improve indoor air environment are cost-effective when the health and productivity benefits resulting from an improved indoor climate are included in the calculations (Djukanovic et al. 2002, Fisk 2000, Fisk et al. 2003, Hansen 1997, van Kempski 2003, Seppanen and Vuolle 2000, Wargocki, 2003.) This article explores some of the latest products and solutions improving the air quality, thermal comfort, electric light, and daylight control that can be incorporated into a project. Each improves the wellness of the built environment.

Learning Objective 1:
Explain how air circulation improves thermal comfort and alertness.

Learning Objective 2:
Describe the ways that increasing the presence of plants and greenery on a project have been shown to clean the air, reduce urban heat island effect, and positively affect the health and wellbeing of people in the built environment.

Learning Objective 3:
Summarize how circadian LED lighting technology delivers health benefits—improving overall sleep quality, daytime productivity, and feelings of wellbeing—that modern architectural lighting lacks.

Learning Objective 4:
Discuss how using an underfloor air distribution system (UFAD) improves indoor air quality.

Learning Objective 5:
Identify the latest advancements in smart window technology that allows these solutions to control glare and solar heat gains, while maintaining views to the outdoors.

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The Implications of Light Pollution and the Impact of IDA

This course will discuss light pollution and its relation to the International Dark-Sky Association. After taking this course, individuals will know the impacts of light pollution as well as the difference between IDA and non-IDA lighting.

At the end of this course, participants will learn:

  1. To define IDA, light pollution, and related terms
  2. To identify the impacts of light pollution
  3. To demonstrate the difference between IDA and non-IDA lighting
  4. To assess the process of establishing IDA certification
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ISO-1002: Inverters

Inverters are a modern, simple way to achieve an emergency lighting solution while minimizing maintenance costs and utilizing existing architectural fixtures for emergency purposes. This course will give the student the skills they require to design and specify inverter-based emergency lighting systems.

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924 & 1008 Lighting Controls

NFPA 70, the national electrical code details 2 different types of Emergency Lighting Control Devices—devices that guarantee that life safety lighting will be on at desired illumination levels in the event of an emergency. This course will help mitigate the confusion regarding the specification of these devices and understand their applications in the real world.

Prerequisite Knowledge: Knowledge of life safety systems, particularly a high-level understanding of the purpose of emergency lighting inverters and generators. In particular, ISO-1001/ISO-1002 would be a perfect lead into this course.

HSW Justification: This deals with life safety, the safe egress, and illumination of buildings in the event of an emergency.

Learning Objective 1:
Understand the background technology where ALCR and BCELTS devices need to be deployed.

Learning Objective 2:
Learn the difference between the technologies and reviews how they sit within one-line diagrams.

Learning Objective 3:
Understand some of the real world tradeoffs between the device types as it relates to wiring, proximity and ease of testing.

Learning Objective 4:
Understand the integration of lighting controls with the different types of ELCDs and review some tricks for how to reduce costs in systems.

 

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Exploring Design Trends for K-12 Applications

Addressing student behaviors, improving the learning environment, and enhancing the sustainability of educational buildings with design.

Learning Objective 1:
After reading this article, you should be able to: describe how the inclusive restroom design concept addresses the bad behaviors plaguing bathroom spaces and improves student safety

Learning Objective 2:
After reading this article, you should be able to: summarize the ways that acoustical surfaces, lighting, and HVAC systems are being used to improve the comfort of the learning environment, helping students perform better in class.

Learning Objective 3:
After reading this article, you should be able to: identify various solutions that can be incorporated to heighten security throughout a school.

Learning Objective 4:
After reading this article, you should be able to: explain some of the sustainability strategies making schools more environmentally friendly.

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How Wallcoverings with PVF Film Contribute  to Healthier and More Attractive Buildings

This course will cover the aesthetic, design, health, safety and welfare aspects of, and certifications achieved by wallcoverings laminated with DuPont™ Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride film. Because Dupont™ is the only source for Tedlar® film there is no comparable competitive product in the market place. Therefore, we will be referring to the product from time to time by using its registered trademark brand name, Tedlar®.

HSW Justification:
Tedlar PVF film is applied to wallcovering to prevent off-gassing of building materials behind the wall. The film also is repeatedly and frequently cleanable without damage or deterioration. It does not support the growth o=f microorganisms, mold or mildew and is therefore excennent in restaurant and hospital settings. Additionally, the film is impossible to permanently stain. Stains wipe off with ease. Learning objectives cite additional HSW benefits.

Learning Objective 1:
The architect will recognize the aesthetic and design advantages of using PVF film on wallcoverings and architectural surfaces.

Learning Objective 2:
The architect will understand the health and safety advantages of using PVF film wallcoverings in occupied spaces.

Learning Objective 3:
The architect will be able to identify appropriate interior and exterior applications for wallcoverings protected by PVF film.

Learning Objective 4:
And, the architect will understand the ratings and certifications achieved by Tedlar® laminated wallcoverings.

Because Dupont™ is the only source for Tedlar® film there is no comparable competitive product in the market place. Therefore, we will be referring to the product from time to time by using its registered trademark brand name, Tedlar®.

Owing to the unique nature of this product, an architectural specification describing the PVF film known as Tedlar®. You will need to download this document to begin the course. At least one of the concluding quiz questions is based on this supplemental material.

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Create Intelligent Buildings with Networked Lighting to Improve Tenant Overall Well-Being

This session will present how IoT lighting can be a fundamental platform for smart environments.  Well planned building integration allows a flexible, scalable lighting system to collect the data that ultimately brings more value to the building owner.

At the end of this course, participants will learn:

  1. Define IDA, light pollution, and related terms
  2. Identify the impacts of light pollution
  3. Demonstrate the difference between IDA and non-IDA lighting
  4. Assess the process of establishing IDA certification
...Read More

Surface Engineered Metals for Resilient Design

Program: Architecture, Design, and Building Science

The purpose of this presentation is to give you a clear understanding of the features and benefits of textured metals and discover how to best specify stainless steel and metal alloys in your projects. The first part of our talk will introduce the ecological and economic properties of textured stainless steel as well as educate you on the composition of metals and alloys. The second portion of this presentation will illustrate the process of texturing metals and their applications, as well as how to specify them. The session will also review projects that use textured metals - with beautiful results.

HSW Justification:
Most of this course is dedicated to explaining the aesthetic, ecological and economic advantages of textured metals. Most often, the metal used in stainless steel, which is very long-lived, valuable and 100 percent recyclable. The case studies focus on many beautiful installations that enhance the lives of occupants and visitors through the art and craftsmanship of the installations.

Learning Objective 1:
Students will understand ecological, economic, health and safety benefits of utilizing metals that can be deep textured.

Learning Objective 2:
Students will explore current applications that employ deep textured metals because of their ecological benefits, enhanced performance, and aesthetic attributes.

Learning Objective 3:
Students will learn compositions of metals that can be deep textured, how each performs under varying environmental constraints, and how to safely and economically specify deep textured metals.

Learning Objective 4:
Students will discover end user benefits of deep texturing metals, including performance enhancement, material usage reduction and longer product lifecycles.

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Designing Beautiful High-Performance Building Envelopes

The building envelope has a lot of different jobs to do—from insulating the building so that it can be efficiently heated and cooled to providing air and water barriers that keep harmful moisture at bay, as well as providing the aesthetic face of the project. High performance building envelopes do all of those things extremely well. This article explores some of the latest high-performance solutions that can be used to create those high-performance envelopes.

HSW Justification:
A high-performance building envelope is necessary to create a building that is efficient and healthy. This article takes a look at how different components in the building envelope perform—giving architects the information they need to choose high-performance components that will produce a high-performing envelope.

Learning Objective 1:
Compare different types of continuous insulation in terms of the thermal performance they offer and the way they behave when exposed to water and fire.

Learning Objective 2:
Describe how insulated metal panels (IMPs) can be used on the envelope to improve building performance, create efficient and healthy interiors, and enhance design flexibility.

Learning Objective 3:
Explain how PET bottles can be upcycled into insulation creating a new product that contains recycled material and improves thermal performance of the building envelope.

Learning Objective 4:
Describe the ways that architectural metal wall systems enable architects to push the creative boundaries of their designs.

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