What do you wonder about furniture? This course compares and explains various sustainability rating tools used in the built environment and overlays LEVEL® by BIFMA’s furniture rating system to understand it’s role in these environments.

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Modern interior spaces often feature open areas and hard surfaces. What should be comfortable rooms in these spaces can become unpleasant from noise and echo or sound reverberation. This course discusses how melamine foam can be used to improve the sound quality in a space. The different options for melamine foam products are discussed along with their installation methods. This course also provides an overview of the sustainability features of sound-absorbing melamine foam.

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In this one-hour course, we will review the various types of door interlocks, man traps, sally ports and their applications. We will define and discuss the appropriate use of each type and their configuration to meet the intended design criteria.

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The spread of smoke in mid- and high-rise building fires is recognized as a major threat to the safety of the building occupants and responding fire personnel and the effectiveness of firefighting operations. This course explains how smoke migrates in a multi-story building fire and discusses how building codes have evolved to address this danger and why they mandate smoke containment in specific areas of a structure. Product applications and assemblies designed to meet building code requirements and limit vertical smoke migration via elevator hoistways and lobbies are examined.

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This course offers detailed information about modern redwood timberland management approaches that contribute to the species’ long-term sustainability as a building material. The course also provides insight into how third-party certification helps the redwood industry communicate environmental stewardship. The course details how wood is created through the process of photosynthesis and how carbon is sequestered long-term in wood products, drawing a connection between sustainably sourced redwood lumber products and the ability to achieve carbon-neutral standards. Lastly, the course defines redwood grades and performance characteristics and describes how these properties achieve building code acceptance.

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The cabinetry used in exam rooms and clinical environments is an integral part of the delivery of quality care. The way it is designed and utilized within the clinical environment can often impact workflow efficiency, safety initiatives and the healthcare experience for both patients and caregivers. While a growing number of healthcare organizations are beginning to view cabinetry as a strategic component of the clinical environment, many still view it as an interchangeable commodity—easily substituted with the lowest cost option in the face of budget constraints or cost-cutting efforts. This webinar from Midmark explains why the design of the cabinetry should be a consideration in any purchasing decision. It identifies the five questions healthcare professionals should ask to maximize the value and benefits cabinetry can bring to their clinical environment.

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LEVEL by BIFMA is the multi-attribute sustainability certification program for furniture. This course provides comprehensive information about what the program measures and why a LEVEL certification is the most comprehensive tool for evaluating sustainable furniture.

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This course intended to draw the connections between global climate action goals and the role of the built environment to drive carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act shines a light on how low carbon building material selection is one of the keys to reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. High performance, sustainable products and thoughtful assemblies designed with the entire building life cycle in mind are critical to our sustainable communities of the future. Attendees will gain an in depth understanding between the embodied carbon of building products and how the operational carbon of the built environment is linked to some of these products, such as insulation. Speakers will delve into the concept of driving embodied carbon towards zero while simultaneously improving the operational efficiency of buildings, which is a key component of reducing operational carbon to the same goal of zero emissions by 2050.

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This course runs through a series of attributes that one can use to evaluate furniture and determine if it's the right product for the application. Attributes include materiality, construction methods, health & sustainability, and the verification tools that assist professionals in making confident, well-informed furniture decisions. 

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New building materials don’t come around very often, and in some cases an early high-profile stumble can shape perceptions of an otherwise valuable technology. Learning from those mistakes, however, is a fundamental element of driving technical innovation, and real, robust solutions to known issues can ultimately produce the highest level of performance. Magnesium oxide-based composite panels have been used as exterior wall sheathing for several decades due to a number of highly desirable properties, including resistance to fire, dimensional stability, high strength, and other attributes. Early iterations of boards were found to have issues related to moisture and chemical stability, leading to premature failure of the building façade but also teaching the industry specific factors that needed to be improved in future generations of board. Now, as a maturing product category, the enabling technology of how to make consistent, high quality boards is well known, even if not universally practiced. In this presentation, we will review the basics of MgO chemistry, how boards incorporating MgO cement have evolved over time to address early issues in board performance, and how this technology can be incorporated into building exterior wall systems with many favorable attributes.

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Some types of roofing systems can provide you with a roofing option that’s good for the environment and your wallet. Roofing systems don’t have to be disposable. By maximizing system longevity and recycling at the end of its useful life, roofing systems no longer have to be looked at as another thing to add to a landfill.

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Surface preparation is critical for high-performing, long-lasting flooring. Learn about the latest innovations and installation techniques in surface preparation that prevent floor damage while mitigating moisture and noise.

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Discover what safety and security features need to be understood when designing with sectional overhead doors, which product options are important when specifying for safety and security, what design solutions address wind-load and fire safety, and applicable industry certifications for installers.

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Healthcare facilities are striving to meet the needs of all patients and caregivers by offering healthy, safe, and inclusive spaces that can be repurposed quickly if needed. This course reviews innovations in plumbing design, such as vacuum plumbing and its applications, and explores how these design innovations support trending healthcare needs, including infection prevention, behavioral healthcare, and bariatric applications, and fulfill ADA requirements. Several case studies showcasing successful examples are also covered.

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Play is more than fun and games and is an essential component in helping children develop critical physical, mental, emotional, and social skills that lay the foundation for adulthood. Inclusive play breaks down barriers and builds community through fostering understanding of our similarities and differences. This course discusses how play impacts child development and describes the options and considerations for designing an inclusive playground that benefits all children and the community.

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Window opening air and water leakage has been a difficult problem for the construction industry. This course evaluates building failures, conventional construction approaches, and new developments in waterproofing techniques to show a path forward for designers seeking higher-performing wall assemblies.

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The purpose of this webinar is to learn how to design safe, secure, patient rooms and bathrooms in your behavioral facilities. Attendees will learn about ligature resistant design, how to test for it and why it's important to make sure all patient rooms and bathrooms follow this guideline.

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Earlier this year, the NYC Department of Buildings enacted laws mandating structural inspections for all NYC parking garages to be completed within a prescribed six-year cycle. First time hearing about this? You’re not alone. During this presentation Tom Moyer and Steven Jeter, P.E. of StructureCare will review who is responsible for completing these inspections, how the inspection process works, the City’s phases, and how much time you have left to complete yours. As one of the very few qualified inspectors certified by the NYC Department of Buildings, Steven wants to help parking structure owners, investors, and operators best prepare for this process. Built from the foundation of the New York State parking inspection law, the NYC law is significantly more impactful with significantly higher consequences. In addition to reviewing the inspection law, Steven and Tom will review the process of how to ensure the garage owner stays in compliance beyond the initial inspection period. In wrapping up the presentation, audience members will be able to understand the difference between interim maintenance, service life replacements and reactionary repairs in a parking garage, to help avoid surprising and often costly reactive maintenance projects.

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Modern lab facilities have evolved to be more flexible, adaptable, and sustainable. They are safer for occupants to work in, and more economical to operate. Building systems have evolved to support these needs, and to support scientific advancement by delivering greater capability and performance. This is true of building utilities in general, and specifically true of building vacuum systems. Local vacuum networks are economical and sustainable systems which deliver deep, stable, high-quality vacuum to lab buildings by taking a modular, yet scalable, approach. This course will compare local vacuum networks against central vacuum systems with respect to the components used as well as design and project execution considerations. Brief case studies of representative installations will be used to highlight the suitability of this strategy for building-wide vacuum supply.

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Modern lab facilities have evolved to be more flexible, adaptable, and sustainable. They are safer for occupants to work in, and more economical to operate. Building systems have evolved to support these needs, and to support scientific advancement by delivering greater capability and performance. And modern science facilities have more diverse occupants with diverse needs of the spaces they occupy. There are wet labs and dry labs, of course. But also offices, collaboration spaces, dining areas, and even on-site amenities like exercise spaces and relaxation spaces that, in total, seek to maximize the health and happiness of the occupants - and thus maximize the productivity of those occupants. With lower lab density in many modern designs, in particular lower wet lab density, modular lab utilities often provide more economical and sustainable solutions for building owners, while providing scientists with better quality tools to support their research. Local vacuum networks are an example of this - they are economical and sustainable systems which deliver deep, stable, high-quality vacuum to lab buildings by taking a modular, yet scalable, approach for virtually any lab. This course will focus on the ways that lab vacuum is supplied to research and teaching labs within multi-use science facilities. We will compare a variety of different supply options, with a focus on local vacuum networks with respect to the components used as well as design and project execution considerations. Brief case studies of representative installations will be used to highlight these strategies in science facilities and the design and performance trade-offs involved.

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In this course, we will discuss vacuum supply strategies while considering the range of applications for scientific vacuum in academic and industrial lab facilities, and the implications of these requirements during programming, design, and construction. Of the strategies considered, the local vacuum network concept will be considered in detail. We will discuss how the vacuum options employed can improve sustainability by reducing energy consumption, mitigating chemical vapor emissions, and eliminating waste water and oil. We will review example installations which benchmark the scientific benefits, sustainability benefits, and health/safety benefits which are achievable with vacuum equipment chosen to suit owner needs.

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Parking structure owners and owner’s representatives need to know what do and who to call in an unforeseen emergency. From collapses, to car fires, fatalities or even floods, these events can happen to anyone with little or no notice. While parking structure incidents and collapses are rare, we are seeing these unfortunate events occur more frequently. StructureCare team members speak from their very recent experiences responding to local emergencies and provide structure owners and owner’s reps with the tools necessary to start developing their own emergency plans. Because when disaster strikes, you’ll be relived to turn your panic into a plan.

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This course explores the critical aspects of fire-rated head-of-wall joint assemblies, providing design professionals with essential knowledge to enhance the safety and integrity of construction projects. Through an in-depth exploration of key concepts, participants will gain an understanding of fire-rated joint assembly components, the application of Steel Intumescent Fire Stops in diverse construction assemblies, and the standards essential for establishing UL-certified assemblies. Design considerations for specifying and detailing the protection of fire-rated perimeter joints will also be discussed.

Instruction regarding codes and standards relevant to pressure relief venting. International Fire Code, NFPA 68 and FM 1-44 all discussed for design of pressure resisting and pressure relieving elements.

As architecture professionals, we are trained in the craft of architecture, but never formally taught how to explain our value in the way that clients understand. As a result, there is often misalignment between a client’s expectation of fees and what firms require to produce high-quality work. When value is not captured by a design firm, firms are forced to produce the same level of quality for less compensation. Are you being compensated both in recognition and money for the enormous value you bring to the table as an architect? Do your clients clearly recognize your value? Can they articulate it? Can YOU articulate it? Often there is a misalignment between the perception of architects and their clients in terms of value. As a result, it isn’t uncommon for design firms to have their fees questioned and examined by clients, be price-shopped, and compete with other firms on fee alone. This creates a working pressure that decreases the quality of work and creative innovation, not to mention stress and business problems for practitioners. In this session, you’ll discover how to apply the findings of 70+ years of research in behavioral economics to maximize the value you capture for your design work.