This is your go-to source for free AIA-approved continuing education for architects. Plus, almost all our courses are delivered in streaming HD video. Registration is fast and easy, just click on Login/Register above. Then, you can enroll in any of our courses found in any of our programs with a single click. Our courses meet or exceed NCARB's high standards for state board license renewal. AIA member? Your credit will be reported to AIA for you.
Neuroarchitecture is a design discipline that seeks to incorporate neuroscience into design to augment the built environment’s positive influence on the emotional and physical health of people.
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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.
Program: Architecture, Design and Building Science
This course explores a few of the many ways that interiors impact the health and well-being of the people inside them. From restrooms being designed to reduce contact with contaminated surfaces and inhibit the presence of bacteria, to acoustics solutions that absorb or isolate noise, making interiors more comfortable and productive. Biophilic design, a health-focused design concept that encourages the inclusion of plants, daylight, and natural elements like wood and stone, is also discussed, as are the options designers have for bringing stone elements inside.
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This one-minute video shows you just how easy it is to take a course on TCA. Give it a play, explore the intuitive User Interface and the many features that make TCA easy and enjoyable. New courses are being added all the time!
There is never a cost to take a course or earn a certificate. Registration takes just a couple minutes – you only have to do it once to enroll in any course, at any time in the future – look over the course catalog for each of our programs, just click on a couple of course descriptions that look interesting to you to add them to your wish list, and start watching some really great videos.
You will also enjoy browsing the Video Vault, our video library of building and construction videos from many of the manufacturers and organizations that sponsor courses on TCA. Courses are not permitted to feature competitive product distinctions between manufacturers, except in very broad terms, so these additional videos get into branded product details, installation, safety, materials and other details of the brands.
If you have any questions, just use the Contact Us link at the top of the page.
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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.
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:
The building envelope separates the conditioned interior space from the environmental elements of the great outdoors, and this course explores a few solutions to equip the building envelope to defend the interior from nature's onslaughts, manage moisture, improve thermal performance, and admit daylight without glare.
HSW Justification:
Improper use of vapor barriers is one of the leading causes of moisture-related issues in buildings today. Those moisture related issues can include the growth of mold and mildew, which compromises the quality of the indoor environment and can even cause structural damage. Designing a proper air barrier system is crucial to moisture protection and protecting the thermal performance of the original design. This article provides best practices for designing an air barrier system that will function properly. We also discuss some solutions that can improve the functionality of the building envelope’s thermal performance. The course explores a translucent and an opaque solution that improve the thermal performance of the envelope, while offering additional benefits. Translucent wall panels allow diffuse, glare-free daylight into an interior, without compromising thermal efficiency at the opening and precast structural panels offer code-exceeding thermal performance and structural load-bearing capabilities.
Learning Objective 1:
Students will be able to explain why controlling air leakage in the building envelope is crucial to safeguarding the quality of the interior environment and protecting the energy efficiency of the building.
Learning Objective 2:
Students will learn to apply best practices to design an air barrier system that will effectively manage moisture intrusion and avoid moisture-related issues in the building envelope.
Learning Objective 3:
Students will be able to describe how translucent daylight panels allow daylight into the interior, mitigate glare and provide better thermal performance than many other glazing solutions.
Learning Objective 4:
Students will learn to use structural precast concrete panels to reduce the amount of perimeter steel needed on a project, while achieving and exceeding code-compliant thermal performance.
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.
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:
Program: The Art and Technology of Lighting
This course will review the components and uses of connected luminaires, their specification and the standards and protocols involved in current lighting controls application. Further, this course will review the emergence of the Internet of things, and how it will impact future lighting controls application.Understand the definition, components and function of a connected luminaire.
Learning Objective 1:
Understand the definition, components and function of a connected luminaire.
Learning Objective 2:
Understand how connected lighting systems interact with the Internet of Things (IoT).
Learning Objective 3:
Understand the basic components of a lighting control system and uses with LED technology.
Learning Objective 4:
Understand the specification of connected luminaire systems.
AIA Course Number FP2018-D
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