Thursday June 18, 2020 VIA ZOOM

Properly designed, a building captures existing site resources such as light, wind, and solar radiation to provide for the comfort and needs of occupants. Passive systems work in concert with site resources to manage building energy demand through design.  This session will build upon the concepts introduced in Courses 3 and 4 and explore a holistic strategy for designing passive systems. 

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Learning Objectives

• Define passive systems and identify specific elements of a passive design;

• Evaluate the effectiveness of various passive strategies based on available site resources

• Determine the most successful strategies for a given site

Thursday May 21, 2020 VIA ZOOM

A building’s envelope is the critical interface between occupant comfort and outdoor climatic conditions. High performance buildings require high performance envelopes that respond to exterior environmental impacts throughout the day and year. This course will explore design, material, and technological approaches to wall and window assemblies, from straightforward low-cost methods to advanced double skin facade applications. 

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Learning Objectives

• Describe the relationship between daylight & energy efficiency

• Explain the impact of daylight on human health

• Identify and evaluate daylighting strategies to optimize energy performance and occupant comfort.

• List techniques for effectively managing glare and unwanted heat gain.

Thursday April 16, 2020 VIA ZOOM

Energy efficient design embraces the climate when beneficial, and minimizes unwanted environmental conditions. In this session, we’ll explore using climate data and site characteristics to conduct climate analyses, which we can use to inform building design and lower energy loads. This will set the stage for future courses that will address specific design strategies in more detail.

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In this course we cover the key elements of climate analysis. We discuss climatic factors that affect both a building’s performance and occupant comfort. We also decipher the “mysterious” psychrometric chart, which allows us to consider both climate and comfort together. Finally, we explore ways in which climate affects design decisions about site and program, as well as where to look for hidden opportunities during this phase to increase efficiency.

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Learning Objectives

• Explain why climate responsive design reduces the energy load of a building.

• Explain the utility of tools such as wind roses, sun path diagrams, and climate data files to inform building design and energy usage. 

• Discuss the effects of climate analysis on site and program decisions and influence on energy usage and decisions.

• List the site and climate factors that impact a building's performance.

Thursday February 20, 2020

Noon to 1:30 pm

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The 2030 Challenge outlines a set of incremental design targets moving towards carbon neutral design. Those targets should be part of the design process from the start of the project. This course examines tools that can help set a project’s energy targets and track progress towards those goals. Attendees will also learn about setting targets, not just for the whole building energy use, but for energy end uses of the building, which is critical to achieving results. Finally, members explore how energy modeling can be used at all stages of design to verify progress towards realizing the project’s goals.   

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the incremental design targets outlined in the 2030 Challenge that move towards carbon neutral design

• Describe some of the primary tools available to assist architects in setting and tracking energy targets

• Discuss the importance of energy end use in setting targets and achieving results

• Describe how energy modeling can be used at all stages of design to verify progress towards realizing the project’s goals

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Thursday January 16, 2020

Noon to 1:15 pm

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The design process is an important element in the creation of next-generation buildings that meet the 2030 Challenge targets. In the first course of the AIA+2030 Online Series, we will explore the design processes to produce high-performance and carbon neutral buildings, including the Integrative Design Process (IDP). We will explore collaborative strategies that can achieve low energy outcomes, and how these strategies can be used as a roadmap throughout the design process. In particular, we will examine defining core, early design decisions such as building form and orientation.