Record on The Road Virtual Events

December 17, 2020

1:00 PM EST

REGISTER NOW!

1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 IACET CEU
 

Learning Objectives

1. Explain new approaches to managing and improving indoor quality through a variety of building materials and systems, including ceilings.
2. Describe evolving standards and initiatives for sustainable building materials, air ventilation systems and cleaning practices for the design and maintenance of healthy buildings.
3. Explain how ceiling systems can contribute to improved air quality and occupant well-being.
4. Illustrate how high-performing acoustical ceilings can positively impact building operations and maintenance to enhance human health and wellness.
5. List the sustainability attributes of ceiling systems which contribute to acoustical performance and healthy indoor air.

The COVID-19 pandemic is redefining standards for health and safety protocols in all aspects of life, including indoor spaces. As employers, educators and building owners seek to reopen their facilities, they are looking for ways to meet the heightened expectations of their workers and occupants. Guiding these decisions are recommendations from industry organizations such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), which offers guidance on how changes to building operations, particularly HVAC systems, can reduce airborne exposures. Recent innovations in ceiling systems can contribute to these efforts. For example, one new option on the market reduces air leakage through the ceiling plane by up to four times. Reducing air leaks can significantly increase the effectiveness of air ventilation and filtration systems, particularly where ventilation systems may have limited capacity to increase airflow or add fresh air.

This course will introduce the reader to such innovative solutions, beginning with an exploration of how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed approaches to managing and improving air quality through various materials and systems. It will include a discussion of evolving standards and initiatives for sustainable building materials, air ventilation systems and cleaning practices that contribute to the design, operation, and maintenance of healthy buildings. The course will discuss how ceiling systems can contribute to improved indoor air quality and occupant health and well-being, both by promoting good indoor air quality and helping create acoustic environments that support productivity, learning, and healing. The course will introduce the reader to innovative new ceiling products and technologies, including an air purification system that uses ultraviolet light to neutralize disease pathogens.

December 17, 2020

2:15 PM EST

REGISTER NOW!

1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 IACET CEU
 

Learning Objectives

1. Identify sustainable and mainly low-tech design solutions that can minimize the transmission of airborne diseases within buildings.
2. Illustrate ways to safely create or occupy indoor and outdoor spaces within dense urban centers in the midst of a pandemic.
3. Pinpoint architectural elements across building types where improved design will have the most impact on reducing disease spread.
4. Discuss how sustainable building practices contribute to battling the climate crisis, and, in turn, pandemics themselves.

There is no doubt the COVID-19 crisis has upended our lives. What is less clear is the impact the pandemic will have on our built environment. Short term fixes like plexiglass barriers and touchless entries and elevators don’t begin to address the underlying issues of a world out of whack—the pandemic itself the result of irreparable damage to natural ecosystems.

Can this be a transformational moment for the design of our buildings and cities? How can the architectural profession effect real change in creating healthy and sustainable spaces for humans while minimizing harm to the environment? This course offers a return to basic principles, showcasing projects shaped by access to light and air, and a meaningful connection to their contexts, whether city or nature. The panelists—leaders in firms in the U.S. and Europe—will present examples in both warm- and cold-weather climates, completed and under construction, that offer simple lessons not just for improving indoor air quality or building more sustainably, but for recalibrating our response to the crisis.