This course will explore a real-life example of a 5,000-square-foot office expansion recently completed in Western Massachusetts. We’ll take a deep dive into the owner’s and architect’s primary goals for the space; that it be beautiful, healthy, sustainable, and functional.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of selecting the appropriate window products based on project-specific design and performance requirements. It covers various window types and their performance characteristics, examining factors such as location, building type, air and water infiltration, and design pressures.

In any building, individuals come in contact with many different building materials — concrete, wood, steel, stone, and brick — all designed and engineered for their strength, durability and functionality.

This course compares exterior wall metal cladding systems and takes an in-depth look at the design options, testing, specifications, environmental implications, and the detailing of single-skin metal panel systems as used in a pressure-equalized rainscreen (PER) application.

This course covers the specifics of the different metallic claddings in their most frequent uses. Focusing more on the comparisons and advantages between the different types of claddings in the industry, the paint systems used, the environmental aspect, the oil canning, and the installation.

Terracotta as a building material has a long history across the world but faced challenges establishing its architectural legacy in the United States. In this course we will review the history of architectural terracotta throughout its rise in use, fall in use, and revival of the material in the US from the late 1800s to present.

Handrails and guardrails are a safety feature that we easily take for granted as a common fixture in environments where stairs and balconies are featured, aiding us in our coming and going.