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 easier and more enjoyable than any other continuing education platform out there. And new courses are being added all the time!

Registration takes just a couple minutes - you only have to do it once to take any course at any time in the future - look over the course catalog, 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. If you have any questions, just use the Contact Us link at the top of the page.

This course takes a comprehensive look at current and future trends in K-12 design, taking into account design programs and product selection providing short and long-term benefits for school districts, educators, students and parents/guardians, are discussed.  Recent events have put renewed emphasis on educational facilities as vital centers for communities that require careful planning, design, construction and regular post-occupancy review in order to provide students with functional, healthy and secure learning environments.

The Aspen Art Museum, designed by architect Shiguru Ban, includes a long-span three-dimensional wood space-frame rook.
 

Ban’s charge was to create a wood space frame with spans of more than 50 feet and cantilevers of 14 feet, in a structural depth of 3 feet. The space frae was to have two planes of intersecting diagonal webs of curved meters that undulated up and down to touch the planes of the top and bottom horns with no visible connectors.
 

This case study presentation will describe the design and construction of the wood structure, including paths explored but not chosen for the final design.

Presented by the timber specialists responsible for such iconic structures as the Richmond Olympic Oval, this presentation explores the aesthetic potential and efficiency of nail laminated timber systems, while touching on relevant engineering, manufacturing and erection techniques used in other timber projects.The architectural and environmental success of The Bullitt Center in Seattle has made heavy timber office buildings a topic of great interest within the design community. Now, with ground broken on a new 7-story example in Minneapolis, cost-effectiveness can be added to the potential benefits achieved with a mass timber structural solution. Examples demonstrate opportunities for prefabrication and sophisticated erection techniques, while emphasizing the importance of efficient structural engineering, product choice, connections and fasteners to creating economical timber structures.

(Please note: The Study Guide is a White Paper entitled "Alvar Aalto, the father of modern wood ceilings", which is intended to be a part of the course. Please download it upon enrolling.) A comprehensive discussion of the key factors that inform and influence the specification of a suspended wood ceiling. This course covers the benefits of suspended wood ceilings; materials including wood options such as veneers, solid wood or reclaimed wood; sustainability attributes; and performance characteristics.

For the good of your practice: This lively video features construction marketing expert Jim Nowakowski discussing how your design/architectural service can get a better understanding of the market today in view of ongoing "Digital Disruption." The course will give you a better understanding of the tools available to help keep your services relevant, and of your own value in the scheme of business today.

Pressure! When it comes to water, too much pressure in a building's plumbing system can be detrimental – to pipes, fixtures, and appliances, as well as to efforts to minimize water consumption. Water Pressure Regulation in Building Design covers code requirements for water pressure, and the plumbing components used to reduce and regulate water pressure before entering a building's plumbing system. (Course includes a downloadable PDF study guide.)

In this course we'll explore the changing world of acoustics. 

An evolution in the built environment is creating an increased need for sound control. Growing evidence shows that adequate acoustics can have positive, rippling effects on occupants. In this presentation, we will investigate how the changes taking place are translating to tangible benefits in corporate, education and hospitality spaces.

This course will explain the benefits of designing with structural insulated panels (SIPs) for residential applications. The designer will gain a better understanding of application, assembly and detailing in order to properly utilize SIPs for optimum energy efficiency and durability. Through case studies and design strategies, the designer will walk away from this course with a better understanding of designing for current industry standards with SIPs.

(Please note: The Study Guide is a comprehensive report on washroom design for ADA compliance and is intended to be part of this course. Please download it upon enrolling.) Multigenerational design, also known as transgenerational design, is an increasingly important aspect of universal design and a major contemporary trend mirroring the dramatic societal and economic changes of the last decades. In particular, public restrooms illustrate these multigenerational trends because they serve such diverse populations. Designing them successfully is a growing challenge for architects and facility owners.