Building Materials Matter
course credit: 1.0 AIA LU/HSW 
With an abundance of information and competing environmental claims, determining a material’s true impacts can be a challenge. Does wood reduce a building’s carbon footprint in a meaningful way? Is it better to use recycled steel or wood from a sustainably managed forest? To what extent do structural materials impact operational performance? Does resilience depend on the material or on proper design and maintenance? This course seeks to address these and other questions.
Learning Objectives:
- Compare the life-cycle impacts of common building materials, from the extraction or harvest of raw materials through end-of-life disposal or recycling/reuse.
- Articulate the influence of wood on operational energy efficiency
- Consider a growing body of research on the impacts of visual wood on occupant health and well-being
- Discuss design considerations related to a building’s safety, resilience and long-term durability
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