Online Training Library

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FREE online seminars for architects and engineers featuring topical seminars related to wood design.

Education Credits

The online seminars listed below are free to stream and watch; however, you can also earn valuable Professional Development Hour (PDH)or AIA Continuing Education Credits (CEC) course credits upon successful completion of an online exam and payment of a $25 examination fee. Here's how:

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Enter your name in the payment field below the session description and click the Pay Now button.
You will be re-directed to our PayPal Online Payment page to enter your payment information. You have the option of using your existing PayPal account or a major credit card to make your payment.
Once payment is processed, you will be automatically directed to the online exam.
Complete the online exam and click submit.
Upon successful completion of the exam, you will receive an email with a continuing education certificate for CEC or PDH validation. Successful exam performance level is 80%. You will have three attempts to acheive 80%.

Please allow 2-3 weeks for your quiz to be graded at which time a member of the WoodWorks team will contact you with your results.

Available Courses and Credit Information

Achieving New Heights with Wood-framed Tall Walls
Originally presented on July 21, 2010 by Renee Strand, PE, iLevel by Weyerhaeuser

1 LU/HSW credit. For many design professionals, wood-frame tall walls provide an effective engineering solution for large rooms with long, clear-spanning roofs—while also offering benefits such as design flexibility, speed of construction and sustainability. Presented by Renee Strand, PE, a leading expert in tall-wall engineering, this webinar will provide the information you need to consider wood-frame tall walls for your next project.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

To receive a continuing education certificate for this online seminar, enter your first and last name in the box to the right and click Pay Now. You will be re-directed to our PayPal Online Payment page to enter your payment information. Once your payment is processed you will be automatically re-directed to the exam page.

Guidelines for Using Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses in Non-residential Buildings
Originally presented on May 18, 2010 by Archie Landreman, WoodWorks North-central and Jim Vogt PE, Structural Building Components Association

Wood trusses are a common structural component of the floors and roofs of non-residential buildings, and a considerable amount of information is available to assist building designers and contractors with the specification and installation of this specialty product. This presentation will focus on some of the important issues involving the specification and use of wood trusses, including working with truss shop drawings, standard design responsibilities, and job site applications.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1.5 AIA HSW credits or 1.5 PDH hours - $25

Modern Timber Bridges
Originally presented on April 21, 2010 by Paul C. Gilham, P.E., S.E., Western Wood Structures, Inc.

Timber Bridges often evoke images of scenic country roads with horse-drawn wagons. New technologies have made Modern Timber Bridges efficient and durable to carry today’s highway and pedestrian loads while maintaining the beauty of timber. This webinar will examine the variety of available styles of timber bridges and the technologies used to meet today’s requirements for strength, durability, and cost effectiveness.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Engineered Wood Beams - What Today's Designers Need to Know
Originally presented on March 18, 2010 by Bryan Readling, Senior Engineered Wood Specialist, APA; Bruce Lindsey, Technical Director, WoodWorks Southeast

Various types of wood beams are often used for the primary load carrying members of non-residential buildings. Often selected for aesthetic reasons or its unparalleled design flexibility, wood beam products also offer superior structural performance combined with long term durability. This seminar will focus on recent innovations—such as the use of fiber reinforced polymers to increase strength and stiffness—as well as sustainability considerations related to product selection and connection detailing, fire performance and endurance. An assortment of beam products will be discussed including Glulams, LVL, parallam, and Laminated Strand Lumber.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Western Red Cedar Distinctive Designs
Originally presented on January 27, 2010 by Paul Mackie, Western Field Representative, Western Red Cedar Lumber Association

Western Red Cedar compliments any architectural design from turn of the century to contemporary. The presentation will provide specifiers with enhanced knowledge of Western Red Cedar’s properties and performance characteristics. Several key areas will be discussed including grade and product specification requirements, proper installation, finishing and maintenance. Attendees will gain an appreciation of Cedar’s versatility and the enhanced appeal it adds to any project.

Click here to stream for free.

*We're sorry, this presentation does not qualify for continuing education credit.

LEEDing to Maximum Points with Wood: Making the Most of Green Building Credits
Originally presented on December 17, 2009 by Dr. Jim Bowyer, President, Bowyer & Associates, Inc. and Director, Dovetail Partners Inc.

In seeking to create an environmentally superior building, navigating green building standards can be challenging. Receiving appropriate credit for the use of wood, which is typically the lowest impact material from energy and environmental perspectives, can be particularly daunting. In this presentation, wood-related credits within the LEED and Green Globes green building standards are identified and explained. You will be surprised at what’s possible—and the information gained will help you build beautiful, low-impact structures while taking full advantage of available credits.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW/SD credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Selection and Use of Preservative Treated Wood
Originally presented on November 18, 2009 by Tom Milton, Technical Director, WoodWorks North-central

In the past several years, a variety of new preservatives have been introduced to lessen the environmental impact of pressure-treated applications. This session will cover the types of pressure-treated materials available, recommended applications for particular products, fastener types usable in pressure-treated environments, quality control and identification, best management practices for aquatic environments, and interior and exterior fire retardant applications.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW/SD credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Wood in School Construction
Originally presented on November 3, 2009 by Greg Bates, Engineered Wood Specialist, APA The Engineered Wood Association

Wood is an excellent choice of material for the structural frame in school design and construction. This program highlights how the use of wood can lower construction costs while shortening construction time, offering increased building efficiency and contributing to better Life Cycle Assessment. Topics include: fire resistance, building performance, durability and serviceability.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Fire Away: Meeting Codes with FR Wood
Originally presented on September 24,2009 by Rodney Hardison, Manager, Arch Wood Protection, Inc.

For numerous applications in commercial, institutional, and multi-family buildings, codes require a non-combustible material or accepted substitute. Fire retardant (FR) wood complies with such codes, providing an economical and easily modified material that works automatically when fire strikes. This presentation examines when it is advantageous to specify FR wood, where the IBC permits use of FR wood, and the differences between interior and exterior types. This presentation also covers The Component Additive Method, opportunities with coated OSB and the difference between flame spread and fire resistance.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

It's Easy Being Green!
Originally presented on August 20, 2009 by Cheryl Ciecko, Technical Director, WoodWorks North-central

This presentation looks at how wood construction makes being 'green' easy. The scientific measurement of ‘green’ will be introduced through discussion of life cycle assessment (LCA) which is becoming the world standard for evaluating the sustainability of materials and assemblies and improving environmentally based decision-making. The world’s most popular green rating systems, including BREEAM, Green Globes™ and LEED®, will be explored and their relationship to wood and forestry issues in North America will be compared. Examples of how wood can be used to address the challenging issues of climate change and human comfort will also be discussed.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW/SD credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Applying LCA in Building Design – Easier Than You Think!
Originally presented on July 30, 2009 by Jim Bowyer, Dovetail Partners, Inc.

Life cycle assessment, or LCA, provides a mechanism for systematically evaluating the environmental impacts linked to raw material and product choices in building design, post-construction maintenance and end-of-product-life strategies. It is a powerful tool and one that should be used whenever creation of an environmentally superior building is desired. In this presentation, the basics of LCA will be briefly examined, followed by a demonstration of how on-line tools such as the ATHENA® Eco-Calculator for Assemblies can be used to inform architectural design and building material selection.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW/SD credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

5 over 1 Mid-rise Wood Structures
Originally presented on April 29, 2009 by Dominic Matteri, PE, Project Manager, Miyamoto International

Mid-rise wood structures offer distinct challenges to the design professional. This presentation will include a review of the 2007 California Building Code provisions as it pertains to mid-rise wood buildings, as well as information on unique structural design challenges such as high vertical loads on wood stud framing, transfer of lateral loads and wood shrinkage. Fire-rated floor and wall assemblies and design using fire-treated lumber will also be discussed.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Celebrating Timber Frame Construction
Originally presented on June 18, 2009 by Robert L. (“Ben”) Brungraber, Ph.D., P.E., Fire Tower Engineered Timber

Timber framing is defined as the craft of building structures that are supported by exposed, heavy timbers. The connections are often traditional: pegged mortise and tenons, splines, keys, wedges, and simple bearing joinery. This presentation covers the past, present, and future of timber framing. It will include examples of timber-framed commercial and residential structures illustrating a wide variety of timbers and connections. The speaker celebrates thirty five years of experience as an educator and practitioner in the repair, analysis, design, and building of hundreds of striking heavy timber-supported structures.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW/SD credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Designing the World’s Tallest Modern Mixed-use Wood Building
Originally presented on February 23, 2009 by Andrew Waugh, Director and Co-founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects, London

Constructed entirely in timber, this nine story high-rise in London's Hackney borough is the world’s tallest modern mixed-use wood building. Comprising 29 apartments, it provides both affordable and private housing as well as substantial commercial space. A modern and engaging counterpart to the 1950s and 60s ground-hugging slab blocks next door, the building's striking façade has been inspired by the work of artist Gerhard Richter.

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*We're sorry, this presentation does not qualify for continuing education credit.

Fire Protection I: Allowable Heights and Areas
Originally presented on January 30, 2009 by Scott Lockyear, PE, Technical Director, WoodWorks Southeast

This presentation will focus on the use of wood products allowed by the International Building Code, taking into account allowable heights and areas along with the benefits of incorporating fire mitigation techniques such as protected construction and sprinklers. Topics will include how building type affects the available choice of wood products (including fire retardant treated wood) and the American Wood Council’s Heights and Areas Calculator.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Fire Protection II: Basic Principles for Wood Frame Structures
Originally presented on March 23, 2009 by Scott Lockyear, PE, Technical Director, WoodWorks Southeast

This session will highlight basic fire protection principles for non-residential structures, including fire rating of interior and exterior walls, fire blocking and draft stopping. Examples of fire assemblies to achieve one and two hour fire ratings will be shown, utilizing materials such as I-Joists, plated floor trusses and solid sawn lumber. Topics will also include common details for fire walls, elevator shafts and other critical assemblies in commercial structures.

Click here to stream for free.

Continuing Education Certificate: 1 AIA HSW credit or 1 PDH hour - $25

Register for upcoming live sessions here.

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