The SBA Program curriculum and courses provides a systems approach to designing, constructing and operating high performance buildings. The program courses are delivered in the form of interactive lectures taught by subject experts, with hands-on exercises and field trips to exemplary projects. The program culminates with a final presentation based on team projects and an exam that earns you the designation Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA).
The Curriculum
Course 1: Fundamentals of Sustainable Building and Design
- The case and rationale for sustainable building
- A view of the current state of green building in this region and across the nation
- Integrative Design Process, Charrettes and Integrated Project Delivery
- Review of prominent green building rating systems
- An introduction to the practicum project
Course 2: The Importance of Place: Site, Transportation and Land Use Issues
- Strategies for placemaking
- An understanding of sustainable site design
- Sustainable site analysis and conduct a site assessment
- Importance of transportation planning, siting, relationship to sustainability
- Strategies to achieve sustainable transportation patterns and site development
Course 3: Energy Efficient Design
- The effect of building energy systems on the human experience and the global environment
- The value of contextual, holistic approach to building energy system design
- Interaction between a building, its occupants and the local climate
- Understanding the building science of shading, daylight, orientation and building envelope
- Fundamental building energy systems, including HVAC, lighting and renewable technologies
Course 4: “Green” Materials Selection
- Factors in material selection and the issue of trade-offs
- Resources to assist in determining materials appropriateness
- Analytical process to evaluate materials for a project including
- Understanding Life Cycle Analysis and Embodied Energy
- Considerations for structural materials selection, including advanced framing
Course 5: Indoor Environmental Quality & Health
- Benefits of improving indoor environmental quality
- Innovative ventilation system design strategies
- Linkages between health, well-being and productivity
- Barriers and solutions to achieving good indoor air and acoustical comfort
- Physical, psychological and financial benefits of daylight and view
Course 6: Water and Site Design
- Benefits of adopting a natural systems-based approach
- Sustainable site development patterns
- Impact reduction through landscape layout, plant selection and placement
- On-site management methods for storm water and wastewater
- Indoor water conservation
Course 7: Sustainable Job Site Operations
- Construction waste management, site protection and IAQ protection
- Opportunities for deconstruction and reuse
- Planning and practices for sustainable construction
- Active construction project site-tour
Course 8: Building Operations and Maintenance
- Facility management (FM) functions
- Building Commission (Cx) and its critical importance to the performance of a building
- Effective operations and maintenance
- Effective training programs within a building
Course 9: Presentation of Team Projects
