Corporate Training By Zack Academy - Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program

The Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program is one of the longest running and most effective green building education programs in the industry.

Why Should You Enroll In This Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program?

Issues such as asbestos and lead abatement, sick building syndrome, and energy efficiency have rapidly evolved from obscure concerns to green building to regulatory realities. Thus today's savvy building practitioners recognize that green building is much more than a passing fascination - it is the future of all buildings. Businesses with an eye to that future are preparing their employees with the knowledge they will need to succeed in this increasingly complex environment. The SBA Program provides a comprehensive foundation in 21st-century priorities for healthy, safe, and responsible building design, construction, operations and maintenance - exactly the preparation that these professionals will need to position their businesses for competitive advantage in this building evolution.

This Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program curriculum is a comprehensive study of green building design delivered in an interactive format that includes lectures by subject experts, hands-on exercises, field trips to local green building projects and online learning. Additionally, students work together on a team project that involves research, discussion, integrated planning, written results and a formal presentation. Passing the final exam earns students a Certificate in Sustainable Building Advising, CSBA.

Emphasizing commitment to your professional career is important in this business environment. Certifications such as Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA) show you are credible and knowledgeable about current trends and best practices in green building design. Earning Continuing Education Learning Units (CEUs) shows employers you are continuing to improve your skill set. So make a smart move for your career today - earn your CSBA while obtaining up to two years worth of CEUs for GBCI and AIA.

What Professional Credentials Will You Earn By Enrolling in the SBA Program?

Upon completion of the SBA Program and CSBA Exam, students will earn the designation of Certified Sustainable Building Advisor (CSBA).

The following additions come as part of the Sustainable Building Advisor Program:

• The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has approved the SBA Program for core Continuing Education (CE) Learning Units.
• Canadian Architects are awarded core Continuing Education Learning Units in many provinces.
• The Education Reviewing Body (ERB) of the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has approved the SBA Program for 100 CE hours towards LEED Professional credential maintenance.
• The SBA Program fulfills the LEED Green Associate exam eligibility criteria of an education program that addresses green building principles.
• The USGBC Education Provider Program (EPP) has rated the SBA Program as a Level 400 (Mastery) Program.
• The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has approved the SBA Program for 18 hours toward Living Future Accreditation.

Students who complete the Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program will be able to do the following:

• Identify and discuss the key practices of sustainable building.
• Establish competencies in applying LEED™, Built Green™, and other relevant criteria or established guidelines to the built environment.
• Analyze the costs and benefits of incorporating sustainable building measures into a project.
• Take advantage of financial incentives and technical assistance offered by government, utilities, and nonprofit organizations.
• Work with architects, designers, builders, building operators, and utilities to improve a building's performance.
• Establish a sustainable design goal for project development.
• Assist in the education and training of staff in sustainable building.

What Benefits Are Associated With This Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) Program?

• Tuition fees include lectures, field trips, certification exam and online access to course materials and curriculum
• The national certification examination fee is included in the cost of tuition!
• Program is delivered in an interactive format that encourages innovation and systems thinking

Syllabus

Unit 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

Unit 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

Unit 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

Unit 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

Unit 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

Unit 6: Water and Site Design

Benefits of adopting a natural systems-based approach:

• Impact reduction through landscape layout, plant selection and placement
• On-site management methods for storm water and wastewater
• Water catchment, greywater and living systems
• Indoor water conservation

Unit 7: Sustainable Job Site Operations

Construction waste management, site protection and IAQ protection:

• Opportunities for deconstruction and reuse
• Benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• Active construction project site-tour

Unit 8: Building Operations and Maintenance

Facility management (FM) functions:

• Building Commission (Cx) and its critical importance to the performance of a building
• Effective operations, maintenance and procurement
• Home performance testing and improvements

Unit 9: Team Projects

The culmination and heart of the SBA program, the team projects are presented to the class and faculty. Projects showcase students" learning and effort throughout the course:

• Professional communication skills
• Collaboration skills
• Substantive content learned in units 1-8