The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a community of about 88 000 members, whose head office is based in Washington, DC in the United States and has more than 250 divisions worldwide. This association influences and educates the industry by offering hundreds of courses every year. These courses help members of the association to work more wisely and accumulate the necessary continuing education units.
Several varieties of courses on a wide range of topics are available online or face-to-face at architectural firms. How can the architectural community make a good selection from all the possibilities that are offered? What are the benefits? More specifically, how can such courses help enhance your knowledge of acid-etched glass and mirror applications?
Walker Glass makes a significant contribution to the continuing education process by offering two different courses. The first one is about using and specifying acid-etched glass or mirror in interior or exterior glass applications and the second one has to do with bird friendly building designs with acid-etched glass. These courses are one hour long and are available in box lunch presentation format, or any other format you might require, at your offices. It provides one AIA/HSW learning unit to members of the American Institute of Architects.
These presentations cover critical aspects such as product characteristics, properties, specifications and constructability to facilitate and improve the decision-making process. These courses can also be offered to architects that do not have AIA membership, interns, designers, structural engineers and building façade consultants wishing to improve their knowledge.
One of the most important asset of this education program is that the Walker Textures® architectural managers offer the opportunity to have a pleasant learning experience during lunch break or at any other suitable time of the day to optimize their schedule. They can then enhance their knowledge on the acid-etched glass and mirror applications, while minimizing the impact on billable hours. The presentation is also quite interactive, allowing attendees to ask questions and discuss specific concerns.
The architectural manager’s role is to share their in-depth knowledge about acid-etched glass and mirrors and to answer any questions. Furthermore, the question period gives the attendees a chance to interact and raise interesting discussions with their peers which fosters the learning experience.
The Walker Textures® architectural managers are also available to support the design development process and help with written specifications for a specific project, long after the presentation has ended if needed.
“Architects need to be able to count on qualified people to know everything there is to know about acid-etched glass and mirror and provide information about its advantages versus other types of glass enhancements. Product specialists need to work to maintain trust with the architect and provide them with correct information about etched glass and how it will work on the project. We are here to help them design buildings that will have unique features. It’s worth it!” says Roger McGuire, Walker Textures®’s architectural Manager.
During presentations, attendees can also review acid-etched glass and mirror samples. They can manipulate the products to better understand the attractive effects of the etching process. Architects, designers and other professionals can gain appropriate knowledge of design, performance and functional properties of a product and are in a much better position to make appropriate decisions during the design development process and at time of writing specifications. This of course results in superior building design!
Ultimately, the courses on acid-etched glass and mirror and bird friendly building design with acid-etched glass are a valuable contribution to the continuing education program of the architectural community and offer a great opportunity to enhance their glass knowledge.
“Come with an open mind and with a desire to learn. Architectural managers are very knowledgeable about their subjects. Architects must consider the benefits of having them give an AIA presentation and acquiring the relevant knowledge that the architectural manager has to offer. That information is a great tool that architects can apply in their future projects. With AIA presentations, architects can expand their expertise so they can offer more to their clients.” (Ed Bartlett, Walker Textures®’s Architectural Manager)
If you would like more information on our continuing education courses or would like a presentation at your offices click here.
