As long as you hold a license to practice, architect continuing education will be part of the job. But how do required courses for Florida architects apply to everyday practice? Here are two courses offered by PDH Academy that you’ll use throughout your career and why they’re so important.
New Construction is on an Upswing in Florida
Since 2014, Florida has enjoyed steady growth in new home construction. In Q1 for 2017, Annual New Home Starts or new construction projects were up by over 15 percent year-over-year, says MetroStudy. The Orlando housing market has benefited from an improved employment market, and similar trends are apparent throughout the state, naturally with a few exceptions.
Florida architects with a growing workload benefit from a deeper understanding of past structural materials and methods so new projects can be improved upon and offer a better all-around value for home buyers. That’s the goal of PDH Academy’s Review of Structural Materials & Methods for Home Building in the U.S.: 1900-2000.
Architects who take this continuing education course will earn 3.0 LUs and gain the following proficiencies:
- Understand recent technical data and structural performance in home building
- Know that continual improvement in home building requires regular evaluation of successes and the results of ineffective decisions
- Apply the information from this course to create a better and better housing value
- Understand that with increasing precision in construction there’s more potential for error, specifically at connections
Buyers and investors know that green equals comfortable, healthy and energy efficient.
Green Building Remains Important to Architects, Builders, Buyers and Communities
Green initiatives have taken a hit at the federal level in 2017, but people involved in new home construction and renovations, from designers to builders and home buyers to communities, still understand the importance of healthier homes with a lower environmental impact.
In Florida, eco-friendly building standards and practices are supported by the Florida Green Building Coalition as well as other state and national organizations, including the AIA. Although regulations may shrink or disappear, the demand for safer, more efficient and healthier homes is still growing. PDH Academy offers a few Green-centric continuing education courses, such as Green Building Guidelines for New Home Construction
After completing this course, architects can expect to earn 4 LUs and gain a solid working knowledge about:
- Green Building as a combination of three objectives: natural resource conservation, energy efficiency, better indoor air quality
- Higher quality in green homes as most of the products and materials were designed for it.
- “Green Points” ratings system
- Guidelines and resources for developing and implementing green building packages
Architects in Florida have ample projects and more on the horizon. As the economy continues to improve, more buyers will invest in real estate, which creates a higher demand for skilled and qualified professionals.
PDH Academy supports your busy career. That’s why we also offer a money- and time-saving bundle of continuing education for Florida architects. Once you complete a course, we report your credits to the AIA on your behalf. Check out our continuing education courses for architects today.
