New six and eight-week classes start the week of February 2, 2009.
Green building: The crucial environmental issue of our time.
The reason: Buildings account for the most energy consumption (76%); most greenhouse gasses (48%); most overall pollution; wasted resources and landfill; and much of the recent increases in allergies and respiratory diseases (due to toxic materials and bad air handling systems).
Soon virtually all publicly-funded construction and most private construction will have to be designed to meet green standards.
SFIA has been training students for careers in architecture, building, education, administration, and consulting for seventeen years. SFIA is the oldest professional school of its kind and still the leader in education for sustainability, ecological design, and green building.
MONDAY CLASSES
E50
EVERYTHING ECO GREEN BUILDING WORKSHOP
3 units. 6 weeks. 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.
(Also earns 6 AIA CES units.)
Starts Monday, February 2.
Very low tuition: $150, credit option only.
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Architect, Director, SFIA.
Author of the Ecological Design Handbook and numerous other books on architecture management and technology. This course has been presented as a workshop to architects in every major city in the U.S. It is the most comprehensive introduction and overview of green building design, construction and alternative environmental and energy systems to be found anywhere.
Topics include:
• The new array of green building career opportunities.
• The full menu of alternative materials and construction methods.
• Green walls/green roofs/plantscaping.
• Natural and free electricity, lighting, heating, and cooling.
• Bioremediation and site remediation/construction ecology.
• Creating completely self-sufficient buildings that produce surplus
energy to sell and to power cars and trucks; to process waste and
sewage; to remove pollutants; to add oxygen to the air; to improve
human health; and to enhance the natural environment.
D4
THE ARCHITECTURAL MIND CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
3 units. 6 weeks. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Starts Monday, February 2.
Tuition: $350, credit, $175 noncredit.
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Architect, Director, SFIA.
The world’s most advanced creative thinking and problem-solving tools. This course presents the mental and emotional processes that precede, precipitate, support, or hinder the process of design. It teaches today’s most advanced methods for inducing inspiration, original thinking, independent thinking, and creative design and problem solving. You’ll learn of the latest discoveries on brain function and creative problem-solving techniques, such as Mind Maps, advanced Brainstorming methods, Lateral Thinking, Morphological Thinking, and many others. Includes much new information on the brain, consciousness, the design process, methods for enlarging the scope of consciousness, and the most effective methods for solving any type of problem.
TUESDAY CLASSES
C22A
SKETCHUP CAD 3-D MODELING AND DESIGN PROCESS
3 units. 6 weeks. 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.
Starts Tuesday, February 3.
Tuition: $350, credit option only.
Instructor: Dave Weir, SFIA SketchUp expert.
A comprehensive introduction to the lowest-cost and easiest- to-use architecture computer modeling program. SketchUp is now the leading medium for architectural perspective renderings and presentation drawings. Software can be downloaded at no cost, but students should download version 7. Bring your own laptop (required), with a two-button wheel mouse. For information on the software, see www.SketchUp.com.
C22B
ADVANCED SKETCHUP 3-D MODELING AND PRESENTATION
3 units. 6 weeks. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Starts Tuesday, February 3.
Tuition: $350, credit option only.
Instructor: Dave Weir, SFIA SketchUp expert.
More advanced 3-D modeling, animation, fly throughs, and photo integration with photoshop. Requires download of SketchUp version 7. Bring your own laptop (required), with a two-button wheel mouse.
WEDNESDAY CLASSES
D-23
DESIGN FOR HUMAN BEHAVIOR
3 units, 8 weeks. 6:30 – 7:45 p.m.
Class starts Wednesday, February 4.
Tuition: $350, credit option only.
Instructor: Dave Deppen, Architect
Required textbook: A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, et al.
This has been one of our highest-rated classes, a lifelong resource for students. Includes:
• How people use and respond to the space around them.
• Exploring the field of environmental psychology.
• Design approaches in sync with human feeling.
• Personal space and social space.
• Defensible space and healing space.
• Daylighting and color.
• Awareness and perception.
E150
SOLAR POWER
3 units. 6 weeks. 8:00 – 9:15+ p.m.
Class starts Wednesday, February 4.
Tuition: $350, credit option only.
Instructor: Jerry Caldwell, Solar Consultant.
The sun is likely to become the dominant source of electrical energy in our time. A “how-to” overview of one of today’s most effective solutions to the world’s energy problems, this course covers:
• Design methods, technology, installation, and case studies.
• Planning and installing systems in new and existing buildings.
• Best practices for economy and performance.
• Tax credits, rebates, and other incentives.
• Drawings required for permits and construction.
THURSDAY CLASSES
D1
STUDIO: CREATIVE DESIGN AND NATURE-BASED ARCHITECTURE
5 units. 8 weeks. 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Class starts Thursday, February 5.
Tuition: $550, credit, $275 noncredit.
Instructor: Fred Stitt, Architect. Director, SFIA.
This course shows how to create extraordinary buildings — buildings that are wholly integrated with the needs of the users, with the site, and within themselves as works of art. The creative design process is extremely well understood, thanks to the testimonies of generations of the world’s most creative architects. The focus of this class is on how to use your natural skills, experiment with them, and evolve and maximize your inherent and original design abilities.
