The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), in partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Architectural Record magazine, released a continuing education course titled “Specifying the Latest in Metal Buildings.” This new course is now available through Architectural Record’s Continuing Education Center website and also via their App. It provides one Learning Unit credit for AIA members.

“This new course provides industry professionals with an overview of metal building systems as well as the tools to specify a high-performance building system that will meet and exceed the owner’s design expectations,” says Tony Bouquot, MBMA’s general manager.

Designed for building and construction professionals, the course highlights the single-source, integrated project delivery approach of metal building systems. This approach provides efficiency and economy as well as sustainability for commercial building projects. The course goes on to present the relevant items that should be addressed in a standard specification process. In addition to the AIA, a number of other organizations provide learning credits for the course, including the American Institute of Building Design, the International Association for Continuing Education and Training and multiple Canadian architectural associations.

Learning objectives include the participant’s ability to:

• Identify and recognize the characteristics of high-performance metal building systems as defined by national standards;
• Investigate the design potential to create low-rise, nonresidential buildings of all types that use single-sourced metal building packages;
• Assess the inherent efficiencies in design and construction by using an integrated project-delivery process that brings all parties together to work cooperatively; and
• Specify metal building system packages, and formulate appropriate selections related to specific projects.