Sustainable Design Training
Opportunities to learn more about sustainable design are available throughout the year. This training, sponsored by FEMP and other organizations, provides Federal agencies the essential information and skills needed to plan, implement, and manage sustainable buildings and sites.
The following training opportunities currently exist:
- Whole Building Design Guide Continuing Education
- Design Strategies for Low-Energy, Sustainable, Secure Buildings Workshop
- Creating Sustainable Federal Buildings Webcast
- Commissioning for Federal Facilities Online Training
Additional FEMP training appears on its events calendar.
Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) Continuing Education
The Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) offers free distance continuing education courses based on the WBDG. The courses feature an introduction to whole building design concepts as well as more specific applications for design objectives, building types, and operations and maintenance (O&M).
After reading course materials, an online test presents 15 to 20 multiple choice and true/false questions. Upon successful passing of the test, participants receive a certificate of completion and related continuing education credits for reporting to the agency and professional licensing board of their choice. Each course has been approved for a minimum of 1.5 learning units in the area of Health, safety, and welfare under the American Institute of Architect Continuing Education System (AIA/CES).
Visit the WBDG Web site to learn more.
Design Strategies for Low-Energy, Sustainable, Secure Buildings Workshop
The Design Strategies for Low-energy, Sustainable, Secure Buildings workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn more about incorporating security, sustainability, and safety requirements into building design. How buildings use energy plays a critical role in integrating these three complex needs.
The course teaches the fundamentals of an integrated whole building design approach that considers the structure and systems as a whole and examines how they work best together to save energy and reduce environmental impact. Participants learn about building durability and security in concert with sustainability, "zero-energy" buildings, green power, renewable energy technologies, and distributed generation. Topics covered apply to new building and retrofits for all Federal building types.
Contact Richard Paradis at SBIC, 202-628-7400 x201, for more information.
Creating Sustainable Federal Buildings Webcast
The FEMP Creating Sustainable Federal Buildings webcast was recorded in 2005 to provide an introduction to sustainable design and operations. Answers to questions asked during the workshop are available (PDF 71 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Associated resource materials are also available for download (ZIP 2.3 MB), including information on the Environmental Protection Agency's Target Finder tool, BuildingGreen's Environmental Building News™, the Job Site Waste Management Action Plan Form, Construction Waste Management Specifications, and more.
The archived webcast site contains a recorded version of the webcast, downloadable slides, and speaker biographies. You can access this Web site at any time by following these steps:
- Open your firewall (to hear sound).
- Visit the webcast help desk at www.vcall.com/vcall/support/systemtest.aspx.
- Select "Test my computer first."
- If you do not pass the test, go to the following link and try another event listed on the webcast company's site http://www.vcall.com/. If the sound still does not work, you must contact your IT professional to deactivate the firewall and open Port 80.
- Alternatively, you may access the webcast from another location that does not have strict firewalls.
- Once your system is configured, you may begin by going to the webcast site. You will be prompted for user information before entering the site.
Commissioning for Federal Facilities Online Training
The Commissioning for Federal Facilities online training provides an interactive guide to the Commissioning for Federal Facilities booklet (PDF 3.3 MB).
The online training covers ongoing commissioning processes to resolve operating problems, improve comfort, optimize energy use, and indentify retrofits for commercial and institutional buildings and central plant facilities. It provides specific information and actions to achieve operations and maintenance savings and benefits, including an overview of commissioning, re-commissioning, and retro-commissioning.
Training is open to Federal employees and contractors involved with sustainable design, operations, and maintenance activities. Participants much answer test questions at the end of each chapter. After passing each chapter test, a certificate is presented to prove successful completion.
The Commissioning for Federal Facilities training Web site is available. For more information, contact Ab Ream at ab.ream@ee.doe.gov or 202-586-7230.