WMAIA COTE: Materials & Health—Understanding the Tools

Material selection is a core service provided by architects, but that process is far from simple. The AIA Materials Certificate Program untangles the complexities of that process in five essential courses. The key? Materials transparency. When you know everything you can about the materials you use, you're able to make the best product decisions for projects, people, and the environment. The courses cover different types of impacts, and best practices for reducing these impacts, from industry-best instructors. Take all five courses and earn a certificate.

COURSE 5—Materials & Health: Understanding the Tools

There are a number of materials selection tools on the market, all designed to help you make healthier project and product decisions. But how do you choose? This course shows you how. You’ll learn about tools in the four categories—inventory, screening, assessment, and optimization—including what you can expect to find in any tool in specific category. In the last section of the course you’ll get practical advice for using the tools to make decisions, influence stakeholders, and manage risk.

Learning objectives

• Define four categories of disclosure and optimization tools.
• Describe challenges and complexities associated with ingredient inventories.
• Describe two approaches to hazard screening.
• Address basic transparency and optimization concerns with building product manufacturers and sales representatives.