As an architect, staying current with the latest trends and practices in sustainable design is not just an ideal—it's a commitment to creating a safer, greener built environment. With over 25 courses on sustainable design practices, NCARB’s Continuum Education library offers a great opportunity to fulfill your annual Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) continuing education (CE) requirements while learning how to integrate sustainable practices into every aspect of your design process. Here are some of our most popular courses that can help you enhance your skills and contribute to a more sustainable future.
We must adapt to a world in which the climate is less predictable and, in many cases, less favorable than it has been in the past. We must reconsider the relationship between the natural and the built environment.
–Dena Prastos, AIA, NCARB | NCARB Futures Collaborative Chair
1. Designing for Net-Zero Energy and Carbon
NCARB’s six-part Designing for Net-Zero Energy and Carbon series helps architects respond to the climate crisis by planning and delivering projects that target net-zero energy use and net-zero carbon emissions. Across the series, you’ll explore foundational concepts and definitions (Part 1 and Part 2), strategies for designing net-zero buildings (Part 3 and Part 4), and the tools and workflows needed to model and implement net-zero energy and net-zero carbon goals in practice (Part 5 and Part 6). Worth 1.00 – 1.50 HSW learning units (LUs) per section, each course can be taken on its own. Together, they form a structured pathway that supports net-zero decision-making from early design through detailed performance analysis. Learn more »
2. Introduction to Mass Timber
Initially used as a specialized product in niche projects, mass timber is now regularly considered for a wide range of construction projects alongside more traditional building systems. This 1.00 HSW LU course introduces mass timber products and construction—including cross-laminated timber (CLT) and other engineered wood—and covers key considerations such as fire safety, acoustics, moisture control, building codes, and structural design. The course concludes with a case study of The Soto, a hybrid mass timber office building, illustrating how these concepts come together in practice. Learn more »
3. Adaptive Reuse: An Environmentally and Socially Beneficial Alternative to New Construction
Sometimes, the most sustainable choice is to reuse an existing building. This popular continuing education course—available for 2.00 HSW LU—highlights various case studies that illustrate the strategies you can use to repurpose many different types of buildings while preserving the fabric of their built environment. Learn more »
4. Sustainable Development Series
This two-part series introduces core principles of sustainable development and illustrates them through real-world case studies. In Part I, worth 2.25 HSW LUs, you’re introduced to key principles of sustainable development along with major programs and resources you can use in practice. Part 2: Case Studies (1.25 HSW LUs) then examines real projects that have implemented these strategies, highlighting what worked, what didn’t, and how to better engage communities and teams. Learn more »
5. Living, Regenerative, and Adaptive Building Design Strategies
Learn how to incorporate innovative concepts that challenge traditional building paradigms and restore the natural environment with our course on living, regenerative, and adaptive building design strategies (worth 1.75 HSW LU). Plus, explore case studies demonstrating how these principles have been successfully implemented in projects. Learn more »
6. Sustainable Design Series
NCARB’s six-part Sustainable Design series presents practical guidelines for designing buildings that are healthier for occupants, reduce environmental impact, and protect public welfare. Across the series, you’ll explore foundational topics like green building standards and certification systems (Part 1), the integrated design process (Part 2), performance metrics for sustainable design (Parts 3 and 4), trends in performance and practice (Part 5), and economic analyses that help make the financial case for sustainability (Part 6). Each course can be taken on its own, but together they form a structured pathway that helps architects plan, measure, and communicate sustainable design strategies from early programming through operations, with 1.5 – 2.5 HSW LUs available per section. Learn more »
7. Climate Action Series
Together, Climate Action Part 1: Leading on Climate Action for a Positive Future and Part 2: Leading on Climate Action Through Adaptation and Mitigation form a two-part podcast-based series (each worth 1.5 HSW LUs) that helps architects lead on climate-responsive practice. Through conversations on the Practice Disrupted podcast with hosts Evelyn Lee and Je’Nen Chastain, alongside the hosts of the Design the Future podcast, you’ll explore strategies for balancing client needs with climate responsibility, the difference between mitigation and adaptation, and the importance of regenerative design and community resilience. Learn more »
