A.R.E. Building Systems Seminar for ARE 4.0

ARE Building Systems Prep Course
(The Amber Seminar)
Sponsored by AIA Houston

Join us for a three-day class to prepare those intending to take the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) Building Systems section. The seminar is comprehensive, and it is expected that participants will be ready to take the exam itself within one week of the course. This seminar REPLACES studying (rather than initiates it). In addition to base content, the program includes a group session dedicated to practicing the vignette, individual practice vignette grading, and the instructor’s study guide, ARE Building Systems Study Guide and Practice Exam: The Amber Book.

For more information, go to www.arebuildingsystems.com and click on the “Seminars” link.
For past participant reviews, go to one of the ARE forums and search for the name “Amber” or “Ermann” or visit www.arebuildingsystems.com and scroll down.

Agenda
Day 1: Thermal comfort, psychrometrics, heat transfer, thermal resistance*, infiltration and ventilation, climate, solar geometry, passive heating, active heating, passive cooling, air conditioning*, air distribution*, HVAC concepts*, overall strategies for studying, practice exam.
Day 2: plumbing*, power*, electric lighting*, air quality, daylighting, electric lighting*,practice exam.
Day 3: Vignette group practice*, LEED, room acoustics, noise control, vertical systems, fire suppression, practice exam.
* =in-depth coverage of a topic

Dates
June 27-29, 2015; Saturday 8 to 5, Sunday 8 to 5, and Monday 8 to 2

Instructor Bio
Michael Ermann is a tenured associate professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design, where he teaches design studio, environmental building systems, and architectural acoustics. He’s taught the building systems course sequence covering energy, passive thermal, mechanical systems, lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, air quality, electricity, and plumbing for 22 of the last 25 semesters. Professor Ermann has authored or co-authored eight journal papers in the field of acoustics, and presented more than 20 papers on building systems.  He has authored the textbook Architectural Acoustics Illustrated (Wiley, 2014), is the former Undergraduate Architecture Program Co-chairman, and has earned design, teaching, research, and outreach awards for his work.

Prior to joining the VT faculty Professor Ermann was an acoustical consultant in New York City and Florida.  He received a bachelor of science in mathematics from Tulane University and a master of architecture degree from the University of Florida. He has completed the (current) 4.0 version of the Building Systems ARE and enjoys hosting ARE Building Systems prep courses for those in practice.