Recent Articles
Circadian Lighting
Circadian lighting design helps keep humans in tune with their natural circadian cycle so that they sleep at night while being awake and alert during the day. Modern lighting control systems make it possible to adjust the light temperature (color) and intensity as the day progresses.
WELL AP Study Guide Reviews
There are a number of WELL AP exam prep companies. This article covers our reviews of the different study guides to help you achieve your WELL Accredited Professional credential.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): A Guide for Architects
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are like nutrition labels on a food product, but geared toward environmental and sustainable attributes. EPDs include the product’s life cycle assessment, from the raw material extraction to its disposal, so we can measure a product’s environmental impact.
Roof Shapes and Styles
This article describes a number of common roof shapes and styles used on buildings around the world. We also provide graphics of each roof style.
Architectural Hatch Patterns
Architects use hatch patterns in their drawings to represent different materials and to make their drawings easier to read. This article includes examples of the most common material hatch patterns.
Popular Articles
Calculating Slope and Common Slopes in Architecture
Learn how to calculate slopes in degrees, percentage, and gradient. We also provide a table of slopes commonly used in architecture and construction, plus a table of roof slopes.
CAD Scale Factors
Architectural and engineering scale factors for use in Computer Aided Design.
Dimensional Lumber Sizes: Nominal vs. Actual
A table of lumber sizes that includes the actual lumber dimensions as well as the nominal sizes. This includes softwood, hardwood, and glue laminated lumber.
Concrete Block (CMU) Sizes, Shapes, and Finishes
Concrete masonry Unit (CMU) sizes for standard CMUs - includes both nominal and actual dimensions. Also covers the various CMU shapes and finishes as well as the common ASTM manufacturing standards.
R-values of Insulation and Other Building Materials
Covers insulation R-values and R-factors for other common building materials. We also discuss U-Factors.