Schaumburg, Ill. -- Coursework is now available through the AAMA FenestrationMasters™ professional certification program, which was launched last year by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA). This nationwide program is targeted to professionals in the window, door, skylight, curtain wall, storefront and sloped glazing industries. The FenestrationMasters program offers training content based on consensus-based AAMA standards.
The coursework can be used for the purpose of training new hires, as an introduction to the fenestration industry or to provide further education, instruction and training to current employees. The broad scope of the coursework provides an introduction to the industry, as well as an education in a range of topics affecting the commercial and residential building products market segments.
Rich Walker, AAMA's president and CEO, states, “Additional education and certification is an effective way to ensure that employees are well-trained and knowledgeable, which puts companies in a strong position to compete for business by offering customers the benefit of a well-trained staff with a broad knowledge base.”
The program coursework covers a wide range of subjects, including performance standards, product and material types and code requirements. Coursework is accessed through MyWindowClass.com, which is owned and operated by the National Glass Association. The online education format allows professionals to complete the coursework at their own pace and convenience, simply through access to any computer with an Internet connection. There are two different credentials available through the program:
* Certified FenestrationMaster: To qualify for advanced certification, a four-year degree in engineering, architecture or applied sciences in addition to four years of full-time fenestration-related experience or six years of full-time experience is required. This credential requires completion of six levels of coursework and a certification exam.
* Certified FenestrationAssociate: To qualify for entry-level certification, a four-year degree and 1 year of full-time fenestration-related experience is required or three years of full-time fenestration-related experience. This credential requires completion of four levels of coursework and a certification exam.
Descriptions for currently available courses within levels 1 and 2 are outlined below.
Level 1
* Specifying Windows and Doors: Part I: History & Features
The evolution of window and door standards and code references and introduces AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08, NAFS - North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights (the jointly published industry standard that is applicable for use in testing and rating fenestration products)
* Specifying Windows and Doors: Part II: Basic Performance Requirements
Basic performance requirements outlined in AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08, NAFS - North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights and performance considerations, including structural loading, water penetration and air infiltration
* Specifying Windows and Doors: Part III: Window Testing
Testing requirements for windows, including minimum test sizes and other special and optional test requirements
* Specifying Windows and Doors: Part IV: Requirements for Materials and Exterior Side-Hinged Doors
The framing materials requirements dictated by AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08, NAFS - North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights, as well as performance requirements for exterior side-hinged doors
* Specifying Windows and Doors: Part V: Verifying Performance through Certification
The importance of product certification and the role that certification plays in verifying quality and performance
* Glass Functionality, Performance, and Types
The uses and functionality of glass in commercial buildings, as well as manufacturing and fabrication processes for different types of glass and the applications for these products
* Fabricated Glass Solutions
Various kinds of fabricated glass solutions to enhance basic glass performance, including insulating units, safety glass and fire-rated glass, as well as methods of measuring and evaluating glass performance in order to make informed glass choices
* Installation Design Considerations
This course was developed as part of the InstallationMasters™ curriculum, and covers design considerations for both windows and doors.
* Types of Windows
This course was developed as part of the InstallationMasters curriculum, and covers all types of windows.
* Types of Exterior Glass Doors
This course was developed as part of the InstallationMasters curriculum, and covers hinged glass doors, dual action hinged glass doors and sliding glass doors.
Level 2
* Air and Water Leakage Resistance Testing: Part I
Comparison of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-08, NAFS - North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights to the field testing documents (AAMA 502, 503 and 511) to define the appropriate water test pressure, test durations and water application necessary for a successful forensic water test
* Air and Water Leakage Resistance Testing: Part II
Evaluation of case studies, as well as procedural information on recreating the leak during a forensic water test
For more information regarding the FenestrationMasters program visit www.aamanet.org/FenestrationMasters. More information about AAMA and its activities can be found at www.aamanet.org.
Related Stories
Codes | Mar 2, 2023
Biden Administration’s proposed building materials rules increase domestic requirements
The Biden Administration’s proposal on building materials rules used on federal construction and federally funded state and local buildings would significantly boost the made-in-America mandate. In the past, products could qualify as domestically made if at least 55% of the value of their components were from the U.S.
AEC Innovators | Feb 28, 2023
Meet the 'urban miner' who is rethinking how we deconstruct and reuse buildings
New Horizon Urban Mining, a demolition firm in the Netherlands, has hitched its business model to construction materials recycling. It's plan: deconstruct buildings and infrastructure and sell the building products for reuse in new construction. New Horizon and its Founder Michel Baars have been named 2023 AEC Innovators by Building Design+Construction editors.
75 Top Building Products | Nov 30, 2022
75 top building products for 2022
Each year, the Building Design+Construction editorial team evaluates the vast universe of new and updated products, materials, and systems for the U.S. building design and construction market. The best-of-the-best products make up our annual 75 Top Products report.
Building Materials | Nov 2, 2022
Design for Freedom: Ending slavery and child labor in the global building materials sector
Sharon Prince, Founder and CEO of Grace Farms and Design for Freedom, discusses DFF's report on slavery and enforced child labor in building products and materials.
Building Materials | Aug 3, 2022
Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe on coping with a shaky supply chain in construction
BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction, about how his firm keeps projects on schedule and budget in the face of shortages, delays, and price volatility.
Building Materials | Jun 20, 2022
Early-stage procurement: The next evolution of the construction supply chain
Austin Commercial’s Jason Earnhardt explains why supply chain issues for the construction industry are not going to go away and how developers and owners can get ahead of project roadblocks.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | May 3, 2022
For glass openings, how big is too big?
Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 27, 2021
Treating Glass as a Canvas
In the world of fine art, a master painter begins with canvas selection. A linen canvas is nearly always selected over cotton because nothing delivers the artist’s authentic vision quite like linen. Similarly, with glass.
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 27, 2021
True Clarity for Ambitious Design
Clear glass is extremely common and is popular for a variety of architectural design applications, including vision glass, spandrel glass, storefronts, entryways and other exterior uses. It is specified repeatedly due to its versatility and ability to serve as a substrate for solar control, low-emissivity (low-E) coatings. However, when specifying glass to achieve a desired aesthetic, design professionals know that clear glass isn’t completely clear.
Fire-Rated Products | Oct 21, 2021
Safti First Fights Through Assertions Made By Plaintiffs Ely Holdings Limited And Greenlite Glass Systems That Safti First’s Fire Rated Floor System Infringed On Their Patent
In a summary judgement dated February 3, 2021, Chief Magistrate Joseph C. Spero of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the patent infringement claims filed by Ely Holdings Limited (Ely) and Greenlite Glass Systems (Greenlite) against SAFTI FIRST, a USA fire rated glass and framing manufacturer, could not proceed to trial, finding that the SAFTI FIRST’s fire resistant floor does not violate Ely’s patent.
