ES 411 Northern Building Design Course

This course is intended to inform students that are on a professional design or engineering track of important design and engineering considerations relevant to site and building design in northern climates.  Additionally, students in a building construction degree may find the course relevant to coursework applicable to design and engineering in northern climates.

This course is being updated under the direction of Architecture and Engineering Technologies Program.For additional questions on the course or registration contact Joel Condon.

Course Objective

This course provides a technical guide for the design of facilities in northern climates.  Its primary goal is to achieve sustainable, energy-efficient, and less failure-prone buildings and infrastructure, designed and built with the unique needs of northern inhabitants in mind.  The beneficiaries are the community planners, developers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, contractors, managers, maintenance personnel, and owners of facilities located in Alaska and throughout all northern regions.  The result will be a better-built environment in which people live and work.

Licensing Approval

The UAA "Northern Building Design" course has been approved by the State of Alaska Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors.  Successful completion of this course will meet the requirement for professional registration as set forth in 12 AAC 36.110.  A "C" or better grade is required to satisfy requirements for licensing.

Course Topics

  • Climate and Geographic Design Factors of the North
  • Planning for Northern Communities
  • Site Development and Planning: Landscape Architecture of the North
  • Arctic Utilities
  • Interior Architecture of the North
  • Building Technology A: Geotechnical, Foundations, Seismic, Superstructure
  • Building Technology B: Exterior Enclosure - Envelope and Openings
  • Building Technology C: Roofing
  • Building Technology D: Mechanical Issues
  • Building Technology E: Electrical Issues
  • Building Technology F: Building Codes
  • Building Technology G: Constructability

Course Syllabus

Please contact Joel Condon. for more information.

Registration Requirements

Senior standing or graduate standing in an accredited program in architecture or engineering, or instructor permission.