
Break down a building into bite-sized pieces and master the sequence of materials and systems across seven blocks to develop construction engineering vocabulary and accelerate your career.
Explore retaining wall types, including cast-in-place concrete, piling cantilevered walls, and mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls, highlighting components, drainage, reinforcement, backfill, and the role of geotech oversight.
Explore interior partitions in commercial construction, comparing wall types, fire and smoke ratings, sound partitions, shaft walls, and standard partitions, then detail steel stud framing, MEPA rough-in, and drywall finishes.
Explore finishes from paint and ceilings to flooring and casework, detailing enclosure timing, surface prep, acoustics, and cross-trade coordination to bring the building toward completion.
Explore how interior specialties and furnishings, including signage, partitions, bathroom accessories, fire protection, lockers, shades and blinds, and office furniture, are designed and installed under CSI division 10 and 12.
Discover how paving, hardscape, and landscaping exterior improvements shape parking lots, curbs, gutters, cross plans, sidewalks, walls, and site drainage. Evaluate materials, sequence, and finishes from asphalt paving to retaining walls and irrigation, finishing with landscaping and signage for project turnover.
No matter which role you have in a building construction project, it is vital that you understand the "guts" of a building in order to make a positive impact. For contractors, engineers, architects, real estate developers and facilities managers, it takes years or even decades to learn the materials and systems in a building. The typical source of this education is on-the-job because this material is not taught in schools. Young professionals spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to understand the complexities of a modern building. Every project is different and the materials and systems can change drastically from one building to the next. Time can be better spent by adding value to projects instead of learning terminology and construction sequencing. The lessons in the course have been developed to boil down years of on-the-job training into high-impact, bite-sized classes.