Natural stone has been the premier building material of choice throughout history, thanks to its durability and timeless aesthetic. Inherently beautiful and versatile, it’s no wonder that manmade materials aim to replicate its attributes, appearance and ultimately its desirability.  This course will compare the versatility, performance characteristics, and green building considerations for both natural stone and manmade materials. Understanding these key points will prepare you with knowledge for design concepts, applications and how to educate the consumer.  Styles change from season to season, but mother nature creates unique designs in natural stone that are historically innovative and always on trend. 

•  Define and explain attributes to understand what can affect the performance of both natural stone and manmade materials in exterior applications.
• Compare and contrast the attributes and installation capabilities of natural stone and manmade materials to understand the optimal building material choice for project design and installation. 
• Discuss common green building considerations for these materials, including embodied energy, potentially harmful ingredients, and land impacts.
• Learn which innovative design trends can be satisfied using natural stone, including biophilic design, complex geometries, and textures, to offer the consumer both creative and aesthetic opportunity. 

This course has been approved for CEU credit through the following organizations:

• AIA         NSI47OD, 1 LU|HSW
• IDCEC:   CEU-116754-R1 , 3.1, 0.1 HSW CEU
• LACES:   NSI47OD, 1.0 HSW PDH