Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.


Thursday, October 9, 2025
9:00 am – 4:50 pm CDT


Agenda:

The Environment and Weather Properties in the Cold Climate
Presented by Professor Mehdi Zahed

  • Canadian Wood-Frame Building Envelope (Adoptable for the United States Northeast)
  • National and Provincial Building Code
  • Building shape, neighborhood texture, and zoning by-laws
  • Building envelope
  • Building assemblies: foundation, walls, roof, fenestrations (windows and doors)

Understanding Cold Climate Effects on Structures
Presented by Joe Lawendowski, P.E.

  • Climate zones
  • The science of heat, air and moisture migration in structures
  • Effects of freeze/thaw cycle
  • Energy efficiency goals
  • Thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality

Cold Climate Structural Design
Presented by Joe Lawendowski, P.E.

  • International Residential Code Structural (IRC) structural provisions
  • Other standards and guidelines
  • Dead loads
  • Live loads
  • Combined loads
  • Wind loads
  • Ice and snow loads
  • Flood loads

Climate Foundation Design
Presented by Joe Lawendowski, P.E.

  • Examining site soils and characteristics
  • Choosing a foundation type: footings, piles, basements, slabs
  • Designing and using frost-protected foundations
  • Drainage and waterproofing

Air, Vapor and Weather Barriers
Presented by Joe Lawendowski, P.E.

  • Air barriers and vapor retarders
  • Exterior weather barriers
  • Insulation
  • Windows and doors

Materials and Construction
Presented by Joe Lawendowski, P.E.

  • Materials for cold-weather construction and those to be avoided
  • Construction practices for cold weather construction and those to be avoided

 

Webinar Instructions 
 
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited. 

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher. 

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email. 

GoToWebinar App requirements:  
Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS 

Web Browser:  
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions) 
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions) 

Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better 

Hardware:  2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended) 

For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com 

Credits

Engineers
7.0 PDHs

Architects
7.0 HSW CE Hours

AIA - American Institute of Architects
7.0 HSW LUs

ICC - International Code Council
0.7 CEUs (Building)

 

Continuing Education Information

This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 7.0 PDHs for professional engineers and 7.0 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.

HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Regulations of the Commissioner §68.14(i)(2) and §69.6(i)(2)). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.

The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 7.0 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.

The International Code Council has approved this event for .7 CEUs in the specialty area of Building (Preferred Provider No. 1232).

Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).

*On-Demand Credits*

The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request:

7.0 HSW LUs (AIA)

Speakers

Joseph Lawendowski, P.E.

Civil Engineer (BSCE, MS Arctic Engineering), with Pannone Engineering Services LLC, in Anchorage, AK

Mr. Lawendowski specializes in residential structural design and water/wastewater systems, and he is a residential building inspector. He is a long-time Alaskan who retired from the military after more than 23 years of service and has more than ten years of engineering and construction experience. Mr. Lawendowski’s background includes experience in design, construction, testing and monitoring of engineered projects. He has worked all over the state of Alaska, including extensive time in the arctic and remote regions. Mr. Lawendowski takes a practical and economical approach to design, considering who is going to be doing the construction and how it will be done. He has hands-on experience in the construction of water and wastewater systems; the construction and renovation of buildings and large earth works projects. He is currently licensed in AK, HI, ID, ME, MT, TX and UT.

Mehdi Zahed, OAA, RAIC

Full-time Professor in Architectural Technology programs at Algonquin College Ottawa

Professor Mehdi Zahed is a registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), a full-time professor in Architectural Technology programs at Algonquin College Ottawa campus with more than 25 years of architecture, academia and construction industry experience. Professor Zahed is also a researcher in the field of sustainable development and building information modelling (BIM) in Canada and the United States. In his recent experience, he has worked as a Visiting Scholar in collaboration with the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), RE2-LAB, to address climate change in the building sector. Professor Zahed won the award for excellence in teaching in the field of architectural technology from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta, in 2020 and from Algonquin College in 2024. He has a passion for helping others and coaching the younger generation to excel in their goals. Professor Zahed had served as the Chair for Skills Alberta (2011 – 2020) and played a key role as a co-founder of the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) in Alberta (2019). He is a Building Envelope Council Ottawa Region (BECOR) board member and the Students Programs Advisor (2023). Professor Zahed believes that quality education and professional coaching have an everlasting impact on people’s careers and lives.

AIA Info

AIA Provider Statement: 

HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3). 

This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. 

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request. 

Course Title:  Residential Design Strategies for Cold Climates

Delivery Method: Live Online 

Course Description: This seven-hour course explores residential design strategies specifically tailored for cold climates. The course explains how cold climate conditions affect building structures and identifies best practices for designing resilient, energy-efficient homes that ensure thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality. The course will also focus on cold climate foundation design, air, vapor, and weather barriers, as well as which materials are and are not suitable for cold climates.

Learning Objectives: 

Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to describe how heat, air and moisture can migrate within structures, affecting thermal comfort and indoor environmental quality, and the effects of the freeze-thaw cycle.

Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to reference and comply with the International Residential Code (IRC) provisions and standards related to various load types, including dead, live, wind, ice, snow, and flood loads.

Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to identify effective foundation types and design strategies for cold climates, including frost-protected foundations, and utilize appropriate drainage and waterproofing techniques.

Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to consider the selection and integration of materials and construction practices best suited for cold weather, and those to be avoided.

LUs: 7.0

LU Type: LU|HSWs 

Prerequisites: None

Advance Preparation: None 

Program Level: Intermediate 

Course Expiration Date:  7/30/2028

Complaint Resolution Policy: 

Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.