Handrail requirements are laid out in building codes as a guideline for providing safety and functionality. And learning how to integrate handrails into your commercial building designs is the most effective way to meet building codes and accessibility standards.
Not to mention, you can provide clients with a cohesive design that meets the needs of people of all ages and abilities by doing so.
What Is AIA Continuing Education?
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) offers AIA continuing education courses free of charge that allow those in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) services to stay up-to-date on the latest developments, requirements, and designs provided by various companies, institutes, universities, and corporations. Why? To make sure AEC professionals are current and qualified.
They offer credits in multiple categories, including:
Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW)
American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI)
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Each of these categories allows you to earn learning credits (LU) that can be applied to a variety of certifications and certificate programs, and many of these courses can be accessed virtually, in-person, and as peer-to-peer learning.
What Will I Learn from the VIVA Railing’s Best AIA Continuing Education Course
Our course, Introduction to Commercial Railing Systems, is a one hour Health and Safety course that walks you through the knowledge you need to select, specify, and design commercial railings. It covers:
Pre-Engineered Railings - Benefits
Code Requirements
Specifying the Correct System
Drawing & Specs - Best Practices
Design-Assist Services
Types of Systems
Lighting in Railings
Advantages of a Turnkey Solution
Each section of the course contains detailed and easily digestible material that will inform you about various code requirements, how to select railings for your client based on their traffic volume, maintenance capacity, and privacy and safety needs.
Want to know why it’s one of the best AIA continuing education courses for commercial handrails?
Let’s take a closer look into each section:
Pre-Engineered Railing - Benefits
This section will lay out the benefits of using a pre-engineered railing system and discuss how our railing systems can offer a streamlined approach to handrail design. Along with being code compliant, pre-engineered railing systems offer customizable solutions and superior quality control among other benefits.
Code Requirements
Code requirements for handrails include handrail height, locations, reachability, continuity, material choice, and more. This section will walk you through handrail design, clearance, profile, and structural performance codes.
Specifying the Correct System
Helping your client choose a handrail system can be challenging as you’ll have to balance their needs with code requirements and design considerations. This section breaks down occupancy needs, budget, architecture and interior design, mount type, and structure requirements that will all impact the client’s decision.
Drawing & Specs - Best Practices
In order to facilitate accurate fabrication and installation, you should follow best practices for the detailing process to ensure that the railings work to achieve the project's aesthetic, functional, and budgetary goals.
The Drawing & Specs section of our AIA courses goes over the details of the handrail systems to create a solid design foundation. It also addresses how to synchronize specs and plans, coordinate finishes between details and specifications—and more—to ensure your design is created effectively and safely.
Design Assist Services
Another aspect of the design process that our AIA course covers is how to partner with subject matter experts (SMEs) who can help refine, optimize, and ensure the viability of railing systems in the specific context of the project.
Types of Systems
At VIVA Railings, we offer a wide selection of railing systems, so we take this time to break down the different elements of our handrails, posts, infills, glass options, and finishes. With this knowledge, you will be able to approach clients with confidence and guide them towards a railing system that will best fit their needs.
Lighting in Railings
Finally, integrating lighting into railings can increase visibility and safety on the handrail and surrounding area. This section explains our three lighted iRailTM railing systems — Linear, Pods, and Capsule — and shows you all of the customization options we offer.
Sign up for VIVA Railings’ Free AIA Continuing Education Course
When you sign up for VIVA Railings’ AIA CES course, Introduction to Commercial Rating Systems, you’ll walk away with a wealth of knowledge about handrail requirements.
And we’ll walk you through our range of systems and customization options and help you learn how to integrate lighted railings into a project and how to partner with SMEs—and more.
Contact the experts at VIVA today if you’re in need of railing design and fabrication services, and sign up for our AIA continuing education free course.
You can also contact our sales team if you want to take the AIA continuing education course in person.
