Campus Tour In Person - AIA HSW Registered
Want to see 50 years of building science standing in one place? Join Shelter Institute founder Pat Hennin for a guided two-hour walking tour of our Woolwich, Maine campus, where multiple generations of timber frame structures show how design philosophy, material selection, and community-built construction come together in the real world. Architects will walk through working timber frames examining the materials, condition, and design intent of each, while exploring a practiced approach to what every element of a building is actually supposed to do. Two hours on campus, a lifetime of building knowledge, and 2 LU|HSW toward your annual requirement.
Course Information
Delivery Method: Live in-person
AIA Credit: 2 LU|HSW
Program Level: Introductory. No prior timber framing experience required. Designed for licensed architects and design professionals seeking to broaden their knowledge of timber frame construction and building science.
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Length: 2 hours
Location: Shelter Institute Campus, 873 US-1, Woolwich, ME 04579
Cost: Free
AIA CES Approval Expiration:Â 7/30/2029. Tours must be completed before this date to receive AIA continuing education credit.
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SIGN UP FOR A TOURWelcome to this AIA-Registered Shelter Institute Campus Tour!
Course Credits: 2 LU|HSW
Some things you can't learn from a slideshow. This two-hour walking tour puts you inside working timber frames , led by Shelter Institute founder Pat Hennin, who has spent a lifetime helping thousands of people understand buildings well enough to make their own decisions about them.
The tour moves through multiple generations of timber frame structures on our Woolwich, Maine campus, examining the materials, condition, and design philosophy of each. Along the way, Pat walks through a way of thinking that has guided Shelter since 1974: what is a wall actually supposed to do? What is a foundation supposed to do? When you can answer those questions from first principles, every stage of a project gets clearer, from programming through material selection.
Whether timber framing is new territory or a system you're ready to bring into your own practice, you'll leave with a firsthand understanding of how these structures are designed, built, and lived in across generations. The tour opens and closes with two short Shelter Institute films on building science and design philosophy that frame the discussion and invite your questions throughout.
LU|HSW Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn to look more deeply at a project's intent and environment to guide prescriptive building design and materials application.
- Participants will learn how individual productivity and safety are inherent to any community building effort.
- Participants will learn how timber framing is an ever-evolving historic practice that results in generational, biophilic design structures.
- Participants will tour multiple structures for firsthand access to world-class timber frames and timber frame production spaces, understanding the materials, people, and evolution of a timber framing project.
- Participants will view brief video content exemplifying the building science and community empowerment that underlie one practiced building philosophy.
Can you REALLY learn a hands-on skill from an online course?
We'll be honest: if you can learn a hands-on skill in person, that will always be the best way to do it. But we understand that not everyone has the ability to drop everything for a week and travel to a workshop or classroom to learn from an instructor face-to-face. We fully believe our online courses are the next-best thing and that YES, you can truly learn a hands-on skill with the right online course!
We have worked hard to compile every last bit of content from our in-person classes and put it in an easily digestible, video-by-video, online format. And not only that, but we've also tried to anticipate every question that you might ask as a student of our online courses, since you don't have the luxury of raising your hand during class.
Our recommendation is that you first go through the course content from beginning to end before picking up your tools (rather than watching a singular video and then immediately trying to copy what you just watched). Then, once you've gathered your tools and materials, continue to use the course as a reference guide, coming back to specific sections to review as you practice your skills and eventually complete your own project from start to finish!
Shelter Institute is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 10125601. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES ( [email protected] or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3). Â
 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. Â
 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.