Both during my student years and later, when I stood with my back to the blackboard and faced the audience, the joinery issue was a turning point in passing the Finishing exam (or Architectural Detailing, as this course has been called in the last 7–8 years while I was teaching it). It is true that the hundreds of companies and the thousands—tens of thousands—of joinery profiles can be overwhelming. However, there are some "shortcuts" for those willing to learn: even the most complex profile can be simplified into three simple letters: L, T, Z.
So why do people get intimidated? Because profiles must be understood for what they truly are. This is one of the reasons for which this course is essential for architects and compliance reviewers for specific requirements, who are the only professionals responsible for the accuracy and completeness of a project, in each of the design phases that succeed one another within a project and in connection with the related site directives.
Joinery is not just about the profile; it is the combination of profile and glazing. The window and door schedule is the tool by which the profiles and glass are transformed into windows and doors. While the manufacturing of joinery is not within our scope, the way these subassemblies are integrated into the building certainly is!
What types of joinery exist, where are they used, and sometimes, why? What design measures need to be taken to ensure efficient joinery? What do we do with old joinery?
A multitude of questions that can find their answers by attending the Course of Doors and Windows in Architecture.
This course is not exclusively for architects but for all partners involved in constructing a building—designers, contractors, system manufacturers, technical university students, and anyone curious to learn more.
