ExAC Podcast | Examitect

ExAC Podcast | Examitect

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ExAC Podcast | Examitect episodes

  • S3 | EP009 - Why Buildings Move, and Expansion Joints
    Temperature changes make building materials expand and contract, and small movements add up over a long distance. We look at how expansion joints give that movement somewhere to go. The episode also introduces the need to distinguish them from control and construction joints, because similar-looking lines in a detail can be doing very different jobs.
    3 min
  • S3 | EP008 - How Buildings Move: Connections and Twisting
    A building moves, and its connections help determine how it responds. We explore the sideways movement of a tall structure, the effect on attached elements, and the difference between rigid and sliding connections. Torsion brings another kind of movement into the discussion, showing why a building's resistance to twisting matters alongside its strength.
    5 min
  • S3 | EP007 - Wind, Earthquakes, and Lateral Forces
    Wind and earthquakes put a building to the test sideways. We explore lateral forces, the role of local conditions, and the way shear walls and diaphragms help the structure resist movement. The episode connects the forces to the kinds of damage they can cause, making lateral stability part of the overall design picture.
    5 min
  • S3 | EP006 - How Beams and Columns Behave
    Beams and columns respond differently to the loads they carry. We look at point and distributed loads, bending, cantilevers, compression, and the difference between crushing and buckling. Connecting those behaviours to the material and shape of a member helps explain why the structural arrangement matters before any detailed calculation is made.
    5 min
  • S3 | EP005 - The Loads a Building Carries
    A building carries its own weight, the people and contents inside, and the effects of the environment around it. We work through dead, live, and environmental loads, including cases that are easy to overlook. The discussion also returns to the code's definitions, where the boundary between familiar categories needs to be checked carefully.
    5 min
  • S3 | EP004 - Forces, and the Pieces of a Structure
    Compression, tension, shear, torsion, and moment describe the actions a structure needs to handle. We introduce those forces alongside foundations, walls, columns, beams, and roofs, then assemble the pieces into a simple frame. The episode gives you a working picture of the skeleton beneath the materials and details that follow.
    5 min
  • S3 | EP003 - What Value Engineering Really Means
    Value engineering starts by asking whether the function is worth the cost. We explore how to find places where spending and benefit are out of balance, then look for another way to achieve the intended result. The discussion also explains why this conversation is more useful early, while there is still room to make thoughtful changes.
    5 min
  • S3 | EP002 - Choosing the Right Materials
    A material has to do more than look right on the board. We consider structural performance, environmental impact, availability, cost, and value over the building's life. We also look at local sourcing, code requirements, and compatibility, bringing those questions back to the shared design goals the material is meant to support.
    4 min
  • S3 | EP001 - Welcome to Section Three: The Final Project
    Section 3 brings the design toward the construction documents that make it buildable. We introduce the final-project topic and the knowledge it draws together, from choosing materials to understanding structure and detailing assemblies. This opening episode sets out the route through the section and the practical decisions that connect its separate subjects.
    5 min
  • S2 | EP118 - The Tiered Path, and Wrapping Up
    The tiered path builds on whole-building energy performance and asks for improvement beyond a baseline. We introduce that relationship and how the tiers organise higher performance targets. To close the topic, we return to the energy code's purpose and connect its familiar structure to the different routes a design team can use to demonstrate compliance.
    5 min

About ExAC Podcast | Examitect

From the publisher's feed

Prepare for all four sections of the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) with the Examitect Podcast. Each episode breaks down official ExAC objectives into clear, easy-to-understand concepts…