Dedika is a platform where you learn by doing—whether that's creating a business proposal, becoming a manicurist, or mastering a new tool. No matter your goal, the best content on the subject already exists. But it's often in another language, expensive, scattered across the internet, lacking hands-on activities, or part of a course that's too long for a busy schedule. That's why Dedika has its own approach: we find the best materials wherever they are, organize what makes sense for your goals, review everything with experts who are available to answer your questions, and create practical exercises so you can learn by doing. You are the most important part of your journey, and no one knows it better than you. Choose the content and course length, decide if you want to learn online or offline, and pick your preferred format—video, text, audio, or summary. Learn your way, with only what matters to you. Here, every moment you dedicate counts for more, and you reach what matters faster.

Our courses include a summary at the end of each chapter, from which you can download a PDF and print it.

More than 2 million students worldwide

Present in more than 180 countries

Certificate valid in your country

Home Page

...

Aluminum Frames for Commercial Buildings Course

All courses

Engineering, Construction and Technology

Construction

Aluminum Frames for Commercial Buildings Course

For all levels

Aluminum Frames for Commercial Buildings Course

Name: Aluminum Frames for Commercial Buildings Course
Price: 222 USD

Master every phase of aluminum framing for commercial buildings, from material selection and structural calculations to field installation and project closeout. This course covers curtain wall, storefront, window wall, and unitized systems with the technical depth professionals need on real projects. Whether you work in fabrication, installation, or design, you will gain the skills to deliver code-compliant, high-performance aluminum facades.

Dedika for businesses

What you will learn:

You will learn how aluminum alloys are selected, extruded, and finished for commercial framing applications, and how to compare them against competing materials on cost, weight, and durability. The course covers structural design principles including load calculations, deflection limits, and anchor connection design. You will study thermal performance, condensation risk, and energy code compliance strategies for thermally broken frames. Water and air infiltration control, glazing integration, and fire compartmentalization are addressed in detail. Fabrication processes, shop drawing standards, and dimensional inspection methods are included alongside full field installation sequences and project management workflows.

How you study in practice Aluminum Frames for Commercial Buildings Course

How you practice Aluminum Frames for Commercial Buildings Course

For companies that want to train their team

With Dedika for Business, the course includes exercises and examples tailored to your own business and the way your company needs.

Click here

Course content

8 Chapters • 40 LessonsDuration between 4 and 360 hours (you decide)

Chapter 1See details

Foundations of Aluminum in Construction

Lesson 1 • Surface Treatments and Finishes
Introduces anodizing, powder coating, and PVDF finishes applied to commercial framing. Connects finish selection to corrosion protection and aesthetic requirements.
Lesson 2 • Aluminum Alloy Families and Designations
Covers the four-digit alloy numbering system and major series used in framing. Establishes vocabulary for all subsequent material selection decisions.
Lesson 3 • Mechanical and Physical Properties
Examines tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and thermal expansion of framing alloys. Connects material data to structural and thermal performance expectations.
Lesson 4 • Aluminum vs. Competing Frame Materials
Compares aluminum to steel, wood, and fiberglass framing on weight, cost, and durability. Provides objective criteria for material selection in commercial projects.
Lesson 5 • Extrusion Process and Profile Geometry
Explains how aluminum billets are extruded into hollow and solid framing profiles. Links manufacturing geometry to structural and glazing performance.

Chapter 2See details

Commercial Framing System Types

Lesson 1 • Storefront Framing Systems
Covers low-rise, non-structural aluminum framing for ground-level glazed openings. Distinguishes storefront from curtain wall in terms of load path and water management.
Lesson 2 • Stick-Built Curtain Wall Systems
Covers field-assembled mullion-and-transom systems installed piece by piece. Establishes the baseline framing method against which unitized systems are compared.
Lesson 3 • Specialty and Hybrid Frame Systems
Surveys sloped glazing, skylights, canopies, and mixed-system facades. Prepares students to recognize non-standard configurations encountered on complex projects.
Lesson 4 • Unitized Curtain Wall Systems
Examines factory-assembled panel units that stack and interlock on site. Highlights speed, quality control, and high-rise suitability advantages.
Lesson 5 • Window Wall Systems
Explains floor-to-floor aluminum framing that bears on the building slab edge. Clarifies structural differences from curtain wall and common application scenarios.

Chapter 3See details

Structural Design Principles for Frames

Lesson 1 • Allowable Stress Design for Aluminum
Applies allowable stress design methodology to aluminum framing members under bending and shear. Connects alloy properties to code-compliant member sizing.
Lesson 2 • Thermal Movement Accommodation
Quantifies thermal expansion in aluminum frames and designs joints to absorb movement. Prevents frame distortion, glass breakage, and sealant failure from temperature cycles.
Lesson 3 • Deflection Limits and Serviceability
Establishes span-to-deflection ratios required for glazing integrity and occupant comfort. Teaches moment of inertia selection to control mid-span deflection.
Lesson 4 • Load Types Acting on Facades
Identifies wind, dead, live, seismic, and thermal loads relevant to aluminum framing. Establishes the load input basis for all subsequent structural calculations.
Lesson 5 • Anchor and Connection Design
Covers design of head, sill, and intermediate anchors transferring facade loads to structure. Addresses shear, tension, and combined loading at connection points.

Chapter 4See details

Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency

Lesson 1 • Thermal Break Technologies
Compares polyamide strut, poured-and-debridged, and foam-injected thermal break systems. Connects break geometry and material to achieved U-factor and structural retention.
Lesson 2 • Frame U-Factor Calculation Methods
Applies two-dimensional finite-element simulation and simplified methods to calculate frame U-factors. Enables students to verify compliance with energy performance requirements.
Lesson 3 • Condensation Resistance and Dew Point
Calculates interior surface temperatures and compares them to dew point to predict condensation. Guides frame selection and interior humidity control strategies.
Lesson 4 • Energy Code Compliance Strategies
Maps frame performance requirements to commercial energy code prescriptive and trade-off paths. Prepares students to document compliance during design and permitting.
Lesson 5 • Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Frames
Explains conduction, convection, and radiation pathways through aluminum framing assemblies. Provides the thermal physics basis for evaluating frame energy performance.

Chapter 5See details

Water and Air Infiltration Control

Lesson 1 • Performance Testing Standards
Applies standardized air, water, and structural test protocols to evaluate framing system performance. Prepares students to specify and interpret mock-up and production test results.
Lesson 2 • Air Barrier Integration
Connects aluminum frame air seals to the building's continuous air barrier system. Addresses transition details at perimeter conditions and penetrations.
Lesson 3 • Water Management Design Principles
Introduces face-seal, drained, and pressure-equalized rainscreen strategies for aluminum frames. Establishes the hierarchy of water control layers used throughout the chapter.
Lesson 4 • Weep and Vent Hole Design
Details the placement, sizing, and protection of weep holes and vent openings in sill profiles. Ensures drainage without allowing wind-driven water re-entry.
Lesson 5 • Gasket and Sealant Selection
Covers EPDM, silicone, and thermoplastic gasket profiles and structural silicone sealants. Connects material selection to long-term water and air seal performance.

Chapter 6See details

Glazing Integration and Infill Systems

Lesson 1 • Glass Types and Performance Properties
Surveys monolithic, laminated, insulating, and coated glass products used in commercial frames. Connects glass selection to structural, thermal, and acoustic performance targets.
Lesson 2 • Opaque Infill and Spandrel Panels
Integrates aluminum composite, glass spandrel, and insulated metal panels into framing systems. Addresses thermal, fire, and moisture performance at spandrel zones.
Lesson 3 • Structural Silicone Glazing Systems
Covers two-sided and four-sided structural silicone glazed (SSG) facade systems. Addresses bite calculation, cure time, and temporary retention requirements.
Lesson 4 • Dry Glazing with Structural Gaskets
Details zipper gasket and pressure plate dry-glazed assemblies for curtain wall and storefront. Covers installation sequence and quality control checkpoints.
Lesson 5 • Glazing Bite and Edge Clearance
Calculates minimum glass bite, edge clearance, and face clearance for safe glazing installation. Prevents glass fallout under wind, seismic, and thermal loading.

Chapter 7See details

Fabrication, Shop Drawings, and Quality Control

Lesson 1 • Shop Drawing Preparation Standards
Establishes content, scale, and notation requirements for aluminum framing shop drawings. Connects drawing completeness to fabrication accuracy and RFI reduction.
Lesson 2 • Dimensional Inspection and Tolerances
Applies measurement tools and statistical sampling to verify fabricated frame dimensions. Establishes accept/reject criteria aligned with installation tolerance requirements.
Lesson 3 • Finish and Coating Quality Checks
Verifies anodize thickness, powder coat adhesion, and color consistency on fabricated frames. Prevents field rejection of non-conforming finished components.
Lesson 4 • Frame Assembly and Fastening
Details screw, rivet, and mechanical fastener assembly of aluminum frame components. Covers torque specifications, thread engagement, and galvanic isolation.
Lesson 5 • Cutting, Notching, and Machining Operations
Covers saw cutting, CNC routing, punching, and drilling operations for aluminum profiles. Addresses tooling selection, chip management, and dimensional accuracy.

Chapter 8See details

Field Installation and Project Execution

Lesson 1 • Anchor Installation and Adjustment
Covers cast-in, post-installed, and weld-plate anchor installation with three-axis adjustment. Ensures frame alignment within specified tolerances before mullion erection.
Lesson 2 • Perimeter Sealing and Final Inspection
Completes the installation with perimeter sealant application, cleaning, and punch-list inspection. Produces closeout documentation including as-built records and test reports.
Lesson 3 • Pre-Installation Survey and Layout
Establishes control lines, benchmarks, and structural opening surveys before frame installation begins. Identifies out-of-tolerance conditions requiring correction before framing proceeds.
Lesson 4 • Glazing and Infill Panel Installation
Sequences glass and panel installation after frame erection to protect glazing and maintain weather seal. Covers setting block placement, gasket seating, and cap installation.
Lesson 5 • Mullion and Transom Erection Sequence
Details the bottom-up erection sequence for stick-built and unitized curtain wall systems. Addresses splice joint alignment, stack joint engagement, and temporary bracing.

Certification

Your valid completion certificate

This course is for you:

Glazing contractor: needs technical depth to manage complex commercial facade scopes.
Architectural project manager: coordinates facade packages but lacks framing engineering background.
Facade consultant: expanding practice to include aluminum curtain wall system evaluations.
Construction estimator: pricing aluminum framing scopes and needs to understand system differences.
Recent architecture graduate: entering a firm where commercial facade detailing is expected daily.
Career changer from general contracting: moving into specialized facade installation and management.

What our students say

Your classes are perfect. I purchased the one-year package and finally have the opportunity to follow various topics of my interest without needing to switch platforms... I thank you for everything you do, I've already recommended you to other people...