MAKERS DOZEN

CPD
Attending a CPD seminar can be a bit of a chore – and a snore. So we asked practices to nominate the ones that inspired them most. Here’s a selection of 13 of them

Words Jan-Carlos Kucharek

IT MIGHT NOT be the most riveting subject for architects, but when it comes to maintaining your professional title, there’s no getting away from it. Every qualified architect needs to show that they’ve met their CPD requirement to maintain a technological, legal and practice-based grip on the construction industry. But for those organising the seminars, who they go to, and what they should expect from a CPD, remains a bit of a headache – although the RIBA CPD Providers Network has been set up specifically to assist with this (see page 63). RIBA Journal wrote to 50 practices of varying sizes asking them what CPDs they thought were most beneficial for their practices, and they came back to us with both expected and surprising answers.

First, lunchtime seminar absenteeism is rife – architects beware! You can run, but you can’t hide – CPD is part of your professional life. Second, you want to ‘mix it up’ to liven it up. CPDs from fellow consultants are the norm, and generally well received, especially when based around office projects. Try to keep the more ‘arty’ ones about the nature of thinking and technology transfer project-pertinent.

Third, if you want a captive audience, throw in a decent lunch. You have a visually attuned audience – crisps and pork pies aren’t going to cut the mustard. One perceptive provider turned up with a full dim sum, and earned unequivocal respect from all the attendees.

Finally, be prepared and enthusiastic. A poor presentation is a wasted one. Knowledge and wit have turned even the most prosaic product into one that got remembered and specified.

To the right, you’ll find a list of people and products from a random selection of London and provincial architects. Respondents were asked to list only those CPDs that they felt were of real value, and which they felt added to the knowledge base of the staff. For my part, I’d like to nominate Meredith Childerstone of Selectaglaze. Childerstone’s charm, his punchy videos of glass panels being blown up, and his story about a hotel chain that, when considering buying the GLC HQ across from the Houses of Parliament to convert, asked for a quote for secondary glazing ‘to cut out the chimes from that clock on the other side of the river,’ had me mesmerised. We’d like to think that someone from the list that follows does the same for you.

TOP CPD SEMINARS

1. Mark Taylor: Allies and Morrison
Nominates:
Galvanisers Association
Hitch Mylius
The best CPDs are generally internal ‘project-based’ ones, such as ‘lessons learned’, involving progress reports during design and construction phases. We’ve had people come to talk on more esoteric subjects, such as the psychology behind creative thinking. In terms of product CPD, furniture designer Hitch Mylius gave a really imaginative talk that placed the firm’s products within the context of the psychology of the workplace. The guy who presented it came round to furniture via a story about his attempt on Mount Everest, so there was a real human interest component to the presentation. Iqbal Johal of the Galvanisers Association gave a brilliant CPD on galvanising. In his own silken-tongued way, he managed to make a prosaic technology shine.

2: Chris Hartiss: Squire and Partners
Nominates:
Solar Cube
Galvanisers Association
With Part 1, 2 and 3 attendees within the firm, CPD providers have to ensure their talks are relevant to all three, so they need to be both pitched right and tailored to the audience. CPDs on legal issues and policy are generally most pertinent – we recently had a good one on the Party Wall Act. Jason Terze of Solar Cube gave a really stimulating CPD on PV technology and its applications – of most interest was the fact that you can now lay it flat on roofs rather than angling it to the sun. The Galvanisers Association gave a well presented and professional CPD that really brought the subject to life. It was engaging for all the right reasons.

3. Tom Drake: de Metz Forbes Knight
Nominates: Bill Amberg
The Bill Amberg presentation was clear and concise, and the guy brought along a good range of the firm’s leather samples, which really gave us a feel for material. Obviously, it showed the traditional uses for the material for walls and floors, but also more unexpected applications, such as for handrails. I think we ended up specifying it for a bespoke bedhead off the back of that presentation. Generally, CPDs are good even if it’s only so you can get the phone number of someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

4. John Walker: Walker Simpson
Nominates:
The Concrete Centre
TRADA
David Bennett’s lecture for the Concrete Centre was inspirational and highly informative. He has huge expertise in insitu and poured concrete, and gave invaluable advice on the technical specification of both concrete and its shuttering. You feel that his knowledge of the material is instinctive, and judging from the images in the presentation he’s associated with great firms and some very high-profile projects. Given the fact that we use insitu poured concrete so much, I’d love to have him advising us on a consultancy basis.

TRADA’s presentation too, was excellent. With the profligate use of timber cladding nowadays, it was a good introduction to the ‘dos and don’ts’ of timber detailing. TRADA itself is a great organisation that I feel provides a fantastic service for a minimal membership fee.

5. Rachel Coll: Project Orange
Nominates:
Grestec Tiles
Ecoplay
Häfele
Bizazza
Grestec went through British and European tiling standards and gave us a good overview of their product range in a way that didn’t feel like a hard sell – we genuinely came away from it feeling that we had learned something. Ecoplay is a grey water system, recycling bath and shower water. It’s on a scale that probably makes it more for use on housing rather than domestic projects. It looks great, but it isn’t cheap.

Häfele gave us a good overview of its products and the basics of performance specification, rather than getting bogged down in specifics. As a firm, it’s great to work with, and has an excellent technical service. Bizazza was unashamedly orientated towards its own product, but it has a very wide range, so there was plenty to see.

6. Nick McGough: Grimshaw
Nominates:
Bauder Roofs
The best are ones given by consultants via contacts in the office. We had a great CPD in Nottingham from Cornton Engineering, a subcontractor on a project, who invited us up to its workshop in Nottingham for some hands-on experience. CPD providers tend to fall between two camps – those that are over enthusiastic about a mediocre product, and those that are underselling a good one. We learned a lot from Bauder, who came in to give a CPD on its green roofs.

7. May Tang: McAslan
Nominates:
Concrete Centre
Hilson Moran
Ordnance Survey
The Greenhouse Effect
TRADA
Hilson Moran’s ‘Acoustipedia’ CPD was excellent, and a really fun one for the office. They bring in some of their equipment and instead of just telling you about acoustic principles, you can actually hear what they are talking about. We got a lot of positive feedback on this one. The Ordnance Survey presentation, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from, but we actually got a lot from it. It gave us a full description of OS’s services and covered important issues such as copyright, that we need to be mindful of. The Greenhouse Effect takes materials like plastic and glass and recycles them to produce furniture and kitchen tops, even cladding. An interesting and sustainable product.

8: Duncan Holmes: Jestico+Whiles
Nominates:
Concrete Centre
KLH
Concrete Centre’s David Bennett is an excellent communicator and knows his subject inside out. He went through prefabricated as well as insitu systems. KLH’s presentation on what you can do with solid timber panels is a real eye opener, covering the framed as well as solid panel approaches.

9. Jacqueline Caley: Assael Architecture
Nominates:
Hilson Moran
Velux
Point Cloud
Audiocore
Hilson Moran’s ‘Acoustipedia’ seminar was great, and along similar lines to another local firm, Audiocore, who bring in equipment so that you can actually experience acoustics as opposed to talking about it. It’s going to help if the speaker is enthusiastic and upbeat about the product. The Velux presentation, contrary to what you’d think, was interesting. It gave a good overview of the importance of daylight considerations in design, with tips on how it can be optimised. 3-D modelling firm Point Cloud takes a 3-D virtual model and uses a laser scanning through a powder medium to create actual models of it. Used in prototyping, the technology is amazing, and the seminar got the best score on our feedback forms.

10. Nick Richardson: Reiach and Hall
Nominates:
Fusion Glass
TRADA
As a firm, we tend to tailor our CPD around projects going on in the office. I’ve found that while technical CPDs from product suppliers are generally quite easy to organise, getting a professional component into the seminar programme is far more difficult – there’s only about 5 or 6 of this kind of CPD provider in the book. Luckily, the Edinburgh Architectural Society carries out a number of its own events, as well as for the RIAS. And then there’s the RIBA CPD Roadshow, which comes up to Scotland. The presentation by Fusion Glass was one of the more memorable ones. The TRADA presentation was excellent, as are most of those that are carried out by organisations with particular specialisations.

11. Phil Ward: Lee Evans Partnership
Nominates:
Gradus
Colebrook, Bosson, Saunders
Cyclepods
Cooper Lighting and Safety
Schöck
You wouldn’t think you’d get anything from a CPD seminar on stair nosings, but Peter Martin from Gradus was the most energised rep I think I’ve ever come across. Everyone in the office remembers his presentation, and he’s pretty much been the yardstick for all presentations since – there was even a quiz with T shirts as prizes. It was fun and we learned a lot. Colebrook, Bosson, Saunders gave a good presentation on general ergonomics rather than just talking about its furniture, so it gave the presentation context and relevance. Cyclepods has developed a really visually pleasing bike rack, and was enthusiastic about what I thought was a great product. Cooper Lighting and Safety gave us the update on low voltage LED light technology as regards the next generation of lighting and brought in samples. We’ve specified its products since on the strength of the presentation. Schöck has come up with an innovative way of preventing cold bridging on balconies with an amazing rigid foam damper that meets all the regs. It was a stimulating presentation of a small but important product.

12. Elizabeth Kavanagh: Stride Treglown
Nominates:
Mach Acoustics
National Green Specification
Green Register Network
One of the CPDs, Mach, got a round of applause. It was based on acoustics which used music to demonstrate acoustic testing. Mach’s Ze Noones used the firm as a test bed to develop the sessions. The key thing that made the acoustics seminars so interesting was that they were interactive. The green-themed CPD series we did was a real hit and oversubscribed. The two most popular were National Green Specification. Brian Murphy of the NGS GreenSpec website covered waste management, performance specification, airtightness testing, products and materials, durability and whole life costs, design and guidance. Cath Hassell of the Green Register Network covered solar thermal systems and their ability to reduce CO2 emissions from a dwelling, recognised in the Code for Sustainable Homes, the new Part L and as one of the LZC technologies for which funding is available under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. The presentation covered standard systems, drainback systems, flat plate collectors vs evacuated tubes, and payback considerations.

13. Cherry Harris: Edward Cullinan Architects
Nominates:
Galvanisers Association
NCS Colour Centre
Barrisol Stretch Ceilings
Galvanizers Association: Corrosion protection of steel by hot dip galvanising. Merit for being not an obviously engaging subject but presented very well and in an interesting way. Marilyn Sturgeon from the NCS Colour Centre gave an introduction to colour specification – a topic we were all already interested was brought to life. Barrisol Stretch Ceilings’ great presentation stuck in my mind. They were very helpful and offered to help us with our redbull flugtag entry even though we didn’t use Barrisol in the end.

Generally we find talented consultants talking about their work more interesting and informative than RIBA-approved CPD providers.

PROVIDERS
CPD is all about helping you develop your business. The RIBA’s Providers Network brings unrivalled expertise to your door, computer, exhibitions and roadshows, says Minesh Patel

KNOW YOUR STUFF

Knowledge is the key
Keeping pace with change
riba cpd Providers Network was created to increase knowledge and aid the specification of building and office materials and services.

At the hub of the service are the providers themselves – more than 450 organisations offering over 1,000 RIBA-assessed pieces of high-quality CPD material. The Providers Network bridges the knowledge gap concerning new products and services, performance, technology, design, aesthetics and standards, and complements the specifiers’ hands-on knowledge and experience.

Every single piece of material is assessed and approved before being made available to users. This aspect of the service is rigorous, ensuring that material is factual, valuable, up-to-date and without the selling spiel that can dilute the integrity of CPD material. The assessment panel is made up of more than 20 RIBA members who have expertise covering all areas within the RIBA CPD core curriculum and the wider spectrum of the built environment. 

If you are interested in being an CPD assessor, please email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for further information

Getting information in the most convenient way
Face-to-face • Online / websites • Factory visits • CD-Rom • DVD • Exhibitions • Road shows • Technical guides / Literature • Videos • Podcasts • Qualifications • Workshops • Study packs

CPD COMES in a variety of forms. Manufacturers and suppliers presenting to your team at your office is the most common approach and can be arranged to suit your requirements.

Meanwhile online, more than 30 RIBA-accredited online CPD presentations are available 24/7 on www.ribaonlinecpd.com. The website brings all RIBA-approved CPD material together, providing simple access to product and business-related learning for construction industry professionals.

Speaks volumes
THE 2010 RIBA CPD Providers Network Directory is a valuable source of training information and it’s free. Order your copy or view directory pages at www.ribaproductselector.com.

RIBA CPD is also available at exhibitions and within the well established and highly popular nationwide roadshows. The roadshows bring together a wide mix of construction industry professionals, where they can experience a diverse choice of CPD seminars for free.

For further information on the RIBA CPD Roadshows, visit www.architecture.com

Thousands of products – but also CPD that enhances and helps develop your business
IT IS VITAL that specifiers know which products to use and why, but it is also clear that success transcends the choice of materials and suppliers, where the organisation itself is efficient and profitable . The RIBA CPD Core Curriculum is designed to offer this mix of knowledge and expertise.

The Providers Network includes organisations that offer business-related assistance – solicitors, IT experts, specialist consultants, financial advisers, universities and training organisations which specialise in non product related CPD material.

For more in-depth and specialised CPD RIBA Skill lists universities and colleges offering formal academic qualifications. Increasing demand for demonstrable specialist skills means more intensive CPD. RIBA Skill is the chance to acquire new specialisations and to market to clients and employers.

Still evolving
The RIBA CPD Providers Network continually evolves in tune with the constant flow of new developments and ever-changing standards to keep pace with your demands to know what is new and relevant. Its ever growing range of seminars and subjects encompasses the changing environment we live and work in.

Visit www.ribaonlinecpd.com  to gauge its value to your organisation and see how it can help you achieve your CPD requirements.

On the paid-for listing
For further information on how to become an accredited an RIBA CPD provider, please visit www.ribaonlinecpd.com or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Minesh Patel is CPD marketing manager at the RIBA