Whatever degree you choose, education does not stop when you complete your tertiary studies. On the contrary, learning should carry on throughout your career. But more so if you are in the designing and building sector. The built environment, after all, is ever-evolving, especially with the rising prevalence of sustainable urban planning, green building, smart megacities, and modular construction projects.
You must know the ins-and-outs of the industry as well as its current trends, whether you are an architect, a developer, or a design professional. Continuing Professional Development or CPD enables you to achieve this goal. CPD is crucial not only to your career growth but also to your personal development. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) obligates its members to undertake at least 35 hours of CPD learning each year. It helps professionals stay competent, proficient, and capable, which allows them to achieve better results. With CPD, members can maintain the high standards of their practice and remain efficient workers.
CPD covers a whole range of subjects divided into different areas, such as design, practice, building science, and environmental sustainability. One drawback of CPD is it could be time-consuming.
The great news is CPD is not limited to face-to-face training. It can be structured, self-directed, or reflective. Structured CPD involves participating in seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, and e-learning courses. Self-directed CPD includes the reading of pertinent publications, research summaries, industry journals, and trade magazines. Reflective CPD lets you appraise your professional experiences so you can make improvements to your practice in the future.
Indeed, CPD covers many activities and methodologies. However, between distant learning, actual workshops, and mentoring others, it could be tough to choose one that suits you. With this in mind, here are relevant areas that you should consider when you are working on your CPD.
Volunteering
Learning does not only take place within the four walls of the classroom. In many cases, your experience can be your best teacher. And what better way to enhance your knowledge than by sharing your expertise with others. Whether it’s giving pro-bono consultation to organisations unable to afford services or facilitating workshops for youngsters interested in the craft, volunteering is mutually beneficial to you and the community you are helping.
One popular volunteer activity is the RIBA-sponsored National Schools Programme, which counts towards CPD. In this project, architectural professionals conduct half-day workshops or weekly sessions for students or young people who want to discover and understand the built environment. As part of your students’ exposure, you can take them to your workplace or to a building you designed. Ultimately, the training helps children appreciate their surroundings and increases employment opportunities for disadvantaged young people.
Furthermore, volunteering provides you with the chance to get out of the office and do something genuinely impactful to your community. The best thing is teaching refreshes your brain, forces you to think out of the box, find solutions to unique challenges, and evaluate how much you know about your craft. As people say, to teach is to learn twice. If you want to test how well you understand a concept, try teaching it to others.
However, being CPD compliant is not the most fulfilling part of this activity. Volunteering can be extremely rewarding because you are giving something back to society and sharing your time for the benefit of many.
E-learning
Cost-effective, time-efficient, flexible – these are just some of the advantages of online learning. Building and designing often require you to work long hours, making it hard to find time to sit in a class or participate in a seminar. With e-learning, you can schedule courses at your own time and in a setting that fits you. Essentially, you only need a computer, an internet connection, and the commitment to gain new knowledge and skills.
Participating in e-trainings, taking part in live webinars, studying digital modules in working at heights, and subscribing to on-demand virtual lectures are all part of distance education that could count towards CPD credits. There is a variety of design and building courses online; some of them are even free. The subjects range from procurements and contracts to legal and statutory compliance to building conservation and heritage to sustainable architecture. More importantly, you have control over which topic to study.
One of the most fundamental CPD courses that every developer and architect should undertake is health, safety, and well-being. Thorough knowledge of occupational safety is vital in your profession as it leads to numerous financial, legal, and ethical benefits. According to the Health and Safety Executive, more than two hundred people die in work-related accidents each year, and about one million are injured. A majority of fatalities are due to falls from heights while at work. Additionally, many deadly or lifelong debilitating diseases are due to constant exposure to harmful substances such as asbestos. For this reason, it is worth checking out courses on working at heights and asbestos awareness.
After you complete a course and pass the assessment, you will receive a CPD certificate. You are responsible for recording your CPD activities and progress. You should be able to demonstrate how your new knowledge helped in making positive changes to your profession.
Case Studies
Technically, every time you learn something new about your practice, you are complying with CPD. So, when you do an independent case study, it counts towards your professional development points. It means you can embed research in your field of work, whether you are developing concept designs for a new project, formalising a client proposal, studying efficient business practices, or exploring new building techniques.
Most practice-based research are intrinsically technical. The reason for this is many studies mainly focus on the essentials of building and construction. They typically cover material assessment, energy efficiency, novel construction methods, and understanding clients’ needs.
However, some case studies take a broader approach, touching on more universal topics, such as design theory, sociology, and policymaking.
One emerging niche of research is post-occupancy evaluation. The process helps innovative residential architects, builders, and developers determine how functional and comfortable a structure is after occupants have been using it for six months to a year or longer. The evaluations help builders and designers improve the existing building and develop better designs for their forthcoming projects.