Insulation specialist Actis has joined the RIBA CPD Providers Network with the aim of helping architects combat thermal bridging and achieve optimal energy efficiency.
Actis’ much praised and popular CPD on addressing the performance gap with reflective insulation is due to join the stable of Royal Institute of British Architects approved training modules in the coming months.
Once it has been through the stringent assessment process the Actis CPD will be available to RIBA chartered architects, who must complete 35 hours of CPD every year.
RIBA approved CPDs are worth double the points of a standard CPD and are therefore much prized by members, with 76% of them choosing training which has been specifically approved by RIBA.
Once approved, the CPD will be promoted via RIBA’s website, various online portals, trade shows and exhintions as well as through the Institute’s monthly newsletter.
Actis specification and technical teams will also have a chance to present at some of RIBA’s 20 annual roadshows, possibly in 2021. The events are attended by around 40 members per session – double that in London.
All RIBA approved CPDs must meet strict criteria, be educational, innovative and balanced, address relevant statutory issues and have a clear learning outcome.
They are designed to provide solutions to design problems and are likely to address sustainability issues, correct product application and legislative information.
The CPDs can be delivered in person or (as is likely in the foreseeable future) online.
Actis already offers two CPD modules which have been certified by the Construction CPD Certification Service. In addition to the training on addressing the performance gap, it recently launched one on how to ensure building regulations compliance.
Actis UK and Ireland technical director Thomas Wiedmer, himself an architect, said:
“We are looking forward immensely to being able to help the wider architectural profession to understand the benefits of reflective insulation in helping address issues of thermal bridging.
“The module looks at why the performance gap exists, evidence of its existence through research by bodies such as BBA and Glasgow Caledonian University, the effects of external factors on the fabric efficiency of a building, the impact of part L which places a good deal of emphasis on air tightness and the impact of thermal bridging and how reflective insulation can address it.”
The nearly 200-year-old RIBA champions better buildings, communities and the environment and works with government to improve the design quality of public buildings, new homes and new communities.