CPD CENTRAL

Architects and Engineers are increasingly expected to advise clients on a growing range of conventional, hybrid and Innovative Building Technologies. But with every system promising to be faster, cheaper, greener or more efficient, how do you determine which solution is genuinely right for the project?

This practical, technology-neutral course introduces the Innovative Building Technology landscape in South Africa and provides Architects, Engineers and other built-environment professionals with a structured framework for comparing different building systems.

You will learn how to begin with the project requirements, evaluate technologies against consistent commercial and technical criteria, interrogate supplier claims, assess compliance and supporting evidence, and identify the risks that should be resolved before specifying a system.

Light steel framing will be considered as one credible option within the wider building-system landscape, alongside traditional, hybrid and other innovative approaches.

Once completed, you will leave with a practical Building System Selection Matrix, a Project Requirements Brief and a Technology and Supplier Due-Diligence Checklist that can be applied to real projects.

No previous knowledge or experience of Innovative Building Technologies is required. The course provides an accessible introduction while offering practical tools that can be used in professional practice.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN (in a nutshell)

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Understand the building-system landscape
   Distinguish between conventional, hybrid and Innovative Building Technologies, including panelised, modular, prefabricated, light steel, timber, precast and other emerging systems.

2. Compare building systems objectively
   Evaluate different systems against consistent criteria, including cost, programme, performance, compliance, sustainability, procurement, logistics and lifecycle value.

3. Make informed and defensible recommendations
   Test supplier claims, identify project and delivery risks, assess the available evidence, and justify why a particular building system is appropriate for a project.

COURSE OUTLINE

Session 1: Start With the Project

Before comparing technologies, participants will learn how to define what the project actually requires.

Topics include:

• Why building-system selection goes wrong
• Project use, scale, repetition and design intent
• Programme, budget and client priorities
• Site, access, logistics, labour and local supply-chain constraints
• Translating a project brief into measurable selection criteria

Session 2: Understand the Building-System Landscape

An introduction to the main building-system categories and terminology used in South Africa.

Topics include:

• Conventional construction, ABTs, IBTs and Modern Methods of Construction
• Prefabricated, off-site, panelised, volumetric and hybrid construction
• Masonry, concrete, steel, light steel, timber and precast systems
• Kit-of-parts, permanent formwork and emerging methods
• Understanding the difference between a material, a system and a delivery method

Session 3: Compare Systems on Merit

Participants will be introduced to a structured framework for comparing potential building systems.

Topics include:

• Defining and weighting project-selection criteria
• Capital cost versus whole-project cost
• Programme, preliminaries, finance, repetition and scale
• Structural, fire, thermal, acoustic and moisture performance
• Durability, maintenance and adaptability
• Procurement, manufacturing, quality control and constructability

Session 4: Test the Claims and Examine the Evidence

A practical look at how to separate credible evidence from marketing language.

Topics include:

• Testing claims such as “faster”, “cheaper”, “greener” and “higher quality”
• Standards, test reports, certifications and rational design
• National Building Regulations and relevant SANS standards
• Agrément South Africa and NHBRC requirements, where applicable
• Common failure points and system-project mismatches
• Installer capability, interfaces, logistics and unsupported assumptions

Session 5: Move From a Shortlist to a Decision

Participants will apply the selection framework to a realistic project scenario.

Topics include:

• Technology and supplier due diligence
• Engineering responsibility, capability and track record
• Quality assurance, warranties and technical support
• Procurement strategy, design freeze and risk allocation
• Comparing potential systems against a project brief
• Developing and communicating a defensible recommendation
• Recognising when specialist input is required

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Roles: Architects, Architectural Technologists, Engineers, Interior Designers, Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Urban Designers, Practice Principals.

COURSE INFO