AT

ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGY

CONTRACT
TERMINATION
What to do when
contracts have to end

Chartered Institute of
Architectural Technologists

Issue 95
May/June 2011
ISSN 1361-326X

2.50

CONTENTS
3
4
10
12
16
18
20
22
25
26

Presidents newsletter
Membership news
Awards presentations
CIAT and CIOB: memorandum of understanding
CIAT Information Sheets
CPD: What members need to know
A lighter shade of green: the future of sustainability
The terminator: Contract termination guide
Technologist of the future: competition winner
Determination: decision by the Secretary of State

Cover:
New Street, new award
The cover shows a project by a CIATregistered practice which received CIATs Alan
King Award in 2009 and was recently
presented with a second accolade.
Architecture and design office Research +
Design won the Abercrombie Award in the
category of Best Minor Development for
their residential project in New Street in the
Barbican area of Plymouth. The award is a
prestigious architectural recognition by
Plymouth City Council. It is one of only six
architectural awards that are presented once
every three years to celebrate Plymouths best
buildings and to mark excellence in the built
environment.
The residential project features a sunroom that
can be configured in a variety of ways utilising
custom panels that disappear into wall
recesses. Robert Bedner MCIAT, practice
director, said This is a great example of a
successful project that is low capital,
sustainably focused and proves that
architectural form can come from somewhere
else other than fashion and style that
architecture can be more about a genuine
knowledge of and caring about natural
materials, construction and detailing and how
people feel living in these places versus living
in iconic images and objects.
A full description of the project can be seen
on page 17 of AT magazine issue 87, available
on the CIAT website.

2 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

AT magazine is published by
The Chartered Institute of
Architectural Technologists
397 City Road London EC1V 1NH UK
Tel. +44(0)20 7278 2206
Fax. +44(0)20 7837 3194
info@ciat.org.uk
www.ciat.org.uk
Chief Executive
Francesca Berriman
Editor
Hugh Morrison
editorial@ciat.org.uk
Advertising
advertising@ciat.org.uk
Copy deadline for next edition
17 June 2011
Short articles from CIAT Regions and
Centres accepted until 1 July.
Edition published 2 August.
Advertising deadline for next edition
Orders must be placed by 1 July.

The Chartered Institute of Architectural

Technologists (CIAT) represents C.9000
professionals working and studying in the
field of Architectural Technology. CIAT is
internationally recognised as the qualifying
body for Chartered Architectural
Technologists, MCIAT and professionally
qualfied Architectural Technicians,
TCIAT.
Printed by
The Lavenham Press Ltd, Lavenham,
Suffolk.
Publication of an article or item does not
imply that CIAT or any of its staff is in
agreement with the views expressed, nor
does CIAT or any of its staff accept
responsibility for errors or omissions.
CIAT 2011

Do we have your current email address?

If not please email info@ciat.org.uk.

PRESIDENTSM
NEWSLETTER
EMBERSHIP

Presidents
newsletter
Dear fellow member
Since I last wrote, I have chaired the first
Council meeting of the year, in mid-March
where business included the election of the
new Vice-President Education, Norman
Wienand MCIAT, the renaming of the
English portion of the South Wales and
West Region to Wessex, the 2011 Gold
Awards and future AGMs.
On 22 March I travelled to Glasgow with
Adam Endacott, Public Relations Director,
to make my presentation to the Scotland
West Region which was well attended. The
following day we were in Liverpool to
present the Highly Commended award for
CIATs Award for Technical Excellence,
and to hear a talk on the entry by the
winning member, Mark Feely MCIAT. (See
page 10 for further details).
Later that afternoon I made my Presidential
presentation to the members of the North
West Region, where we had a turn out of
some 25 members and students. We
returned to London late that night so that I
could attend the Moderators meeting at
City Road the following day, as it has been
my wish to meet up with all the Committees
and Taskforces during my role as President.
On 4 April, I travelled to Hong Kong with
President Elect Colin Orr and Chief
Executive Francesca Berriman, for five days
of meetings with Centre members,
students, and two universities, and also a
presentation about our Institute to the local
body of the RICS which has pledged to
help us gain a foothold in countries like
Singapore and Vietnam where construction
work is abundant.
We also made the award to the Winner of
the Award for Technical Excellence. Whilst
the winning building is in Abu Dhabi, Neil

Kee ACIAT, the director of winning

practice Benoy now lives and works in
Hong Kong (see page 10). I also made an
award on behalf of the Hong Kong Centre
to the Hong Kong Housing Association for
Construction Innovations and Prefabrications, for their volumetric precast
concrete pod building system, which is one
of their many green contributions to their
multi-storey housing programmes. It is
hoped that a full report will appear in the
next issue of AT.
On 10 and 14 May I visited our Yorkshire
and East Midlands Regions to give my
Presidential presentation where we had a
turnout of some 45 members over the two
evenings.

The RICS has

pledged to help us
gain a foothold in
countries like
Singapore and
Vietnam, where
construction work is
abundant
As I reported in my last newsletter, the new
Wales Region was about to hold their first
meeting, where they were to form a
Regional Committee, something they were
all certain was going to be difficult due to
the geography of the country. I am pleased
to confirm that the whole night was a
complete success. Members met in three
separate locations: Wrexham ,Cardiff, and
Haverfordwest through video conferencing,
which has proved to other Regions and
Centres how easily it can be done. From
that meeting they have set up a Regional

Committee whose chairman is actually

based in Wrexham, with the remainder of
the Committee in the Cardiff area. I
understand that they are proposing to meet
in four separate locations simultaneously
next time. If we can get all Regions and
Centres into this frame of mind then many
more of you from the remoter areas could
easily become involved at Committee level
and Region/Centre meetings.
In May I met with film makers @Voytek
Ltd regarding another suite of CIAT films,
and then attended a lunch at the House of
Lords for the inauguration of the new
President of the Association of Building
Engineers, Colin Bell, before travelling on
to Wakefield for my presentation to the
Yorkshire Region
It is now the turn of the Research Group to
come under the spotlight. This Group was
set up in March last year. It includes a
number of members who are wellrespected academic researchers and aims
to promote the development of research
applied to the education, practice, and
promotion of Architectural Technology as
an academic discipline.
Areas of interest to the group include
design, science and technology of
construction, performance and the life
cycle of the built environment. The Group
also directs members attention to
important research work, for example via
articles in AT. The group is currently
planning a CIAT international conference
for 2012. Finally, it is responsible for the
promotion of CIAT scholarship schemes
and the development of student prizes and
awards.

Regards
Barry Le Beuvant

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 3

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Membership news
Membership Director James Banks reports with the latest statistics and information.

Practice and Accredited university visits

During March and April the Membership
Department visited several Accredited
universities to speak to the students about
their career in Architectural Technology and
progression of their membership once they
have graduated. The universities visited were
Bolton, Derby, Edinburgh Napier, Plymouth,
Salford and Ulster.
They also visited TTSP Architecture and
Design in London and Clague in Canterbury
to give guidance on the Group Membership
Scheme and getting qualified with the
Institute.
We can come to your practice; to justify a visit
there must be five or more interested
members or potential members. To arrange a
convenient time and date please email
membership@ciat.org.uk
POP Record workshop
A POP Record workshop will be held in
Huddersfield on 21 June. Please contact the
Membership Department to book your place.
Keep us in the loop
Remember if you move house or your
employment circumstances change, you need
to keep us informed, so that our records are
kept up to date. If you do not tell us we do
not know.

McNeil, Cleveland (Region 01);019691 David

Smith, Edinburgh (Region 14); 014189 Sarah
Sullivan, Hampshire (Region 10)
Welcome back
007569 Anthony Whitham, Nottinghamshire
(Region 04); 010592 Alan Hardman,
Lancashire (Region 03).
POP Panels
Two POP Panels have been held with fourteen
members passing and seventeen being
deferred. Those members who have passed
can either apply for their Professional Practice
Interview or upgrade to Technician
membership, dependant on what POP Record
they had assessed. Those who were deferred
will be submitting additional evidence for reassessment.
Congratulations to the following individuals
on obtaining Technician membership, TCIAT.
020318 Nicolas Jauncey, North Yorkshire
(Region 02); 024156 David Shipley, Essex
(Region 07).

In Memoriam
We regret to announce the deaths of the
following members:
005069 Rodney Beadle MCIAT, Kent (Region
10); 007446 Andrew Butler MCIAT, Surrey

(Region 10); 023087 Philip Corner ACIAT,

North Yorkshire (Region 02); 011443 Trevor
Fleming MCIAT, County Antrim (Region 15)
007430 James Greig MCIAT, South Yorkshire
(Region 02); 000561 Geoffrey Horne MCIAT,
Bedfordshire (Region 08); 003402 John
McFarlane MCIAT, Spain (Region 00).
Linkedin and social media
CIAT has an official group on the professional
networking site Linkedin, entitled Chartered
Institute of Architectural Technologists
Official Group. All members and related
professionals may apply to join and can use
the group forum to discuss relevant issues.
Visit www.linkedin.com for more details.
CIAT also has an official presence on
Facebook, Twitter and the Construction
Network (tCn) and members are encouraged
to disseminate any CIAT-related items via
these networks.
Enewsletter
CIATs weekly Enewsletter has been proving
popular with readers and advertisers alike. The
Enewsletter is sent every Thursday to c.9000
members and related professionals, and contains news and coming events of interest to
CIAT members. Please ensure Central Office
has your up-to-date email address so that you
can receive the Enewsletter.

New Members
Two Professional Practice Interview Boards
were held at CIAT in London during March
and April. As a result, congratulations to the
following individuals on obtaining Chartered
Membership, MCIAT

Chartered
Technician
Associate

018255 Paul Chester, Oxfordshire (Region 08)

020540 Jackie Dixon, Cambridgeshire (Region
07); 017403 Simon Denness, Isle of Wight
(Region 10); 023901 John Donnelly, County
Tyrone (Region 15); 024308 Jon Elms, Greater
London (Region 09); 016879 Adrian Evans,
Cleveland (Region 01); 018349 Scott Francis,
East Sussex (Region 10); 019141 Daniel Gill,
Surrey (Region 10); 017879 Michael Greve,
West Sussex (Region 10); 021965 Rikky
Hunjan, Surrey (Region 10);019137 Paul

4 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

Profile
Honorary
Student

Membership of the Institute by Region as of 1 May 2011

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Be a winner with CIAT

There is still time to enter CIATs two
prestigious annual competitions, the Open
Award and Alan King Award, as well as the
CIAT Student Award.
The Open Award for Technical Excellence in
Architectural Technology is the Institutes
premier Award. It is specifically designed to
recognise technical excellence in construction
by illustrating the composition of ideas put
into practice and presented in a working
format. The winner will receive a cast plaque
for permanent attachment to the project,
certificate and 1500. Previous winners have
included Benoy for Ferrai World in Abu Dhabi
(2010) and Stephenson Bell for Manchester
Central (2009).
The Alan King Award entrants must
demonstrate their achievement of technical
excellence in construction by illustrating the
composition of ideas put into practice and
presented in a working format for projects
valued 500k or less. First prize is 1500, a
cast plaque for permanent attachment to the
project and certificate. The 2010 winner was
Andr Bisson MCIAT for his project Le
Corsaire in Guernsey.
The entry deadline for both competitions is
1 July 2011 and the winners will be announced at CIATs AGM in Cambridge in November. The Awards are open to all professionals.
For further information please visit:
www.ciat.org.uk/en/awards/
CIAT Student members are also invited to
enter the Student Award for Technical
Excellence in Architectural Technology.
Entrants must demonstrate their achievement
of technical excellence in Architectural
Technology by illustrating the composition of

Develop your career with CIAT Specialist Registers

CIAT Conservation Register

The CIAT Conservation Register identifies Chartered Architectural Technologists
competent in the conservation of historical buildings and their surroundings as
defined and recognised by the Edinburgh Group.
Suitability for the Register is based upon a technical assessment of a candidates
portfolio, followed by a formal interview. Applicants must be resident in the UK.
Application fee: 150.00 plus VAT.
Annual subscription: 50.00 plus VAT.
Subs year runs May-April; half year subs available to those joining after 1
November. No additional joining fee for re-assessment after five years except if an
interview is required in which case the fee is 100 (subject to change).
For further information please visit:
www.ciat.org.uk/en/Join_CIAT/conservation_register/
Or telephone Amina Khanum at CIAT Central Office on 020 7278 2206.

ideas put into practice and taken from a

university/college assignment or a live project.
Entry can be as an individual or as a group,
but all entrants must be a student member of
CIAT, studying in full or part-time education.

As with CIATs other two competitions, the

winners will be announced at the AGM where
they will feature in a short film about the
Awards. The deadline for entries for the
Award is 30 June 2011.

The Winner (first prize) will receive a trophy,

certificate, free upgrade to Associate
membership and 750. Highly Commended
(second prize) will receive a trophy, certificate,
free upgrade to Associate membership and
400 and Commended (third prize) will
receive a trophy, certificate, free upgrade to
Associate membership and 250.

For further information and to download

application forms, please visit:
www.ciat.org.uk/en/awards/Student_Award_
for_Technical_Excellence/
To see a series of short films on CIAT
including coverage of the 2010 Awards please
visit www.youtube.com/ciatechnologist

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AT MAY/JUNE 2011 5

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Commenting on the election result, Norman

said I believe that as a professional discipline,
we are now ideally placed to assume our due
place at the core of the construction industry,
so long as we maintain the development of
our membership and work to break down
some of the continuing misconceptions. This
includes the support of higher education
establishments offering CIAT Accredited
Honours degrees and approved courses such
as Foundation degrees and HNC/Ds and the
real encouragement to further develop the
academic discipline of Architectural Technology.
Region/Centre news
Yorkshire Region (02)
Committee meeting: the next Committee
meeting will take place on 27 June at the
Harvester, Morley, Leeds (J28, M62, towards
White Rose/Leeds.)6.00 for 6.30pm.
The new multimedia exhibition stand

Do you require video and digital media

production?
If you liked the recent series of CIAT films,
award ceremony AV, or the new multimedia
exhibition stand (pictured above) and your
practice or company produces video, print, or
event materials, then read on.
The Institute has negotiated a 10% discount
with our supplier, a leading digital media
production company, exclusively for members
or their companies.
@Voytek Ltd specialise in producing creative
digital media and have a great deal of
experience in our field. As well as eye-catching
and memorable video, they also provide a
comprehensive range of great value digital
media production services across the UK and
beyond:
Creative video production, such as promo
films, showcases, training
Post production editing, DVDs, graphics,
effects, animation and audio
Event coverage single/multi camera,
location editing
Print and video displays for exhibitions, large
format, wraps, window transfers
Consultation on AV solutions (including
public spaces)
Online video content, streaming and live
webcasting
To benefit from the discount remember to
supply your membership number when you or
a representative of your company enquires
about a consultation or prices. For more
information contact info@voytek.co.uk, visit
www.voytek.co.uk or call 020 7916 6996.

6 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

Grand Designs Live

Once again, Chartered Members were on
hand at the popular TV tie-in show, Grand
Designs Live(in London from 30 April to 8
May) offering free impartial advice on all
building projects and representing and
promoting the discipline of Architectural
Technology. A big thank you to all Members
helped make the show a success.
Sheffield Hallam academic becomes
new Vice-President Education
At CIATs Council Meeting on 12 March Norman
Wienand MCIAT was
elected to serve as CIAT
Vice President Education
with immediate effect.
He replaces Colin Orr
MCIAT who stood down
after becoming President
Elect.
As part of CIATs Executive Board, the VicePresident Education ensures that the
educational strategies approved by Council are
implemented. The position is voluntary and
will last until November 2013.
Norman is Head of the Department of
Architecture and Planning at Sheffield Hallam
University and leads a team of architecturally
orientated academics in addition to teams
from Planning, Housing, Geography and
Environment. Developing international links
with institutions in India, Malaysia, Hong
Kong and mainland China forms a key feature
of his role. Previously he spent 15 years in
architectural practice.

CPD presentation: On 13 September there

will be a presentation by Envirovent entitled :
Ventilation Strategies to Meet Parts F and L
of the Building Regulations, Health and
Environmental Issues. It will be held at the
Holiday Inn, Garforth (M1 J46 A63 Garforth,
one mile past roundabout). 7:00 for 7:30pm.
Coffee and muffins provided.
To register your interest for either event please
email Richard Turner, Regional CPD Officer.
Email richard@farrarbamforth.co.uk
North West Region (03)
There was a Presidential visit to the Region by
Barry Le Beuvant PCIAT on 23 March 2011
at Liverpool John Moores University. 25
members attended a very informative talk.
Also held on the same night was a CPD event
given by Assent Building Control on BS9999
the Code of Practice for fire safety in the
design, management and use of buildings.
This event was then followed on the same
night by the North West Region Business
meeting. Thanks to Barry and all who
attended. A further CPD event was held on
12 April 2011 at the Novotel, Worsley. This
was a joint event with the Association for
Project Safety (APS) on safety by design.
If you have any views on anything then please
come to one of the Regional meetings to air
your views or alternatively let your Regional
Councillor Paul Greenwood know your views
so they can be fed back to Central Office. Tel.
01253 899085 or email paulsgreenwood
@btconnect.com
Wessex Region (06)
Following the creation of the new Wales
Region in January, the English remainder of
the former South Wales and West Region has
been renamed Wessex Region (06).

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

The Region is named after the ancient English

kingdom of the West Saxons and is comprised
of the counties of Gloucestershire and
Wiltshire. The Region will be led by Regional
Councillor and Vice Chairman Robert Hill
MCIAT and Regional Chairman Neil
Dransfield PPBIAT MCIAT.
Central Region (08)
16 June, 3.00pm: Central Region Regional
Business Meeting plus CPD event, provided
by Schco UK Limited, on solar heat and
power products. City Discovery Centre,
Milton Keynes. If you wish to attend please
contact Adrian Day. Tel. 01189 133 675 or
email ciat_central_region@yahoo.co.uk.
Northern Ireland Region (15)
President Barry Le Beuvant PCIAT, is on his
Presidential Tour and members are invited to
join him and fellow members in an evening of
conversation,
good
company
and
refreshments. This is a one-off event for your
Region and is your chance to question the
President on any issue related to Architectural
Technology and discover what the President
has to say to his fellow members dont miss
out on this unique evening.
There will also be a joint CPD event from
Jeremy Gardner Associates and Gyproc SaintGobain on the topic of fire engineering and
efficient building design and materials. The
evening will finish with presentations to award
winning students by a special guest and the
opportunity for attendees to enjoy a light
buffet while viewing students work.

Timetable:
5.15-5.30pm. Arrival and refreshments.
5.30-6.30pm. Meet Barry Le Beuvant PCIAT.
6.30 - 8.15pm. End of Year Show and Awards.
8.15 - 9.00pm. Display of student work and
light buffet.
Please register your attendance with Silvia
Faggion by 17 June 2011. Tel. 020 7278 2206.
Email: info@ciat.org.uk. Please indicate if you
have any special requirements.
Republic of Ireland Centre (C2)
Members in the Republic of Ireland should
take note of legislation contained in MUDS
(Multi-Unit Developments) Act 2011 (No 2
of 2011).
This is an act to amend the law relating to the
ownership and management of the common
areas of multi-unit developments and to
facilitate the fair, efficient and effective
management of bodies responsible for the
management of such common areas, and to
provide for related matters.
This act came into effect on 24 January 2011
and applies to all multi-unit developments
with common areas shared by the residential
units, be they apartments, houses, flats or
other dwellings which have self-contained
facilities. It also applies to common areas
serving residential units designed and used as
crches within residential developments.

Date: 22 June.

It places duties and responsibilities on the

owners/developers of multi-unit developments,
which must be complied with before the
residential units may be sold.

Venue: University of Ulster Jordanstown,

Lecture Theatre 09F03, Shore Road,
Newtonabbey, County Antrim, BT37 0QB.

It also requires the ownership of the common

areas of existing multi-unit developments,
where not already transferred, to be

transferred to the Owners Management

Company by a certain date. When transferring
ownership of the common areas, certain
certification/confirmation is required, ie:
(a)Certification that the common areas have
been constructed in compliance with the
Fire Safety Certificate.
(b)Confirmation that the common areas have
been constructed in compliance with all other
sections of the Building Regulations.
It is understood that work is ongoing on the
drafting of the specific forms of wording for
the certificate and the confirmation and it is
believed that these will differ from the existing
Opinions on Compliance wording.
The Regulations (Prescribed Persons),
published in March 2011 to complement the
Act (SI 96 of 2011) set out only three classes
of professional who are deemed suitably
qualified to offer the certification of
compliance with the Fire Safety Certificate,
namely Registered Architects, Chartered
Engineers and Registered Building Surveyors.
It appears, however, that there is no restriction
on who is deemed suitably qualified to offer
the confirmation of compliance with all other
sections of the Building Regulations.
Schedule 3 of the Act sets out a list of
documentation, which must be provided by
the owner/developer to the Owners Management Company. The list comprises the usual
contents of a Safety File combined with
Operation and Maintenance Manuals. Other
sections of the Act deal with the structure and
rules for Owners Management Companies, in
detail.
Article by Denise Germaine MCIAT.

Please mention AT magazine when responding to advertisers

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AT MAY/JUNE 2011 7

Home
Technology Event
Architectural Technology professionals seeking to achieve successful integration of
smart electronic technologies within twenty-first century homes should head to the
Home Technology Event ( ExCeL London, 28-30 June) for ideas and inspiration in a
series of free seminars.

The Home Technology Event (ExCeL London,

28-30 June) is the only annual trade show and
education event in the UK dedicated to the
design, installation, integration and concealment
of home electronic systems. On show will be
technologies used in whole-home audio and TV
distribution systems, home cinema, lighting,
HVAC and security control, data networks and
other electronic sub-systems.

of-the-art audio-visual systems, specialist lighting,

stunning home cinemas and more.

This year, a dedicated half day of free talks for

Architectural Technology professionals, architects and designers, supported by CIAT and
RIBA, will take place on the morning of
Wednesday 29 June.

Among a series of property talks on the morning

of Tuesday 28 June, Fraser Stride from developer
CITU will talk about how technology has been
integral to the award-winning Greenhouse
development in Leeds; Jim Read, Associate
Director, IT and Communications Systems
Consulting at global engineering firm Arup will
ask are we ready for truly integrated technology
in the home? Rob Pannell, Head of House
Building from the Zero Carbon Hub will also
speak at these sessions, looking at the part
technology can play in delivering zero carbon
homes.

The show floors Hub Seminar Theatre will

feature high-profile presenters from three awardwinning practices David Myres from ADAM
Architecture, Gregory Phillips from Gregory
Phillips Architects.
David Myres, Associate Director at ADAM
Architecture will lead a talk entitled The
technology challenge in traditional homes.
Whether newly built or refurbished, the
traditional interior offers few opportunities to
incorporate technology. In older properties
especially those with listed status it can be
especially difficult to give the client what they
expect from a 21st century home. Drawing on
his many years experience working with system
integrators on a variety of high-specification
projects, from large country houses to compact
London homes, David will discuss the common
problems and the solutions available.

Architectural Technology professionals will also

be attracted to the industry experts speaking in
the property, interiors and lighting design
sessions in the Hub Seminar Theatre programme
on the afternoon of Tuesday 28 and Wednesday
29 June.

On the afternoon of this day the BIIDs Sue

Timney will provide an introduction to working
with home technology, helping designers to
understand the key questions which need to be
asked at the briefing stage on a project to achieve
a successful and functional interior. Staffan
Tollgard and Sean Cochrane will follow with
presentations looking at technology issues on live
projects.

Meanwhile, in the lighting design themed

sessions on the afternoon of Wednesday 29 June,
Dominic Meyrick from Hoare Lea, Lucy Martin
from John Cullen Lighting and Lee Prince from
Light + Design Associates will be talking about
issues ranging from the use and control of
LEDs and the impact of new Building
Regulations to new generation lighting design
and how ECOLuxury solutions can be achieved
with lighting in residential projects.
We are delighted to have the backing of CIAT
and RIBA at this years Home Technology Event
says Sally Bent, Marketing Manager for the
Home Technology Event. These audiences are
hungry for information on the latest TV, home
cinema, audio, lighting and other electronic
technologies which are now so intrinsic to
everyday family life and integral to successful
residential projects. Yet, understanding these
systems, the advantages they bring and how they
can be effectively concealed to enhance a home
remain key challenges. This series of talks will
help them achieve these very objectives with
practical insight from experts at the top of their
profession.
Places for the seminar sessions are available on a
first come-first served basis. To register for the
event and for full details of the Hub Seminar
programme, please visit:
www.hometechnologyevent.com

For a contrasting perspective, Gregory Phillips

will present Integrating technology into modern
homes. This session will pose the question: how
best can a comfortable, stylish home be created
that adeptly meets the needs of 21st century
living? In discussion with David Graham from
leading custom installation firm and CEDIA
member, Grahams Hi-Fi, Gregory Phillips will
explore how modern homes offer a unique
opportunity to incorporate everything homeowners could ever need or want, be that state-

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 9

AWARDS

Proud to present...
In recent weeks a series of presentations of CIAT Awards have been made. Adam
Endacott, Public Relations Director, reports on this vital recognition of the industrys
top talent.

Open Award for Technical

Excellence in Architectural
Technology: Winner
presentation
During his Presidential Tour to the Hong
Kong Centre, Barry Le Beuvant, Colin Orr
MCIAT, President Elect and Francesca
Berriman, Chief Executive visited the
offices of Benoy to present the 2010 Open
Award for Technical Excellence in
Architectural Technology to Neil Kee
ACIAT. A presentation was given on the
winning project, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
by the Benoy office based in Hong Kong. A
full report on the Hong Kong visit will
appear in the next issue of AT.
Pictured (left to right) Neil Kee
ACIAT and Barry Le Beuvant.

Open Award for Technical

Excellence in Architectural
Technology: Highly
Commended presentation
Before making his Presidential Tour to the
North West Region in Liverpool, Barry Le
Beuvant visited the Highly Commended
project from the 2010 Open Award for
Technical Excellence in Architectural
Technology. Joined by Andrew Scott
MCIAT, Vice-President Technical and other
Institute rep-resentatives, a tour was taken
around the refurbished Marks and Spencer
in the heart of Liverpools city centre before
the President presented Mark Feely MCIAT
from Darnton EGS Ltd with his certificate
and a plaque for permanent attachment to
the building.

10 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

Left to right: Stephen Nicholls MCIAT, North West Regional Chairman,

Andrew Scott, Barry Le Beuvant PCIAT, Mark Feely, Alex Lodge, Director at
Darnton EGS, Colin Orr MCIAT, President Elect and Paul Greenwood
MCIAT, Regional Councillor and Secretary for the North West Region.

AWARDS
Open Award for Technical
Excellence in Architectural
Technology: Commended
presentation
On 1 March Barry Le Beuvant, along with
Andrew Scott MCIAT and Francesca
Berriman visited the Commended project
in the 2010 Open Award for Technical
Excellence in Architectural Technology.
The winning project was The Partis
Building in Milton Keynes. After a tour of
the building, the President presented Arun
Thaneja MCIAT from Woods Hardwick
Architects with his certificate and a plaque
for permanent attachment to the building.
The Partis Building is new office
accommodation and achieved an excellent
BREEAM rating.

Accreditation certificate
presentations: Leeds
Metropolitan and Plymouth
Colin Orr MCIAT, (left) then VicePresident Education presented Leeds
Metropolitan University with their
Accreditation certificate on 8 February.
Pictured with Colin is Dr Andrew Platten,
Associate Dean who received the certificate
on behalf of the university.

The Alan King Award:

Commended presentation
On 1 March, Barry Le Beuvant (above) along
with Andrew Scott MCIAT and representatives from Central Office visited the
Commended project in the 2010 Alan King
Award in Cadogan Terrace in London. After
a tour of the building, the President
presented Scott Kyson MCIAT with a plaque
for permanent attachment to the building.
Cadogan Terrace is three environmentally
conscious town houses on a brownfield site.

On 3 March, after a POP Record and

membership presentation given by James
Banks, Membership Director, Paul Chapple
MCIAT, Regional Education Officer for
the Western Region, presented the
University of Plymouths Accreditation
certificate to Mhairi
Mackie, Course Leader.

Paul Chapple MCIAT

(left) presents the
Accreditation certificate
to Mhairi Mackie, Course
Leader, University of
Plymouth.

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 11

A strong and
effective partnership
CIAT and the Chartered Institute of Building renewed their Memorandum of
Understanding in March. The alliance has benefits for members of both Institutes,
reports Hugh Morrison, Communications Director.

Since 1997 CIAT and the Chartered Institute of

Building (CIOB) have worked together to
strengthen the links between construction
management and Architectural Technology.
In a move that reinforces that partnership, CIAT
and the CIOB renewed their Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU), at a fringe event held on
2 March at the Ecobuild show at Excel, London.
The MoU will be reviewed every five years.
The alliance has benefits for members of both
Institutes which include joint CPD and
networking events, as well as a 25% reduction on
the standard rate of membership for the second
institute membership, for those wishing to have
dual membership.
Barry Le Beuvant, President, CIAT said we are
delighted to renew our strong and effective
partnership with the CIOB, those studying or
practising the discipline of Architectural
Technology are at the forefront of ensuring a
well coordinated and sustainable future, whilst
respecting the heritage that must also be
protected. The industry must prepare now for
the skills and understanding necessary for a local
carbon world as we come out of the recession,
and working together with the same drive and
determination delivery will ensure that this is
achievable.
James Wates, President, CIOB said The
construction industry is made up of many
professions working together to develop, renew
and improve the built environment now and for
future generations. Integrated Teams may
seem like an overused phrase, but collaborative
working between the professions is absolutely
essential for our industry to meet the demands
and challenges of economic recovery, and the
creation of a sustainable future. That is why the
CIOB takes pride in its partnership with CIAT.
A film of the signing event may be seen at
www.youtube.com. Search term: CIOBTV.

12 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

Above: the Memorandum. B elow, clockwise from left: Alan Crane CBE (guest speaker), Barry
Le Beuvant PCIAT, Francesca Berriman, Chief Executive, CIAT and Chris Blythe, Chief
Executive CIOB.

Develop your career with

CIAT Specialist Registers
Architectural-EPC
CIAT and RIBA have an Accreditation
Scheme for Newly Constructed
Dwellings (entitled Architectural-EPC) to recognise
members of CIAT, RIBA, RIAS and RSUA who have
significant and relevant experience of domestic energy
assessment.
This is in line with the requirements for approval of
Accreditation Schemes set out by the CLG and the
National Occupational Standards developed by Asset
Skills.
The scheme is open to Chartered Architectural
Technologists (MCIAT) in the UK.
Application fee: 150 plus VAT. Annual membership 100
plus VAT. As part of the registration, SAP tests are set and
marked independently with a fee of 20 plus VAT per test.
For further information please visit
www.architectural-epc.co.uk
Or telephone Amina Khanum at CIAT Central Office
on 020 7278 2206.

Develop your career with

CIAT Specialist Registers
CIAT Chartered
Environmentalist
As a constituent body for the Society for the Environment, CIAT
is able to award the Chartered Environmentalist qualification to
its Chartered Members. The Society for the Environment is the
leading co-ordinating body in environmental matters and is a
pre-eminent champion of a sustainable environment, which has
registered over 4800 Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv).
To be eligible to become a Chartered Environmentalist,
applicants must be MCIAT and accrue a minimum of twelve
units where 1 year of relevant academic experience = 2 units
and/or 1 year of relevant professional/work experience = 1 unit.
Applicants may be from any country.
Application fee: 200.00. Annual subscription: 80.00.
For further information please visit
www.ciat.org.uk/en/members/specialist_registers/
chartered_environmentalist/
Or telephone Amina Khanum at CIAT Central Office
on 020 7278 2206.

attend site visit meet with architect

finalise contract business lunch

update the boss develop project brief
read and action survey report go home

eat dinner apply for masters

flexible study enhance your career a clear future
Flexible online Postgraduate Courses that fit in with
your busy lifestyle

STUDY ONLINE
start in september

find out more

www.rgu.ac.uk/myfuture
T: 01224 262247 E: myfuture@rgu.ac.uk

MSc Construction Project

Management
MSc Design Management
MSc Property Development

my time my career my future

www.rgu.ac.uk

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 13

Greenbuild EXPO
sustainable refurbishment and building event

Free seminars
Greenbuild Expo returns in 2011 with another fantastic line-up
of free seminars and workshops, including:
I

How to fund low-carbon communities

High-rise refurbishment solutions

Energy options for sustainable cities

Building affordable zero-carbon homes

A guide to Pay As You Save and other refurb funding

Making sense of the latest legislation updates

Microgeneration for schools and public buildings

Highlights
Greenbuild Expo 2011 will be bigger and better, with even
more on offer to help you build, maintain, refurbish and run
your buildings in a more sustainable fashion. The 2011
highlights will include:
I

The Retrofit Zone will show owners of larger buildings, from

schools and hospitals to hotels and offices, how they can
go green and save money.

For more information or to register for FREE tickets visit:

www.greenbuildexpo.co.uk

EXHIBITOR LIST
The following companies are among those who have
reserved stands at Manchester Central:

29th & 30th June 2011

Manchester Central
Training hub
Some of the UKs leading training providers will be offering free
taster sessions on topics such as energy management and
passivhaus design. Other sessions include:
I

Solar PV - EcoSkies (MCS)

Solar thermal - NICEIC (MCS)

Heat pumps - MET UK (MCS)

Biomass - Rural Development Initiative (MCS)

Energy Management - Open Skies Renewables

Sustainable refurbisment - BRE

PassivHaus Design - Green Building Store

Raising the skill level with National Energy Foundation

, the UKs only woodfuel event, will take place

within Greenbuild Expo, with its own exhibition area and
dedicated biomass seminar programme.

Our Code Clinic will offer free advice on surface water runoff from a BRE-Licensed Code for Sustainable Homes
assessor.

Sponsored &
supported by:

ACR Air
Conditioning
Acute Sales
Airflow
All Eco Energy
Applied Energy
AquaGate
Asgard
Baxi
Big Green Book
Billington
Biofuels
Blue Sky Design
BMF
BRE Training
Britannia Paints
Calorex
Carbomat
CCINW
Cembrit
Centre for
Alternative
Technology
CIBSE
City Roofs
Cleaner Air
Solutions
Clynder Cables
CO2 Sense
Complete Weed
Control
Copper
Development
Association
CRT Recycling
Daikin
Dalkia
Danfoss Heat
Pumps
Danlers
DFX Technology
Durakerb
Dwelle
Dyer
Earth Energy
Earthscan
Eco
Environments
Eco Merchant
Ecobuilding
News
EcoEnergyDepot
Econergy
Ecosheet
Ecoskies
Ecosmart
Heaters
Elcomponent
Electric Heating
Co
Encompas
Energy Gain
Energy Solutions
EnviroHomes
Envirolink
Envirolink
Biomass
Environment Ind
Magazine
Envirovent
Eos Energy

Epwin
Eurocell
Flag-Soprema
Flood Angel
Forestry
Commission
and Biomass
Energy Centre
Fusion 21
Granada
Secondary
Glazing
Green Building
Store
Greenbuild
Magazine
GreenEnergy
Hertalan
Housing
Association
Building &
Maintenance
HVP
Ideal Standard
Imperative
Energy
Jaga
JDP
Jeld-Wen
Jewson
Johnson &
Starley
Kedel
Kingspan
Renewables
KIV
Klober
Knauf
Local Authority
Building &
Maintenance
Lochinvar
Logwise
Loopmaster
Lunar Controls
Maincor
Medem
MET UK
Mitsubishi
Next Generation
NICEIC
NorDan
Nuvision Energy
Open Skies
Renewables
Pegasus
Planning
Pegler
Philips Lighting
Polypipe
PolyRoof
Products
PowerPerfector
Procure Plus
Procurement for
Housing
Professional
Builder
Professional
Electrician
Professional
Heating &
Plumbing
Installer

Pure eco
Solutions
Recycled Plastic
Seating
Redland
Remeha
Renson
RES
RICS
Roofing Today
Roofs, Walls &
Floor
RTC
Rural
Development
Initiative
Rural Energy
RW Simon
Senior
Architetcural
Systems
Siemens
Small Planet
Products
Smith's
Environmental
Solar Electric
Power Co
Solar Peak
Solfex
Solyndra
South Survey
Spirotech
Stiebel Eltron
Strateco
Surestop
Sustainable
Homes
Treco
Renewables
UK Biomass
UK Green
Building Council
Urban Visual
Viessmann
Villavent
Vista Panels
V-Phase
Wagner Solar
UK
Waxman Energy
Westwoods
Woodfuels
Wood Energy Ltd
Woodpecker
Energy
Worcester
WPL
www.greenbuild
news.co.uk
YBS Insulation

CIAT Information
Sheets: copyright
Members can benefit from the wide range of Information Sheets
published by the Institute. These may be downloaded free of charge
from the Members area of the website. This article contains the text
of the Information Sheet on Copyright.

What is copyright?
Copyright in respect of architecture, gives the
author of the drawings economic rights,
protecting the ownership of drawings and
enabling control over the use of the drawings.
The purpose of copyright law is to prevent
others from exploiting such material without the
permission of the original author of the work.
Uses of copyright work require permission from
the original author.
When is copyright effective?
Copyright protection is automatic under the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for
original architectural works. Copyright protection
extends for the lifetime of the author and for a
further period of 70 years from the end of the
calendar year in which the author dies. There are
other forms of legislation that would protect
creative work such as patents, design rights,
trademarks etc.
Who owns copyright?
The ownership of the copyright in architectural
works will reside with the author of the work,
unless the work is created by an employee in the
course of his employment, in which case the
employer would own the copyright. The
copyright may be assigned to another in writing.
Another alternative is to issue a licence to use the
architectural works.
Extent of copyright protection
Copyright protection extends to plans, designs,
sketches, prints, diagrams, working drawings,
final drawings, artistic presentations, notes and
any building constructed therefrom.
Good practice
It is good practice and common commercial

16 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

practice to take steps to protect

ones copyright. The Institute
publishes a Conditions of
Engagement booklet, which can
be purchased to assist members
in administering their contract
with their clients. This booklet
includes a section on copyright,
which endeavours to protect the
members copyright whilst
enabling clients to utilise the
services as the member has
intended.
It is also good practice to mark
the document with the copyright
symbol followed by the date
and your name and details as a
warning not to copy the work,
although this is not legally
necessary in the UK.
Members are well advised to
insert a copyright clause on their
drawings as a matter of routine,
explaining that the copyright in
the drawing remains vested in the
member. This would also be an
opportunity to quote any nonsequiturs such as matters
involving scaling the drawing,
checking
dimensions
etc.
dependent on the service provided.
Infringements
Copyright gives the author exclusive rights to
copy and issue copies of the work. If any third
party copies the work without the authors
authority it is likely to amount to an infringement
of copyright.

It should be understood that whilst all efforts

should be made to protect your design from
being copied on other sites, your client has in
effect purchased the right to use the design for
the particular project for which you have made
an agreement.

Licence
The author may grant a licence to a third party to
enable him to reproduce the work under the
terms of an agreement. The Institutes
Conditions of Engagement make provision for
this.
Court actions
If a case of copyright infringements is proven,
the court can apply the following measures:
compensation awarded for loss of financial
income from the work, usually measured by
reference to what would have been a fair licence
fee or an account of profits earned
injunction to prevent any further breach of
copyright
order for materials breaching copyright to be
delivered up/destroyed
Sources of reference
The Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988:
www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880
048_en_1.htm
Guidance notes on copyright issued by Her
Majestys Stationery Office:
www.hmso.gov.uk/copyright/guidance/guidanc
e_notes.htm
Croner Factsheet on Intellectual Property:
www.cronerconsulting.co.uk/Croner/Factsheets/leg
al/522-2%20Intellectual%20Property%20Rights.pdf
UK Patent Office:
www.patent.gov.uk
Intellectual property information from HM
Government:
www.intellectual-property.gov.uk
Most of these sites also include other links,
which may be helpful. The RIBA offers its
members the following guidance and has kindly
given CIAT its permission to pass the
information on to its members:
Copyright
The RIBA Planning Policy Group has consulted
Marcus Harling and Brioney Thomas of Burges
Salmon Solicitors, who advise:
There are no special rules relating to copyright
on the Internet, and protection of drawings and
other material is governed by ordinary copyright
law.

Recommendations to architects
Include a statement of permitted use on all
drawings. For example, This (plan/drawing) has
been produced for (client) for the (project) and is
submitted as part of planning application
(application number/relating to site name) and
is not intended for use by any other person or
for any other purpose.
Include the architects name and logo on all
drawings and make sure that all work carries a
copyright statement, for example, (name of
copyright owner [UK]) (date of creation).

3. The planning inspectorate should publish a

similar warning on plans on its website, and
should give clear guidance to inspectors that only
the original drawings submitted with an
application or appeal should be the basis for a
determination.
Information Sheets are in general based on the law of
England and Wales. Members in other countries should
check with their own legislation before following advice.
For further information on Information Sheets please visit
the CIAT website or contact the Practice Department at
Central Office. Tel. 020 7278 2206. Email
graham@ciat.org.uk

Put a watermark through all drawings this

could be the architects name or logo.
Wherever possible, supply the drawings in
electronic format and in a read only mode. This
will mean that there is no scope for distortion of
drawings through the scanning process and
allows control over inclusion of watermarks,
copyright statements etc.
Recommendations to Planning Authorities
Include a statement on the website that
copying/downloading/use of drawings in any
form will be an infringement of copyright

Information Sheets:
full list
The following information sheets cover a
variety of subjects as a reference source
for all members and may be downloaded
free of charge at:

Make access to all architectural drawings read

only (if possible).

Adjudication

Accuracy
The planning inspectorate intends to electronically transmit planning application drawings to
its inspectors.

Resolutions

On the question of potential inaccuracies caused

by this, Clive Newberry QC, planning barrister
and member of the Planning Policy Group,
advises:

Building Regulations Part M

There is a possibility that an inaccurately digitally

formatted plan may result in a substantial
alteration. The substantial alteration test is
based on whether the permission as granted
represents a substantial alteration of what had
been proposed by the application. (See:
Wheatcroft [Bernard] Ltd v Secretary of State for
the Environment [1982] JPL 37.)

Copyright

Alternative Forms of Dispute

Bankruptcy and Insolvency

Building Regulations Part L

Conduct and Professional Ethics

Conflicts of Interest

Hourly Rate Calculations: a Basic Guide

Insurances: Professional Indemnity etc
Marketing and Maintaining a Business
Offering/Providing Advice or Services
The Party Wall etc Act - a Summary

Recommendations
1. The architect should state clearly on the plans
that only the original drawings should be relied
on.

The Party Wall etc Act 1996

Professional Standards
Rights of Light

2. Planning authorities posting plans on their

websites should inform the public that:

Remember that planning authorities have a

statutory right to:

plans are liable to distortion in transmission to

the web

copy and publish material in connection with

any planning application

measurements scaled from plans cannot be

guaranteed to be accurate

make material relating to planning applications

available for public inspection

reliance must be placed on the originals, which

are available for inspection

Sustainable Development

Further information sheets are available

for CIAT Insurance Scheme members
only.

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 17

CPD

CPD: what you

need to know
James Thew - Fotolia.com

All members of CIAT except students must undertake Continuing Professional

Development (CPD). Holly Willbourn, Education and CPD Administrator, explains
how.

The 2011/12 CPD Record Card has been

issued to members this year by email. (If you
require a printed copy, then please email
info@ciat.org.uk or telephone 020 7278
2206.)
In tandem with the CPD Record Card, this
article outlines how Chartered, MCIAT and
Technician, TCIAT, members might structure
their CPD activities to focus on maintaining
the level of competence defined by their
respective professional qualification.
For Associate, ACIAT, profile candidates or
students, this guidance is of interest
particularly if you are planning your
progression to either of the Institutes
professional qualifications and then
continuing to practise once professionally
qualified with CIAT.
It is important to remember that the
Institutes Code of Conduct, Clause 8 states:
The members (excluding student members) shall: a)
keep themselves informed of current practices and
developments appropriate to the type and level of their
responsibilities; and b) be able to provide evidence that
they have complied with the requirements for
continuing professional development (CPD) as
published by the Institute from time to time.
The Institutes policy is that the minimum
CPD required in any one year is 35 hours of
structured learning. CIAT has a set of
standards that are the minimum benchmarks
of competence for a Chartered Architectural
Technologist, MCIAT, or an Architectural
Technician, TCIAT. At the point of
professional qualification a candidate is
assessed against the CIAT Professional and
Occupational Performance Record (POP

18 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

Record) for that qualification. For Chartered

Members, MCIAT, this assessment includes a
Professional Practice Interview.
In common with other professional bodies in
the construction industry, CIAT has
established
Continuing
Professional
Development as the process by which the
value and integrity of the professional
qualification is maintained. Every member of
CIAT has a professional obligation to engage
in CPD not only for their own personal and
professional development but also for the
benefit of clients, employers and colleagues.
This obligation is currently defined in terms
of a minimum of 35 hours in any one year.
This obligation is monitored annually with a
random five per cent sample of eligible
members.

As the CIAT Performance Standards define

the minimum competence required for the
professional qualification, they also serve as a
useful self-assessment tool for already
qualified members wishing to ensure their
level of competence is being maintained.
They can also be used to plan, structure and
assess CPD activities in terms of their value
to the maintenance of professional
competence and therefore the value of the
CIAT professional qualification, throughout
a members career. However it is recognised
that other CPD activities relevant to a
member may be above, or even fall outside of,
these minimum standards.
This article describes how the set of CIAT
Performance Standards can be used to plan,
structure and evaluate your CPD activities.

CPD

Stage one: identification and prioritisation

of CPD areas/activities
The first step is to undertake a self assessment
of your own competence against the CIAT
Performance Standards, ie the requirements
necessary to be a Chartered Architectural
Technologist, MCIAT or a professional
qualified Architectural Technician, TCIAT.
This should identify areas/activities for
update.
Then plotting the frequency of a particular
activity from the CIAT Performance
Standards against the critical nature of the
activity, as detailed below, will allow your
areas/activities to be place into one of four
categories.
1. Frequent and critical
2. Infrequent and critical
3. Frequent and non-critical
4. Infrequent and non-critical
Thus, type 1 activities should form a key part
of planned CPD activities and be a higher
priority than type 4 activities.
Stage two: planning CPD areas/activities
Effective CPD planning should incorporate a
time period over which the activities will be
undertaken. This will allow the less frequent
activities ie. types 3 and 4, to be included
within a structured CPD mechanism. The
more frequent activities, types 1 and 2, are
likely to appear more than once within such a
plan.
There are also areas where the knowledge
requirements and even workplace activities
change rapidly and regularly. The entire set of
CIAT Performance Standards should
therefore be incorporated within a review
cycle, of say five years, with the included
areas/activities broken down into the
following categories:
Activity/area category
1. Type 1 and 2 activities as defined in stage 1
2. Type 3 and 4 activities as defined in stage 1
3. Areas/activities with rapid/frequent
changes in knowledge (eg Building
Regulations)
4. Areas/activities with rapid/frequent
changes in workplace performance (eg IT
procedures/processes)
5. Areas/activities which remain relatively
constant
6. Areas/activities with updates scheduled
7. Areas/activities with related events
planned

Each area/activity can then be scheduled into

the review cycle with the appropriate number
of occurrences within that cycle. It should be
remembered that the Institutes obligation is
for a minimum of 35 hours CPD in any one
year. This should not be used to limit exposure
to CPD activities as the professional
obligation to clients, employers and
professional colleagues may require more than
this. It will be important to retain some
flexibility within the cycle, to allow for other
changes, specific events or identification of a
new requirement from either your own,
employer or client perspective.
Stage three: evaluating CPD
areas/activities
CPD activities alone will not be sufficient and
should be complemented with an evaluation
of the relevance, quality and consequential
validity of that activity. Activities which are
found to have a low relevance should be rare,
as non-relevant activities should be excluded
through the CPD planning process. This is
more likely to happen if the purpose of
events/activities is not clearly communicated
or reflected upon before attendance. Such
non-relevant activities can be considered
invalid as part of a structured CPD
programme as they are unlikely to add value
to the objective of maintaining competence.
Poor quality events are inevitable and can be
difficult to foresee. There will however be an
impact upon your CPD planning if the event
does not live up to your expectations in terms
of maintaining competence, effectively
making the event invalid. Events/activities
which you regard as invalid, that is they did not
deliver the expected/anticipated outcomes, are
likely to have a detrimental effect upon your
CPD plan, as that particular area of
competence may need to be revisited, either
within the same year or soon after. This
should not be seen as a poor reflection upon
you but should be borne in mind when
selecting other events.
So, when considering a potential CPD event,
it is essential that you consider the relevance
and likely quality of the event and its
consequential impact upon your overall CPD
plan and development objectives; its true
value. This is also not to say that you should
not consider a last-minute CPD opportunity,
which may be very relevant etc but not
necessarily scheduled for that particular time.
CPD plans need to retain an element of
flexibility, allowing you to respond quickly to
changes in industry or employer/client requirements.

Stage four: overall/end of year evaluation

As the years end approaches, which should, if
possible, coincide with any annual appraisal
you may have, you will be able to look at your
CPD plan and evaluate its effectiveness with
respect to your overall competence, as in stage
one earlier. This is where ineffective activities,
or those which for any reason were
delayed/not undertaken, can be rescheduled
and new activities can be incorporated.
Summary
The CIAT Performance Standards can
facilitate a flexible, competence based
approach to planning, structuring and
evaluating CPD, which allows members to
assess and plan for the maintenance of their
own professional competence using a wide
range of CPD events/activities. This will allow
members to retain control of their own
development planning and opportunities and
can be undertaken in conjunction with other
developmental requirements such as
performance reviews and appraisals.
The stages outlined can be regarded as part of
a CPD process, which when combined
constitute the maintenance of professional
competence with respect to CIATs minimum
standards of professional qualification.
Further information
Further information on CPD and CIATs
requirements can be obtained from the CIAT
website, www.ciat.org.uk, or by emailing
info@ciat.org.uk.
To receive further literature on CPD and
Performance Standards, please contact Holly
Willbourn, Education and CPD Administrator
on 020 7278 2206, email holly@ciat.org.uk

CPD plans need to

retain an element of
flexibility, allowing
you to respond
quickly to changes in
industry or
employer/client
requirements

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 19

OPINION

A lighter
shade of green...
... or a darker shade of pale? Strategic design decisions, not
experimentation, are required to take sustainable design into the
future, argues Professor Sam Allwinkle PPBIAT MCIAT.
The UK goal is to achieve 80% reduction in
carbon emissions by 2050, however buildings
presently account for some 45% of carbon
emissions and it has been estimated that 80% of
the buildings that we will be occupying in 2050
have already been built. The scale of the
challenge in reducing fossil fuel dependency in
the built environment is vast and will require
both effective policy and a dramatic increase in
skills and awareness amongst the built
environment professionals.
The changes in the regulation of building energy
performance has already created challenges for
the construction industry and the acceleration of
regulatory change towards zero carbon new
buildings by 2020 will only widen the gulf
between policy and the ability of the industry to
deliver. The need for a radical rethink in practice
in the construction industry is urgent and the
status quo is not an option.
The changes necessary to achieve sustainable
development in our built environment will be far
reaching in areas of policy, finance, procurement,
practice and management. However, unless
professionals are equipped with the fundamental
skills that will allow them to design, model and
construct genuinely efficient buildings, then the
transition to a low carbon economy simply will
not happen.
The need for design professionals in the
construction industry to be well versed in science
and technology has never been greater with the
global concerns to address the sustainability of
the built environment. Having this fundamental
knowledge allows designers to manipulate the
thermal and environmental characteristics of
buildings to achieve performance criteria without
necessarily relying on energy consuming services
interventions.
The potential lack of knowledge to inform
strategic design decisions has led to the

20 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

perpetuation of an experimental approach to

building performance, rather than an approach
based on synthesis, analysis, testing and
measurement of solutions.
The traditional development process has a
tendency to promote the consumption of finite
resources and the production of waste with little
emphasis on efficiency, re-use or recycling of
materials. In order to move towards a more
sustainable design culture the life expectancy of
buildings must be assessed with the linkages to
obsolescence. This should be undertaken at the
design stage of a project as it is at this stage that
most of the fundamental decisions are made
which influence and facilitate the achievements
of sustainability objectives.

The UK suffers from

systemic weaknesses
in its skills base
which limit its
productivity
Changes in the development process are needed,
together with corresponding changes in all
sectors of the construction industry. This need
for change can be achieved by modifying the
traditional patterns of consumption, through the
introduction of new detail design strategies
including performance, production, function and
environment. Designing by using an holistic
approach will require better understanding of
materials, their function in a given environment
and their assembly and disassembly. However
this will require a greater emphasis on skills
development at all levels in the science and
technology of buildings linked to materials and

components and the necessary research and the

development of lifespan characteristics of buildings.
The global challenge of environmental sustainability provides the construction industry with an
opportunity to become more innovative, creative
and consequently require the industry to up-skill
at all levels. The UK suffers from systemic
weaknesses in its skills base which limit its
productivity and competitiveness in todays
economy, and reduce its capacity to exploit the
opportunities offered by green growth.
The case for moving towards a low-carbon
economy and achieving green and sustainable
growth has been well documented. It has gained
further ground as governments look for ways out
of the economic downturn and means for
reducing unemployment at the same time as
meeting their climate change obligations,
renewing energy infrastructure and complying
with other environmental legislation.
However, as government and industry increase
efforts to take advantage of the economic
opportunities provided by the low-carbon
economy, the need to ensure there is a workforce
with the skills required to exploit those
opportunities becomes more pressing. Growth
in demand is likely to increase for professionals
with high-level, specialist skills and anticipate this
demand to ensure new and existing professionals
are equipped to support and share in the success
of these future growth sectors.
However, against this background the Institute
and the members have a major opportunity to
grasp this territory and the opportunity as a
central plank of the future plans, policies and
practices for Architectural Technology and be
the lead design profession in this key area.
Professor Sam Allwinkle is Director of Lifelong
Learning at Napier University and a member of
CIATs Research Group.

INSIGHT Technical Services

Junior Internship Scheme for
Architectural Technology students
Supporting students growth
Insight Technical Services (Professionals in design, construction and estate management) is a supportive
organisation which tries to develop all members by regular appraisals and feedback. We believe that the
students of today are the leaders of tomorrow. With this in mind we intend to help enhance the current academic
teaching method for Architectural Technology whilst promoting CIAT. To do this we intend to take several
Architectural Technology students into our workplace each year and gradually expose them to as much of our
industry as possible.
In conjunction with CIAT Accredited degree courses, Insight Technical Services wishes to help support students
growth educationally by opening the doors to the professional workplace. We aim to offer students the additional
skills and professional knowledge to not only use in the workplace but also to further aid their studies. The hope
is that this will enable the interns to successfully enter the workforce after obtaining their full degree qualification.
By undertaking this scheme, Insight Technical Services is supporting and helping nurture and develop the
Chartered Architectural Technologists of the future.
We will advise successful applicants to become Student CIAT members if they are not already, as we will
support and encourage their development towards Chartered status. We will also promote active involvement
with CIAT.

What academics say about the scheme

Insight Technical Services has recently offered two internship places to students from Wolverhampton University
currently in their second year. Andrew Cunningham, Architectural Design Technology Course Manager at
Wolverhampton University says We see this scheme as creating a smoother transition between knowledge and
experience. The student experience first hand the application of the knowledge gained in the studies almost at
the same time. They can then be called open by tutors to verify the appropriateness of the topics under study.
At present students can only achieve this mix of knowledge and experience by placements or by completing the
course part-time. This method should permit the student to complete their degree in the original three year
period, whilst gaining valuable experience.
Working a maximum of 15-16 hours per week enables the student to retain their full time status.
The experience gained may also contribute to their POP Record and accelerate the students move through to
MCIAT status.

For more information contact:

Andrew Stanford ACIAT, INSIGHT Technical Services
6 Sweetlake Business Village, Longden Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 9EW
Tel: 01743 242464. Email: andrewstanford@insightts.co.uk. Web: www.insightts.co.uk.

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 21

LEGISLATION

The terminator
Termination provisions in standard form building contracts are not always user friendly.
Contract administrators must understand the circumstances in which a contract can be
terminated. Hannah Bywater of Robin Simon LLP explains.

In an ideal world projects run smoothly, all

parties perform their obligations in
accordance with their contracts and there is no
need for termination provisions. The reality is
that problems do arise and in these situations,
workable termination provisions are
important.
Unfortunately, termination provisions in
standard form building contracts are not
always user friendly. Contract administrators
(CAs) must understand the circumstances in
which a contract can be terminated, and the
administrative procedure that must be
followed to make the termination legal and
effective, they must also make the client aware
of what the contract provisions are if the
client is proposing to terminate the
contractors contract, and be able to advise
their client of the consequences if the
contractor is intending to terminate.
The circumstances in which a building
contract can be terminated will vary
depending on which contract is being used.
For the purposes of this article, I will be
focusing on the terms set out in the following
widely used contracts: JCT Minor Building
Works Contract 2005 (Revision 1 2007) and
JCT Building Contract for a home owner/occupier

JCT Minor Building Works

Contract
In what circumstances can the contract be
terminated? Section 6 of the contract deals
with termination of the contractors
employment:
Termination by the employer
The employer may terminate the contract if
thecontractor:

without good cause suspends the works;

fails to proceed with the works in a timely

fashion

fails to comply with the CDM Regulations

22 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

becomes insolvent

commits an offence under the Prevention of

Corruption Acts 1889 to 1916 or the Local
Government Act 1972.

Termination by the contractor

Conversely, the contractor may give notice to
terminate its employment if the employer:

does

not pay sums properly due to the

contractor by the final date for payment

interferes

with or obstructs the issue of any

certificate due under the contract

fails

to comply with the CDM regulations

the

Contractor also has claims for

termination if the Works are suspended for
a continuous period of more than one
month by reason of certain CA instructions
and/or employer default.

Termination by either party

The contract may also be terminated by either
party if the works are suspended for a
continuous period of one month by reason of:

force

majeure

Contract

Administrator instructions issued

as a result of the negligence or default of any
statutory undertaker;

loss

or damage to the works by specified

events;

civil

commotion or terrorism;

any

statutory power which directly affects

the execution of the works.

How to terminate the contract?

Termination provisions are strictly applied,
and care must be taken to see that the terms
of the contract are precisely complied with,
particularly with regard to the timing and
methods for serving notices. Failure to have
regard for time limits and methodology can

invalidate the termination notice. If it is found

that a notice has been given unreasonably or
vexatious the notice will be void.
If the CA considers there is good reason to
terminate the contractors employment
because the contractor has suspended the
works without good cause, failed to proceed
timeously, or failed to comply with the CDM
Regulations, the CA must discuss the options
with their client, and if the client wishes to
terminate the Contract the employer or the
CA must do the following:
1. Give the contractor a notice specifying the
default
2. If the contractor continues with or does not
remedy the default within seven days, the CA
may give a second notice to the contractor to
terminate the contractors employment (this
notice must be given on or within 10 days
from the expiry of the seven day period).
Termination will take effect on receipt of the
second notice. It is important to remember
that notices must be in writing and given by

LEGISLATION

hand or special/recorded delivery. If the

contractor becomes insolvent or commits an
act of corruption or local government offence
the employer/CA only needs to serve one
notice.
Where the contractor feels it has reason to
terminate the contract it must give the
employer a notice specifying the relevant
default or suspension event as detailed above.
If the employer does not correct the default or
resume the services within seven days of the
notice the contractor must serve a further
notice (within 10 days of expiry of the first
notice) that their employment is terminated.
The CA must be able to advise the employer
if the correct procedure has been followed.

the CA advice then the CA could expect the

employer to join the CA in any litigation.

JCT Building Contract for a

Home Owner/Occupier
In what circumstances can the contract be
terminated? The JCT Home Owner building
contract is, in many respects, much simpler
than the Minor Works Contract. Clause 10
deals with the provisions for bringing the
contract to an end. The reasons for
termination are different to those under the
Minor Works Contract. The CA can terminate
the contractors employment if the contractor:

is

Where the works have been suspended by

either party for the reasons above, either party
can give notice that unless the suspension
ceases within seven days, the contract will be
terminated. A further notice must be given on
expiry of the seven day period to terminate
the contract.
Consequences of termination
Clause 6.7 deals with the consequences of
termination. Once the contract has been
terminated the employer may engage another
contractor to carry out and complete any
unfinished or defective works. Any provisions
requiring further payment to the contractor or
any release of retention no longer apply.
Once the works are completed, the employer
must issue an account. This account is to be
set out in a certificate issued by the CA and
will show:
amount of expense incurred by the
employer including loss and damage caused
by the contractor (whether arising from
termination or otherwise)

not at the site regularly to carry out the

work

is

not meeting his health and safety and

environmental responsibilities
so incompetent or careless that the work is
of an unacceptable standard

contractor, if any, once the work has been

finished by another contractor. The employer
can claim from the contractor any costs and
expenses which result from the contractor
failing to keep to the terms of the contract.
Wrongful termination
As stated above, termination provisions in
these contracts are applied strictly and care
must be taken when considering whether to
issue termination notices. If it should turn out
that the employer was not entitled to end the
contract, this will amount to a repudiatory
breach of contract by the employer and the
contractor may be entitled to claim damages.
In these circumstances the employer may in
turn, seek to claim against the CA for
providing negligent advice regarding the
termination of the contract. Furthermore, the
costs of a new contractor completing works
will usually be more expensive than the costs
of the existing contractor.

is

becomes

insolvent.

The contractor may terminate the Home

Owner Contract if the customer:

does

not pay an amount due without having

good reason

prevents

Summary
It is important to understand the reasons and
mechanics of terminating contracts. The
employer will be relying on the CA to
administer the contract correctly. Termination
of the contract when the employer is not
entitled to do so can be costly and therefore
CAs should not advise their clients to
terminate agreements lightly. CAs should:

the contractor from carrying out the

1. consider carefully if a default has arisen

having regard for all of the circumstances;

if

the CA fails or refuses to act as he should

under the contract.

2. consider whether it is reasonable to give

notice;

How to terminate the contract

contract administrator must give written
warning to the contractor.

3. follow the notice requirements strictly, set

out the default complained of and state
explicitly the clause in the contract which is
being relied on; and

works

the

the

amount already paid to the contractor

the

total amount which would have been

payable for the works if the contract had not
been terminated.

If the employers loss plus payments made to

the contractor are more than the total amount
of the contract, the difference is payable by
the contractor to the employer. If the amount
is less, the difference is payable by the
employer to the contractor.
Other considerations
The consequences of termination can be
significant and a decision to terminate should
be exercised extremely carefully taking into
account all outstanding issues on the
administration of the building contract and all
the other provisions of the contract. If the
employer wrongly terminates the Contract he
could be liable for any damages incurred by
the contractor. If the employer has followed

The

If

the contractor does not rectify the

problem within seven days of receiving the
written warning, the contract administrator
can end the contract by giving the contractor
a second written notice.

The

contract will end as soon as the notice is

given.

In the event of insolvency, no notice is

required. The contract will automatically come
to an end unless the contractors insolvency
practitioner makes suitable arrangements to
allow the contract to continue.
The contractor may terminate its employment
following the same procedure above giving the
relevant notices to the consumer.
Consequences of termination
If the contract is terminated, the employer
(referred to as the consumer in this contract)
will only have to pay money due to the

4. keep copies of any correspondence sent or

received in relation to breaches and defaults
and keep copies of all notices served.
5. If the employer wishes to terminate the
contract and the CA has any doubt about their
entitlement to do so the CA should direct the
employer to obtain legal advice. If the
employer is reluctant to do so, the CA has the
option of obtaining his own legal advice so as
to safeguard his position.

Robin Simon LLP is a leading practice in the field of

professional indemnity and insurance law. For more
information visit www.robinsimonllp.com
This article refers to the law of England and Wales;
in other countries legislation may differ.
Image RTimages - Fotolia.com

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 23

AGM and

Presidents Annual
Dinner Dance 2011
Cambridge: sponsorship opportuni
es

sorensen - Fotolia.com

CIAT is holding its Annual General Mee
ng and Presidents Dinner Dance in
Cambridge this year. Promote your product or service to Architectural
Technology professionals and meet the industrys decision makers.
This pres
gious event in the CIAT calendar brings together over 200 professionals in
Architectural Technology and the built environment from across the UK and overseas an
ideal opportunity for you to specically target and promote your product or service directly to
those who are the decision makers and speciers in the industry. The publicity, however,
doesnt stop there! Promo
on of your product or service will go not only to those who aend
the event, but also to the wider CIAT membership and related professionals, via the Ins
tutes
website and magazine.

The programme
Friday 18 November Members Evening, Crowne Plaza Hotel: an informal members only social
event which includes a supper and a Scalextric fun event for charity.
Saturday 19 November The CIAT AGM takes place during the day at historic Downing College,
with stand space available for sponsors. In the evening, Girton College is host to the splendour
of the Presidents Annual Dinner Dance.

Sponsorship op
ons
Aending sponsors:
Stand space at AGM
Two Dinner Dance
ckets
Publicity distribu
on to AGM delegates
Company name and logo on related promo
onal material
Banner and link on CIAT website, for a period of three months
Cost: 2500 plus VAT
Non-aending sponsors:
Half page display adver
sement in Architectural Technology magazine
Publicity distribu
on to AGM delegates
Company name and logo on related promo
onal material
Cost: 1000 plus VAT

Dhoxax - Fotolia.com

Basic sponsors:
Publicity distribu
on to AGM delegates
Company prole in CIAT Enewsleer
Cost: 700 plus VAT

Book now
To book a sponsorship package or for a no-obliga
on discussion, please contact:
Hugh Morrison, Communica
ons Director, CIAT, 397 City Road, London, EC1V 1NH, UK.
Tel 020 7278 2206/020 3286 2201. Fax 020 7837 3194.
Email: hugh@ciat.org.uk

EDUCATION

Technologist
of the future?
At the Skills London Careers Fair at Excel in October, CIAT held a design
competition for 12 to 16 year olds, to publicise the Institute and get young
people thinking about careers in Architectural Technology. The winner was
Alicia Mundy (age 14) for her design for an Olympic Park cafe, DeCafLondon.
James Banks, Membership Director, got in touch with her.
Where did you get you inspiration/idea for
the caf design?
In the summer holidays, I went on a tour of the
Olympic site with my parents. Although it was a
building site you could still see how the buildings
would look during the games. The main thing
that really impressed me was that the IOC was
willing to put so much money into making the
games a sustainable one and creating a green
legacy for the local area. They had thought about
things that although seem small now, would have
a huge impact on the environment during the
games.
For example, rainwater being collected from the
Pringle shaped roof of the velodrome and then
used for flushing the toilets. When you think
about how many times those toilets will be
flushed during the games, a lot of water will be
saved. I got my inspiration from the Olympic
Park and the idea of being sustainable and
modern in order to help the environment and
start a green revolution.
What software did you use to produce the
imagery and design?
The software that I used is called Sims 3. It is a
game where you can design people, build them
buildings or houses and then decide how their
lives shape out. It is easy to use once you know
how. The game comes with objects for you to
put inside the buildings but to make them more
suitable for the cafe I found others on the
internet.

but I havent made up my mind

completely. I am quite creative so I
am thinking about something to do
with design.
Had you heard of Architectural
Technology before you visited
the careers fair?
I had not heard of Architectural
Technology but I had heard of
architecture.
Now that you know more about
Architectural Technology would
you consider it as a career
option?
I have been thinking about
architecture as an option for a
possible career (Alicias relevant
GCSE topics include Graphics, Maths
and Triple Science) and now I know
more about Architectural Technology, it is also a possibility as I am
very interested in it. I like the idea of
being able to make a difference by
doing your job and designing
something that will affect peoples
lives. I am interested in a career in
architecture and construction but I
think I'd prefer the design side of
arch-itecture, not construction.

As I wanted to follow the sustainable theme I

also included wind-turbines and solar panels
which if you were playing the game, would
reduce the energy bills that your character has to
pay!

Do any of your family or friends work in

the architectural professional or building
industry?
Our neighbour and close family friend is an
architect, so I have always been interested in the
ways he designs, which is traditional. He doesnt
use computers to design with and I really find
his drawings fascinating.

Have you decided what your career

ambitions are?
I have some ideas about what I would like to do

How would you feel if the caf was built?

If the cafe was built I would feel really proud. I
would also be pleased to have given something

Top left: Alicia Mundy.

Above: Alicias winning design
to the community and to have been involved
with the Olympics. It would be fantastic to be
able to be associated with the games.
How did you feel when you got the news you
had won?
I felt really happy when I found out I had won
as I had spent a lot of time on my entry, I was
also pleased to have won when I was wasnt
expecting it!

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 25

Determination
Building Act 1984 - Section 16 (10) (a).
The full text of the Secretary of States (England and Wales) Determination of
compliance with requirement B1 (means of warning and escape) in Part B (fire safety)
of schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000 (as amended), in respect of a loft
conversion.

The proposed work and question arising;

(please note items 1-3 are omitted as extraneous).
4.The papers submitted indicate that the
building to which this determination
relates is a two storey, mid terrace house
with: two bedrooms and a bathroom on
the first floor; a living room, kitchen and
conservatory on the ground floor; with an
entrance hall and a stair leading to a first
floor landing.
5.The proposed building work comprises
the conversion of the loft area (roof
space) to form an additional en-suite
bedroom and other ancillary work. Access
to the new second floor is proposed from
a new stair from the first floor landing
leading to an open loft area/room
without a door. The stair enclosure is
formed by fire resisting doors and
partitions at ground and first floor levels.
You also state that each bedroom window
will be an escape/egress window and that
interlinked smoke and heat detection will
be provided at each level of the house.
6.The above proposed work was the
subject of a full plans application which
was rejected by the Council on 21
December 2009 on the grounds that your
plans do not provide for a protected
stairway at second floor level and do not
therefore comply with Requirement B1
(Means of warning and escape) in Part B
(Fire safety) of Schedule 1 to the Building
Regulations 2000 (as amended). However,
your client wishes to have an open loft
area/room and you consider that your
proposals demonstrate compliance with
Requirement B1. It is in respect of this
question that you have applied for a
determination.
26 AT MAY/JUNE 2011

The applicants case

7.You take the view that the
circumstances of this case are almost
precisely similar to a previous appeal to
the Secretary of State and you have
enclosed a copy of the decision in that
case to support your position.

...most conservatory
roofs are constructed
from lightweight
materials and
glazing or
polycarbonate sheets
and are not capable
of sustaining the
impact of a person
jumping onto them
from a window at a
higher level.
8.You explain that your client wishes to
provide an open loft area not only to
serve as a bedroom but as an extension
of her living space. However, you
consider that you have taken steps to
ensure that the fire safety aims of the
Building Regulations can be met within
the submitted proposals so that the safety
of the occupants of the loft room is not
compromised.

9.You believe that the main considerations in this case are the safety of
the occupants of the new loft room
should a fire occur elsewhere in the house
and the impact of the proposed work on
the safety of the occupants of the lower
storeys. You point out that the escape
route (stairway) from the loft room will be
protected from the accommodation at
every level other than from the loft room
itself. This will provide, in so far as the
occupants of the loft room are
concerned, the same level of safety as
would be afforded by a conventional
protected stairway. As such, there would
be no need for a fire door to provide safe
refuge for the occupants of the loft room.
10.However, you accept the effect of the
proposal to omit a door to the loft room
will mean that the rooms at ground and
first floor levels will become inner rooms
and you say you have therefore provided
suitable windows to allow safe escape for
the occupants of such rooms in an
emergency.
11.In response to the Councils comments
on your determination application
(below) and its concern regarding the
position of the first floor escape window
on the rear elevation over a conservatory,
you provided a photograph and details
relating to the roof of the conservatory
attached to the ground floor rear wall and
state that your client would as a
condition of approval of her proposals
be willing to replace the material of the
roof of the conservatory with toughened
glass capable of withstanding impact and
increased loading likely in the event of
emergency use. You also reiterated that
the existing bedroom windows would

each meet the criteria for egress windows

described in paragraph 2.8 of the
guidance in Approved Document B (Fire
safety, Volume 1 - Dwellinghouses).
The Councils case
12.The Council takes the view that the
lack of a protected stairway at second
floor level in this case is not in accordance
with the guidance in paragraphs 2.6a and
2.20b of Approved Document B.
13.The Council considers that should a
fire occur within the proposed loft room
the omission of a fire resisting door and
enclosure to the top storey could result in
smoke quickly obstructing the escape
route for the occupants of the rooms at
ground and first floor levels. These rooms
should therefore be considered as inner
rooms within the definition contained in
Appendix E and paragraph 2.9 of
Approved Document B. Paragraph 2.9
states that an inner room arrangement is
only acceptable where rooms on a floor
not more than 4.5m above ground level
are provided with an emergency egress
window which complies with paragraph
2.8. The drawing submitted to the
Council indicates an escape window to
the first floor bedroom on the rear
elevation but not to the first floor
bedroom on the front elevation.

provided to the first floor bedroom on

the front elevation.
The Secretary of States consideration
16. The Secretary of State has given
careful consideration to the particular
circumstances of this case and the
arguments presented by both parties. He
notes that he is being asked to determine
whether the plans of the proposed
building work to convert a loft into a
habitable room are in conformity with
Requirement B1 of the Building
Regulations.

Your plans do not

comply with
Requirement B1 as
the egress route from
the first floor
bedroom window on
the rear elevation is
not proven to be a
safe route

14.The drawing also indicates a

conservatory directly beneath the escape
window on the rear elevation. The
Council believes that most conservatory
roofs are constructed from lightweight
materials and glazing or polycarbonate
sheets and are not capable of sustaining
the impact of a person jumping onto
them from a window at a higher level and
walking across them. The Council has not
received supporting information to justify
the ability of the existing conservatory to
support this type of impact and loading.

17.You have acknowledged that, without

an enclosure to the stair at the proposed
second floor level, there is a need for
escape windows from the first floor bedroom windows and have indicated that
these will be provided. However, the
copies of the drawings submitted to the
Council and to the Secretary of State
indicate an escape window in the first
floor bedroom on the rear elevation but
not in the first floor bedroom on the
front elevation.

15.The Council concludes therefore that

your plans do not comply with
Requirement B1 as the egress route from
the first floor bedroom window on the
rear elevation is not proven to be a safe
route and an emergency egress window in
accordance with paragraph 2.8 of
Approved Document B has not been

18.With regard to the Councils concern

about the escape route from the first floor
window on the rear elevation, your client
has also indicated her willingness to
address the detailed design of the
conservatory roof to achieve compliance,
but you have not submitted any detailed
proposals in this respect.

19.The Secretary of State considers that

your plans could easily be amended to
show compliance by providing these
missing details and the Council has not
suggested that it has any further
objections in relation to Requirement B1.
He observes that the dispute in this case
relates mainly to a failure to adequately
communicate your proposals rather than
any fundamental technical differences.
The determination
20.The Secretary of State considers that
your plans relating to the loft conversion
in question, do not demonstrate adequate
provision for means of escape in case of
fire. He has therefore concluded and
hereby determines that the plans of the
proposed building work do not comply
with Requirement B1 (Means of warning
and escape) in Part B (Fire safety) of
Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations
2000 (as amended).
21.You should note that in the application
of building regulations to the proposed
building work, it is relevant when that
work begins. Where the work which as
in your case is the subject of full plans
deposited with the Council before 1
October 2010 is started before 1
October 2011 the Building Regulations
2000 (as amended) will apply and the
Secretary of State has made his
determination on this basis. But if the
work is started after that date, the
consolidated Building Regulations 2010
will apply instead. However, although you
should be aware of this, in most cases
there will be no difference in practice as
the substantive provisions will not have
changed.
22.You should also note that the Secretary
of State has no further jurisdiction in this
case and that any matters that follow
should be taken up with the building
control body.

Crown copyright, reproduced by permission.

For further information on determinations,
please visit: www.communities.gov.uk

AT MAY/JUNE 2011 27

Your chance to join CIATs

Executive Board and Council
On 3 September 2011 CIATs Council will be electing
the following honorary positions:

Vice President Practice

Honorary Secretary

What is involved?
With each of these positions you will automatically become a trustee of CIAT (ie a member of the Executive
Board and also for Council) and are therefore contributing to the policies and future strategic development of the Institute. You will be expected to attend
two Council meetings (normally on a Saturday in
March and September) and up to four Executive board
meetings as well as the Institutes Annual General
Meeting.
There may also be attendance at events and meetings
on behalf of the Institute, for example, at Construction
Industry Council meetings, Award presentations or at
universities.
Vice President Practice
The role is principally about supporting and developing
services for all members practising Architectural Technology.
You will work in close liaison with the Practice Department and will promote CIAT and its members with the
objective of gaining greater profile and recognition.
Other projects will be in developing services and guidance for Members in practice on their own account.
Other external meetings may be in relation to gaining
greater recognition, developing links with other bodies,
such as Government etc and lobbying them on issues
of policy.
You will also work with the Chairman of the Task
Forces tackling practice issues such as arbitration, adjudication, practice documents etc.
Honorary Secretary
As Honorary Secretary, you will ensure that the Institutes Code of Conduct is adhered to. Together with
the President and Chief Executive, the Honorary Secretary is also responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the Executive Board, Council, AGM and
Conduct Committee in line with the Institutes Constitution. As a member of the Conduct Committee you
will be required to attend these meetings, normally held

on the Friday prior to the Executive Board meetings.

It is the Conduct Committee which investigates and
considers complaints made against members for alleged breaches of the Institutes Code of Conduct.
Potential rewards
You will have the chance to shape the future of your
Institute and strategic and operational levels.
If you have ever wondered why something has or has
not been done then now is your chance to do something positive about it. All reasonable travel expenses
will be reimbursed.
I am interested: what do I do?
If you are a Chartered Member and are interested you
need to be nominated by a fellow Chartered Member,
in writing to the returning officer by 8 July 2011.
Guidelines
Nominations must be received by the returning officer
no later than 8 July 2011.
Any Chartered Member is eligible to propose a candidate although no nomination is permitted without obtaining the prior consent of the nominee, and any
Chartered Member is eligible to stand.
The returning officer is the Chief Executive, Francesca
Berriman, who will:

Invite

the nominees formally to

accept or reject the nomination

Prepare

a final list of accepted

nominations and despatch it to
all members of council prior to
the meeting

Invite

all those who have

accepted nominations to attend
the Council meeting for election

Obtain

copies of nominee manifestos

For further information on what the posts involve,

please contact CIAT 397 City Road, London EC1V 1
NH. Tel. 020 7278 2206. Email info@ciat.org.uk
Elected officers will be profiled in the September/October edition of Architectural Technology.