Building Control

Appreciate how legal, political and social issues shape our sector and its role in the economy. Understand the project lifecycle and the RIBA Plan of Work. Identify the industry’s stakeholders and professions and your chosen profession’s key responsibilities in meeting client objectives.

Explore the causes of climate change and the challenges of sustainable development, with particular focus on the construction and property sector. Examine the relationship between property and the environment along with the criteria used to measure sustainability in relation to finished construction projects.

Gain an understanding of the organisational structures within the sector. Appreciate the role of business planning and the accounting concepts that support decision making. Consider the importance and benefits of client management, professionalism, ethical practice and diversity in the workforce.

Establish a foundation knowledge of buildings, the environment and technology, also considering them from a sustainability perspective. Develop your communication skills and construction literacy with real-world examples of construction projects, including traditional masonry and roof construction.

Dive into the legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the construction and property sector, along with the legal environment in the context of planning, design and occupation and health and safety as it relates to both design and construction activity.

Gain familiarity with your chosen discipline and develop basic discipline specific knowledge and skills. Undertake a discipline specific task that will develop your understanding of client’s objectives, industry sources of information and the benefits of collaborative practice.

The relationship between a building’s design, environment and occupants is complex. With the overarching theme of human comfort, break down the individual factors – heat, air moisture sound and light within these aspects of a building, and how each of these factors affect one another, in the context of domestic or office environments.

Retrofit is a crucial function for keeping existing buildings in use and fit for purpose. Explore the range of different retrofitting project types and associated issues while developing the knowledge and skills required to appraise and develop retrofit and refurbishment solutions.

Explore the core competencies of building control you’ll need to become a member of relevant professional bodies. Examine requirements for site inspections of building work, with reference to legislation like the Building Safety Act 2022, and apply these standards to different scenarios.

Build an understanding of building pathology – the study of building decay, defects and performance failure. Develop your ability to effectively diagnose and evaluate a range of common building defects through inspection, testing, survey and analysis.

The relationship between a building’s design, environment and occupants is complex. With the overarching theme of human comfort, break down the individual factors – heat, air moisture sound and light within these aspects of a building, and how each of these factors affect one another, in the context of domestic or office environments.

Analyse building pathology and surveying technologies in the context of commercial structures. Identify, examine and provide technical solutions to key defects in commercial buildings. Understand the role of technology and information management as they apply to building surveying services.

Develop specific research skills and techniques that allow you to investigate issues and situations related to your area of interest, and apply these to an industry-related problem. Gain analytical skills and learn techniques that will directly enhance your employability skills.

Assessing the use of a building or venue to ensure public safety is a core skill of building control surveyors. Examine legislation and guidance and apply these principles to scenarios involving sports grounds, licensed premises and concert venues.

Consolidate your knowledge and skills by working in multi-disciplinary groups in a project scenario. This project will help you identify the procedures required for the adaptation and refurbishment of a building based on a client’s brief.

Explore building surveying practice and enhance your ability to recognise, analyse and remedy building maintenance issues, so that you can provide professional advice regarding different types of surveys, and maintenance and building adaptation.

Fire safety is a key competency in the industry . Study the nature of fire, the relevant regulations and standards, methods of protection and means of escape in relation to domestic and commercial buildings.

Establish an up-to-date understanding of the developments, issues and arguments that dominate contemporary debate and policy making within the built environment, and formulate your own line of enquiry and analysis, informed by your own critical review.