CEDIA has launched a new professional development course for architects and building designers, designed to educate them to place them in the best position to address their clients’ smart home technology and lifestyle needs.

The new course coincides with increased demand among homeowners for professionally installed technology that can blend seamlessly into a home’s design.

Architects who complete the course also receive one formal CPD point.

CEDIA’s regional development independent consultant for Australia and New Zealand, Paul Skelton, explains: “Members of the design and build community are more frequently than ever being asked about smart home technology. Fundamentally, this new CPD presentation has been designed to educate architects and building designers insofar as smart home technology is concerned. It covers exactly what you can automate in a home, including blinds, lighting, entertainment, HVAC and security, why and when you need an integrator and how you work with an integrator. It also gives architects one of the 12 valuable CPD points they need to earn annually upon completion.”
Members of the design and build community don’t need to burden themselves with learning how the technology works, but they do need to know who to call when the situation arises, and as this technology moves away from being ‘nice to have’, to being an absolute necessity.

Paul adds: “Take the recent lockdowns as an example. As more people work from home, bullet-proof networks become a priority. Integrators are the people to call to ensure your client’s home performs as it needs to. This new course joins the dots between all the critical parties involved in making this happen.”

Participants who take the course will also be given advice on how to find a qualified integrator and how to vet them to ensure that they are capable and competent partners.

Paul says: “Where this course is different is that it is about something completely different to other CPD presentations – it’s not about the National Construction Code, paint, concrete, bricks or OH&S. The technologies covered in this presentation are front and centre in the minds of many homeowners, so it helps architects get across working with integrators more quickly and efficiently.”
The new course was developed specifically for Australian design sensibilities by Paul and a group of smart home professionals with experience of working with architects and building designers. It delves more heavily into the design and documentation process that integrators go through with homeowners, as well as adhering to the AACA’s learning outcomes, a legal requirement for any presentation that wants to be considered as formal CPD.

In addition, CEDIA has worked with PointsBuild which means that architects in all areas can access the course virtually.

Paul adds: “Architects who complete this course get to learn how to revolutionise the homes they design while obtaining the CPD points they need to maintain their registration. As we all know, if architects don’t achieve their requisite annual total of CPD points they won’t be able to continue to practice and when you look at the formal CPD presentations available, the vast majority of them will deal with fairly bland subjects. CEDIA’s new CPD is entirely unique and deals with an emerging trend that will have a profound effect on the future of building design in Australia. This course is engaging and allows architects to learn, get ahead of the curve and foster the right relationships now, before it’s too late in the process.”

CEDIA has also recently signed on as an industry partner to Design Show Australia, Australia’s premier event for interiors, architecture and fit-out.

For more information on CEDIA’s new professional development course for architects in Australia and New Zealand go to https://cedia.net/resources/design-build-pros/coi