RIBA: Practice in the UK (short course)

This short course will give you an introduction to all aspects of working as an architect in the UK. This includes making appointments and setting fees, and working with sub-consultants and the wider design team. You will also gain an understanding of the constraints around the construction industry such as planning, appointing contractors and the different contractual options, and managing health and safety and risk. It will also contain sessions on professionalism, the roles of the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and an introduction to British law.

The course covers similar ground to the RIBA Part 3 course but will not lead to accreditation as an architect. It is designed for people who have already qualified in the European Economic Area and who have a qualification covered by the Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC). For more details on qualification equivalence, contact the ARB. For the accredited RIBA 3 Examination in Professional Practice, please visit our RIBA 3 course page.

This course is different from the Part 3 course in the following ways:

• you do not need to have done RIBA Part 2 to do the course
• it does not assume that you already have an understanding of the UK construction industry
• it is not focused on assessment

You can read the RIBA Visiting Board Report for our architecture courses from January 2012.

The RIBA: Practice in the UK short course will be delivered in 10 sessions. Each session will last two and a quarter hours and, while the structure can vary slightly from week to week, it will typically include:

• an introductory lecture of about an hour
• a lecture, case study or interview with or by a professional related to the field (these guest speakers are drawn from across the industry and will include lawyers, journalists, architects, clients and representatives of professional boards)
• the opportunity to ask questions or explore opinions

The aim of each week is to complement theory with a real-life, worked example to reinforce the ideas, and to offer a different perspective. Each session is supplemented by a handout, which includes a summary of the main points and resources for further study.

Over the course of 10 weeks, we will cover:

• the architectural industry in the UK: how it is structured, how to become an architect, the state and role of the architectural press, and the role of the architect and other consultants
• the UK legal framework and how it relates to the architect: planning and building control, rights of way, rights of light, party wall, contract and procurement (two weeks)
• the rights and responsibilities of the architect: the role of the ARB and RIBA, employment rights and responsibilities, health and safety and the new Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) rules, building information modelling (BIM) and its implications
• practice issues: finding and charging for work, setting up practice and insurance

On completion of the course, you'll receive a RIBA Continuing Professional Development Certificate of Attendance. In between the last two sessions of the course, a short case study and a series of questions will be issued. This will be completed in class as a joint exercise. While it will not be formally marked, this is an opportunity to test understanding. Constructive feedback will be given.