NMITE readies new TED 2 course

NMITE (New Model Institute for Technology & Engineering) is set to welcome a new cohort onto its new Timber Technology Engineering Design 2 (TED 2) CPD course, following the success of its TED 1 courses. Starting from 5 June 2023, the new course is once again delivered in partnership with Timber Development UK and Edinburgh Napier University.

The TED 1 courses ran from September 2022 and January 2023 and were effective in raising awareness around the need for more use of timber, over less sustainable, non-timber products. There was a cohort of eight on the September course and due to peer-to-peer recommendation and word of mouth, this doubled to 16 for January. Both courses had inclusive and diverse cohorts and the intent is to continue that trend going forward to help change construction culture.

The broad appeal of the TED course is due to it having been designed to meet learners where they are in their knowledge base, as it is not a requirement that they have a detailed understanding of how timber works. In addition, the course appeals to a diverse audience due to its mix of learning styles across visual, auditory, practical hands-on and portfolio content curation.

The new TED 2 course is designed to appeal to a wide range of Built Environment Professionals, working in architecture firms and construction companies including designers, architectural assistants or those involved in technical sales. Learners are not required to have completed TED 1 but some prior industry knowledge is expected.

TED 2 runs as a 12-week course held within a virtual learning environment, allowing students to work at their own pace, supported by academic mentorship and support. There are also three on-campus residentials at NMITE in Hereford, within the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT). This is a purpose built 2,500m2 “Living Lab” hybrid structure which demonstrates advanced timber technologies and acts as an exemplar in the region, aspiring to net zero carbon targets.

Professor Robert Hairstans, Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) Director, comments: “The launch of our TED 2 course builds on our successful TED 1 course, both of which are designed to help solve the climate crisis problem by championing the use of the natural, renewable capital of timber that we have. TED 1 was a huge success with learners coming away feeling equipped to champion the use of timber in their workplace.

“Fundamental to all NMITE courses is to provide a student-centric approach with a curriculum fuelled by real-world challenges working with external stakeholders, industry practitioners and academic collaborators. I believe this approach is fundamental to our cohorts’ enjoyment and engagement with the course and I suspect is also why we are so successful at attracting diversity on our courses.”

TED 2 includes two design briefs for which students have a chance to construct during the on-campus residentials. The process progresses the TED 1 challenges which went from simple connections to basic supported structures, to integrated design with additional layers within the final structure, for which students exhibit to an invited audience.

In addition to the design element which runs throughout the course, technology and construction are the other modules that are covered in two, six-week blocks. Technology covers off the theory and capacity of computer aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM), Building Information Modelling, CNC machines for timber, architectural drawings, connectors and fixings of timber, manufacturing of timber components, hybrid solutions such as metal web joists, and future technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and new biogenic based materials.

The construction module covers types of timber constructions, design for manufacture and assembly, safe working practices, sustainable construction practices and working with detailed industry case studies to unpack and apply learnings from the course.

Architectural Assistant at dRMM, Olivia Chan, completed the NMITE TED 1 course earlier this year. Olivia comments: “Within the course, I have been encouraged to develop a detailed material understanding which incorporates the lifecycle of timber. This has included a theoretical and practical understanding of how to sustainably grow, procure, apply, and upcycle timber as well as how to maintain the timber supply chain in a way that ensures our sustainable future.

“The opportunity to connect a theoretical understanding and speak to people in forestry, milling and design has fostered a collaborative learning environment. Practical, material-based lab work has allowed me to learn how to research and detail small-scale timber projects. Hands-on experience like being able to test our own theories within a specialist timber laboratory has helped me build my experience and has improved my confidence in advocating for timber.”

More at  www.nmite.ac.uk