Siderise explores the importance of building competency in passive fire safety and acoustics, and introduces its new online learning platform.

Passive fire safety and acoustic performance is inherently reliant on the interaction of multiple building elements. To ensure compliance and effectiveness, these factors must be considered from the earliest stages of design and construction. However, this requires architects, designers and specifiers to have a solid understanding of the basic principles, the relevant regulatory requirements, and the appropriate testing and certification of products relevant to their projects. This is not only about best practice – it is a legal requirement.

Regulatory imperatives: why competence matters
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced sweeping reforms aimed at improving building safety, with a focus on accountability, traceability and competence. Architects – especially those fulfilling the role of Principal Designer – must demonstrate that they are competent enough to plan, manage, and monitor their designs to ensure they meet ‘the functional requirements of building regulations.’ In addition, under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), they have a legal obligation to ensure passive fire protection and acoustic systems are applied correctly as part of their duty to manage health and safety risks. Competence in these areas can be verified through various means, including compliance with the Architects Registration Board’s (ARB) Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice, and competency declarations submitted to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) at Gateway 2 for higher-risk buildings.

In this context, continuous learning and upskilling are essential to maintaining professional competence and understanding how to ensure designs meet stringent safety and performance standards.

Accessible, high-quality learning opportunities
Manufacturers are experts in their products and their application and can play a pivotal role in supporting professionals to develop and maintain this knowledge by providing technical guidance and training that reflect best practice approaches and ensure compliance. Passive fire safety experts and acoustic specialists, Siderise, has taken this commitment to sharing its knowledge and experience with architects, designers, specifiers and engineers even further through its mission to “Go Beyond, contributing to safer buildings”. This is by delivering exemplary technical and site services support throughout the lifecycle of a project, and a range of learning opportunities and experiences through the Siderise Academy spanning CPD sessions and technical articles to product training programmes and benchmark installations.

Your growth, your way
To make this learning as accessible as possible, Siderise Academy launched a brand-new online learning platform in March. Developed by the manufacturer’s own in-house technical experts, the free-to-access platform complements the Academy’s in-person training with learning resources incorporating on-demand courses, webinars and CPD modules. These can be accessed anywhere, at any time, on any device with an internet connection – enabling users to fit their learning around busy schedules and grow their understanding of passive fire protection and acoustics in the built environment at their own pace.

The content includes RIBA-accredited CPD modules covering two RIBA Core Curriculum topics, and a series of courses developed under the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) Recognised Provider scheme. These are supported with reading materials and interactive assessments designed to evaluate your knowledge and reinforce your learning.  Once a course or webinar is completed, users can download a certificate of completion from Siderise, enabling them to document their learning and provide evidence that they are taking steps to develop their competence and adhere to a competency pathway.

The platform has launched with several modules and webinars already live, with more scheduled for release over the coming year.

Contact Details
Sign up for your free account at sideriseacademy.com