Smart-Home Tech Course Launched

Coinciding with increased demand among homeowners, smart home technologies have evolved so far that they now can blend seamlessly into a home’s design, assuming it is installed by a qualified professional. As a result, the industry’s only certifying body, CEDIA, has launched a new professional development course for architects and building designers, designed to educate them so they are in the best position to address their clients’ smart home technology and lifestyle needs. Architects who complete the course also receive one formal CPD point.

CEDIA’s Regional Development Independent Consultant for Australia and New Zealand, Paul Skelton, explained, “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. That, combined with the fact that more and more homeowners are expecting smart home technology to be integrated into their homes, means this technology has very much moved away from being a ‘nice to have’ to being an absolute necessity. 

Skelton added, “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.”

Architects who complete this course will walk away with an understanding that smart home technology does not need to be daunting and that if they work with a qualified professional integrator, the technology does not have to negatively impact their design.

Skelton continued, “They will also be given advice on how to find a qualified integrator and some useful advice on how to vet an integrator to ensure they are capable and competent partners. 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.”

CEDIA’s new CPD presentation for architects was developed specifically for Australian design sensibilities by Skelton and a group of top-tier smart home professionals who work with all types of architects and building designers in order to highlight what is possible in the local market.

Skelton said, “This new CPD presentation delves a lot more into the process of working with an integrator. While it still covers off the various subsystems that integrators work with, it has a heavy focus on the design and documentation process that integrators go through with homeowners. It also adheres to the AACA’s learning outcomes – a legal requirement for any presentation that wants to be considered formal CPD.”

There is more to this new course too as CEDIA has spent a significant amount of time working with PointsBuild to deliver the program. Working with PointsBuild means architects in all areas, particularly those in rural areas, can still access the course virtually and learn about smart home technology and working with integrators 

Paul Skelton concluded, “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.