We were very kindly invited by Michael Huth, Net Zero Skills Hub Manager at Abingdon and Witney College, for a tour of the training centre at the Abingdon campus. We were impressed with the facilities available, with lifesize mock ups, including EWI, IWI, window details, MVHR, ASHPs to name a few. To see the different layers built up in 3D at a real scale, the interfaces of materials at junctions, and to have a go at applying airtightness tape in the right places is an invaluable experience for all.
As architects, we spend a lot of time drawing and modelling on a computer or on paper. As a practice, we believe visiting construction sites by offering contract admin services allows us to see our designs being built, and to talk to those building them, which can only make us better architects and designers. However, site visits tend to provide only a snapshot in construction, whereas the training facility and mock ups fill a gap, where the construction process or build-up can be seen as one.
We’re discussing potential training and collaboration opportunities to upskill the industry to meet our net zero targets. Talk to us if you have a net zero project in mind, whether retrofit or new build.