Unit 4 �The Construction Environment

Dr Adewale Abimbola, FHEA, MIET.

www.edulibrary.co.uk

Aim and Objectives

Aim: Professional Bodies and Professionalism.

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

• Discuss how the construction industry has encompassed professionalism within the industry structures.
• Analyse the purpose of professional bodies in supporting the construction industry and protecting the public.

Learning Outcome and Assessment Criteria

M1 Analyse the purpose of professional bodies in supporting the construction industry and protecting the public.

D1 Evaluate the ways in which professionalism is important to the growth of the construction sector.

Professional Bodies

Introduction

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• A construction professional is an individual who has a career in a construction-related discipline, and has educational and training qualifications that provide them with the knowledge, expertise, and skills necessary to carry out their role effectively. They may also be a member of a professional institution (Designing Buildings Ltd., 2021).
• According to CITB (2021), some of the professional groups include:
• Architects,
• Civil, structural & building service engineers,
• Quantity surveyors,
• Project/construction managers,
• They are involved in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of projects.

Which different professional bodies do you know?

BIFM: Facilities Management

BPF: Property Federation

CIAT: Architectural Technology

CIOB: Building

APM: Association for Project Management

CIBSE: Building Services Engineering

CIC: The Construction Industry Council

CICES: Civil Engineering Surveyors

CIHT: Highways and Transportation

CIPHE: Plumbing & Heating Engineers

CIWEM: Water and Environmental Management

CIWM: Wastes Management

Energy Institute (EI): for the energy sector

ICE: Civil Engineers

CABE: Building Engineers

IHE: Highway Engineers

IOM3: Materials, Minerals and Mining

RIBA: British Architects

ABE: Building Engineers

CIH: Housing

IAT: Asphalt Technology

IStructE: Structural Engineers

NFoPP: Property Professionals

RICS: Surveyors

RTPI: Town Planning Institute

The institute for Quarrying (IQ)

Society for the Environment (SocEnv)

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Professional Bodies - What �are �they?

Purpose of Construction Professional Bodies

Purpose of Construction Professional Bodies

Professionals and Their Societies

Professionals and Their Societies

The Engineers – Civil, Structural, Building Services

• But their status grew as their importance was recognised: the canals, railways, bridges, and docks which were all essential to underpin rapidly growing trade and industry could not have been built without them.
• ICE obtained Royal Charter in 1828 and was later updated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975. It gave ICE the status of the leading institution for the civil engineering profession.

Educational Base: Civil Engineering

• The number of specialisms within engineering increased with new techniques and materials. One of the latecomers, developing only in the twentieth century, was structural engineering.
• Its initial concern was the use of concrete as a building material and the need to better understand its properties, but it extended its interests and expertise to the whole area of structural stability in buildings.
• The Concrete Institute, founded in 1908, was the original name of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE). It officially changed its name in 1922 and was granted a royal charter in 1934.

How to Become a Structural Engineer

Professionals and Their Societies

The Engineers – Civil, Structural, Building Services

Career Route Map for Engineering in Wales

• The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) was created only in 1976 (The word 'Engineers' was added in1985) but in fact was the amalgamation of two much older organisations, the Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (IHVE) founded in 1897, and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), founded in 1909.
• The engineering institutions were slow to adopt a proper qualification structure. For many years they were reluctant to accept examination as a proper way to determine expertise, preferring evidence of practical experience.
• All that changed in the twentieth century, as greater scientific knowledge of principles became essential for practising and particularly designing engineers.
• Like the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the engineering institutions eventually established a system of qualifying examinations and training moved substantially into the colleges and universities.

Professionals and Their Societies

Quantity Surveyors

• Early surveyors in Britain focused primarily on measuring and valuing land, often employed by or advising large estate owners during land transactions.
• Some of these surveyors transitioned into estate managers, gaining expertise in estate improvement and income generation from landed property.
• The demand for this type of surveying surged in the 18th century due to canal development (canal boom). As Britain rapidly industrialised, the need to transport heavy goods like coal and iron ore led to massive infrastructure spending, which in turn required specialised cost management and aggressive land acquisition.
• The demand further increased in the 19th century with railway development, leading to the merging of surveying and civil engineering tasks performed by the same individuals.
• Originally, measurers were typically tradesmen, but over time, measuring evolved into a distinct specialisation.

Professionals and Their Societies

Quantity Surveyors

• The significance of measuring heightened with the advent of new contracting methods that mandated pre-construction price agreements between architects, clients, and builders based on plans.
• The construction of the Houses of Parliament in the 1830s marked a pivotal moment in quantity surveying history. It was among the first structures approved using detailed architectural drawings by the architect, Sir Charles Barry, and a bill of quantities, along with estimates prepared by Henry Arthur Hunt, a pioneering surveyor who standardised the use of the Bill of Quantities for the project.
• This era established the core functions of quantity surveyors, involving the estimation of materials and labour needed for each building section from detailed architect's drawings and specifications.
• The resulting bill of quantities served as a crucial document for contractors to tender and prepare priced bids.

Figure 1. Bill Of Quantities (BOQ)

(ProCost Systems, 2021).

Professionals and Their Societies

Quantity Surveyors

• In 1868, surveyors established a professional institution - the Institution of Surveyors. It acquired a charter in 1880 and, several changes in title, became the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 1947.
• As with the architects and civil engineers, the institution moved towards a system of examinations, as a route to professional status.
• Before the 1960s, surveying was primarily an apprenticeship-based craft. Aspiring surveyors entered the profession straight out of school, learning on the job and passing professional exams through self-study or evening classes.
• In the late 1960s, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and other professional bodies phased out traditional entry exams in favour of a mandatory university degree and structured workplace training, elevating surveying from a technical trade into a highly respected academic profession aligned with medicine, law, and engineering.

Breaking into Quantity Surveying

RICS Sector Pathways

Professionals and Their Societies

Construction Managers

• Construction management as a `profession' is relatively recent and probably can never be restricted by law as in the case of architecture and medicine for example.
• Construction management in the 19^th century was done by individuals who learnt on the job. Because formal credentials did not exist, managers emerged from various backgrounds. Tradesmen (such as joiners, carpenters, and masons) transitioned into management through practical experience. Trained architects and material suppliers also stepped into these roles to oversee the coordination of building projects.
• The "science of management" was in its infancy. Decisions and workflows relied heavily on trial-and-error, personal mentorship, and on-the-job experience rather than standardised frameworks or academic theory.
• As the trade union movement grew, construction managers/master builders/employers/site overseers organised themselves into formal (trade) associations. These early groups focused primarily on collective self-protection and business interests rather than establishing strict legal restrictions or educational barriers to entry like those seen in medicine or architecture.

Professionals and Their Societies

Construction Managers

• The earliest organisation was probably the Builders' Society, formed in 1834, the same year as the Institute of British Architects.
• The Builders' Society’s aim was to promote a friendly feeling and the interchange of useful information among those who are engaged in general building in and near London.
• Other organisations such as the Central Association of Master Builders and in northern England, the Builders' and Contractors' Association, were more directly aimed at solidarity against union pressure.
• It was the Builders' Society that came to perform the role of a professional institution, evolving eventually into the Institute of Building and achieving chartered status as the CIOB in 1980.
• People can take the professional qualifying examinations of the Chartered Institute of Building. To grant exemption from the CIOB's qualifying examinations, courses have to be accredited and are regularly monitored.

How to Become a Construction Manager

CIOB: Become a Member

Self-assessment Task 1

Analyse the purpose of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in supporting the construction industry and protecting the public.

Hint:

• Research the history of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), which was founded in 1818 and has supported the civil engineering profession for more than 200 years. Present your findings as a timeline, using suitable illustrations: https://www.ice.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/our-history
• Research the ICE Code of Professional Conduct and discuss at least three ways in which it supports the construction industry, and at least three ways in which it protects the public. Consider professional competence, integrity, ethical behaviour, safety, sustainability, accountability, continuing professional development and acting in the public interest.
• Identify and explain at least two major contributions made by ICE to civil engineering, construction, infrastructure or the wider built environment. You may consider professional qualifications, industry standards, training and development, knowledge sharing, technical guidance, infrastructure policy, sustainability and climate-resilient engineering.

Self-assessment Task 2

Analyse the purpose of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in supporting the construction industry and protecting the public.

Hint:

• Research the history of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which can trace its origins to 1792 and was formally established as the Institution of Surveyors in 1868. Present your findings as a timeline, using suitable illustrations: https://www.rics.org/about-rics
• Research the RICS Rules of Conduct and discuss at least three ways in which they support the construction and surveying professions, and at least three ways in which they protect the public. Consider the importance of honesty and integrity, professional competence, good-quality service, respect and inclusion, public interest, accountability, prevention of harm and public confidence: https://www.rics.org/profession-standards/rics-standards-and-guidance/conduct-competence/rules-of-conduct
• Identify and explain at least two major contributions made by RICS to surveying, construction, property, infrastructure or the wider built environment. You may consider its professional qualifications, industry standards, independent regulation, professional guidance, market information, continuing professional development and contribution to public policy: https://www.rics.org/about-rics

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects - Function:

According to the Royal Institute of British Architects (2021), the architect’s most basic role is to strategise, design and oversee the construction of buildings and other built assets to create value.

• Architects combine their creativity with knowledge of architectural history, theory, technology, and professional processes to design spaces and places for clients in collaboration with other built environment professionals.
• They help to refine the client’s needs and wishes and then champion the design vision through to the end of their professional services contract.
• They negotiate the planning system and regulatory landscape on behalf of the client.
• They use advanced digital technologies, understand building science, systems and materials, know how buildings stand up, and manage projects on behalf of large teams.

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects

• Societies and clubs were set up between 1700 and 1800s to improve the reputation of the architects, as the expertise of many unknown architects were viewed with disdain and suspicion (Jolliffe, 2019).
• In 1791 an exclusive Architects' Club was set up by four men who were also well-known builders as well as architects (James Wyatt, Henry Holland, George Dance and Samuel Cockerel); its membership was restricted to the very few at the top who had already won some recognition (for example as Royal Academicians) (Morton, 2002).
• In 1972, Surveyors Club (a London-based dining club rather than a professional organisation), which included both architects and surveyors was formed.

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects

• Various local societies followed suit, yet it was the establishment of the Institute of British Architects in 1834 (originally founded as the Architectural Society in 1831) that truly signalled the shift towards the contemporary architectural profession. The Royal Institute of British Architects officially received its Royal Charter in 1837 from the Privy Council during the reign of King William IV.
• Starting from 1887 to 1981, members of the RIBA were prohibited from holding profit-making positions within the building industry; establishment of construction firms. They were limited to working as employees.
• This regulation aimed to ensure that architects genuinely represented the interests of their clients and did not harbour financial stakes in the contractor's profits.
• This policy established a distinct boundary between the fields of architecture and construction management.

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects

• The RIBA existed both to establish a high status for architecture and to protect the public by ensuring that the title `architect' implied a high degree of competence.
• For both these reasons it worked to develop a system of examinations through which competence could be tested and it fought for a system of statutory registration, which was achieved in the 1930s first through an act in 1931.
• Later, the Architects' Registration Act of 1938 which established ARCUK, the Architects' Registration Council of the UK, and restricted the use of the title architect to those who were formally registered.
• ARCUK has now been replaced by the Architects' Registration Board, set up by the Architects' Act of 1997.

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects – the Qualification System

• From 1894 when the first school of architecture was founded at Liverpool it was possible to take a full-time course before going into practice.
• In1958, a full-time architectural education based on a minimum two A-level entry became almost the only route into the profession.
• Today most British architects go through a basic training that lasts a minimum of seven years. The most common pattern is three years to a first degree, one year out in practice, a further two years leading to an architectural diploma and finally a year in practice.
• All courses have to be recognised by the RIBA and are regularly reassessed.

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects – the Qualification System

• A full architectural education in the UK, i.e. where you go on to qualify as an architect, currently involves three clearly defined stages known as Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
• Part 1 leads to an undergraduate degree: usually a BA (Hons) or a BSc (Hons) (Fig. 1);

Figure 1. The different path to qualification (Royal Institute of British Architects, 2021),

Professionals and Their Societies

Architects – the Qualification System

• Part 2 is post-graduate study: usually leading to a Barch (Hons), Diploma, or March (Fig. 2);
• Part 3 is the professional qualification that leads to formal registration as an architect.

Figure 2. The different path to qualification (Royal Institute of British Architects, 2021),

How have professional bodies shaped the industry?

• RIBA: Issued the Plan of Works, contracts – now widely used to plan construction projects.
• ICE: Issue code of conduct which has been adopted into apprenticeship standards, CESMM, technical studies through ICE publishing.
• CIOB have educational engagement officers who support emerging talent.
• CIHT commissioned research into sustainable transport methods.
• CIC work with Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to shape training and accreditation.
• RICS produced standard methods of measurements (NRM), pricing & cost analysis documents.
• British Property Federation supported the Egan and Latham reports.
• ETC.

Evaluation of Joining a Professional Body

Group-assessment Task 1

Answer questions 1-4 below by considering the following professions:

• Civil Engineers
• Quantity Surveyors
• Construction Managers
• Structural Engineers

TASKS:

1. The principal UK professional body for their discipline
2. The aims and functions of the body.
3. Key membership grades and progression routes (e.g., Student, Associate, Member, Chartered, Fellow).
4. Why students and practitioners should join a professional body.

Group-assessment Task 2

Group exercise: ICE professional conduct

In small groups, explore how the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) uses professional standards and disciplinary procedures to improve the construction industry and protect the public. ICE publishes disciplinary notices and investigates allegations of improper conduct, including dishonest or unethical practice and failures to safeguard health and safety.

Scenario

Your group is part of an ICE Professional Conduct Panel reviewing a complaint about an ICE member.

A civil engineer is supervising temporary works on a construction project. The engineer is under pressure to keep the project on programme and approves the use of an alternative temporary support system without checking whether they have the necessary specialist competence. A site operative later raises concerns that the system may be unsafe. The engineer does not report the concern or stop the work.

No one is injured, but an inspection identifies that the temporary works could have failed and caused serious harm.

Group task:

Answer the following questions:

1. Which ICE professional conduct expectations may the engineer have failed to meet?
2. How could the engineer’s actions affect workers, site visitors, the client and the public?
3. What action should the engineer have taken when they recognised that the work was outside their competence?
4. Why is it important for engineers and colleagues to report unsafe practice or professional misconduct?
5. What action could ICE take if the complaint is upheld?
6. Explain one way in which ICE disciplinary procedures improve the construction industry and one way in which they protect the public.

Group-assessment Task 3

Scenario: Inaccurate property valuation

Your group is acting as an RICS regulatory panel reviewing a complaint about a chartered surveyor.

A surveyor is instructed by a property developer to provide a valuation for a proposed mixed-use redevelopment scheme. The developer wants a high valuation to support a funding application. The surveyor is aware that recently sold comparable properties indicate a lower value, but chooses to rely on older and less relevant evidence to produce a higher valuation. The surveyor does not clearly disclose the limitations of the evidence or their ongoing business relationship with the developer.

A lender later relies on the valuation and provides a larger loan than it may otherwise have approved. The project experiences financial difficulties, creating a risk of loss for the lender and investors.

Group task

1. Which RICS Rules of Conduct may the surveyor have failed to meet?
2. Why is independence important when preparing a valuation?
3. How could the inaccurate valuation affect the lender, investor, developer, occupiers and wider property market?
4. What should the surveyor have done before issuing the valuation report?
5. What action might RICS take if the complaint is upheld?
6. Explain one way RICS regulation improves the construction and property industry, and one way it protects the public.

References/Bibliography

CITB (2012) Skills and training in the construction Industry 2021. Available at: https://www.citb.co.uk/media/wnpb2l0k/citb-skills-and-training-report-2021.pdf (Accessed: 22 September 2024)

Designing Buildings Ltd. (2021). Construction professional. Available at: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Construction_professional (Accessed: 22 September 2024)

Institution of Civil Engineers (2022) Our history. Available at: https://www.ice.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/our-history/#:~:text=But%20his%20most%20important%20role,for%20the%20civil%20engineering%20profession. (Accessed: 22 September 2024)

Jolliffe, E. (2019) A short history of protection of title. Available at: https://www.bdonline.co.uk/opinion/a-short-history-of-protection-of-title/5101704.article (Accessed: 22 September 2024)

Morton, R. (2002) Construction UK: Introduction to the industry. Oxford: Blackwell Science.

ProCost Systems (2021) What is bill of quantities (BOQ)? Available at: https://www.procostsystems.com/post/what-is-bill-of-quantities-boq (Accessed: 20 September 2026)

Royal Institute of British Architects (2021) Study architecture well. Available at: https://www.architecture.com/-/media/GatherContent/Business-Benchmarking/Additional-Documents/RIBA-Study-Architecture-Wellpdf.pdf (Accessed: 22 September 2024)