Building with Nature Assessor Training: 13-14 March 2024 online

The UK is set to build hundreds of thousands of new homes and enhance thousands of existing communities in the coming years. There is a growing emphasis on the need for quality place-making. Building with Nature wants to ensure that these developments will also deliver for the natural world and healthy communities. 

Building with Nature provides a framework of quality standards, an assessment and accreditation service, and national awards recognising the design and delivery of high-quality green infrastructure.

Developers can apply to have their scheme assessed, and planners can apply to have their policy document accredited. Building with Nature offers accreditation at both pre- and post-construction stages, to highlight what good looks like at each stage of the green infrastructure life-cycle.  

We encourage applications from different types of development, and at various scales, however the current accreditation system is set up to assess schemes of 10 units or more. 

The first step for design teams, developers and planners wishing to achieve a BwN Award is to appoint a BwN Approved Assessor. An applicant for an Award would ideally work with an Approved Assessor from an early stage in their project. It is the role of the Approved Assessor to support an applicant to interpret the BwN Standards Framework, within the context of the project or policy document, and collect evidence to support an application for Award. The Approved Assessor then submits their Assessment to the BwN Audit Team, who make the final accreditation decision and certify successful Awards.

As a qualified Building with Nature Assessor you can:

1) Develop new skills: gain an understanding of the characteristics of high-quality green infrastructure and how to apply them in your sector

2) Take the next step of joining our Listed Approved Assessor network

Why get listed as an Approved Assessor?

As a qualified BwN Assessor you become eligible to join Building with Nature's Listed Approved Assessor network. As an Approved Assessor you can support an applicant to interpret the BwN Standards Framework within the context of the project or policy document and collect evidence to support an application for Award. Once ready, you can then submit your Assessment (including all evidence of compliance) to the BwN Audit Team, who make the final accreditation decision and certify successful Awards.

As a BwN Approved Assessor you can:

1) Introduce an attractive additional service to your existing consultancy that adds commercial value and increases competitive advantage

2) Access technical support from Building with Nature for each Assessment you carry out

3) Join CPD sessions and regular face-to-face network forums

4) Enhance your marketing and communications with support from Building with Nature

5) Join a national network of Listed Approved Assessors - built-environment professionals with a range of specialisms, working to raise the bar for green infrastructure across the UK

The Assessor training is suitable for landscape architects, ecologists, engineers, public health practitioners and other built environment professionals. As BwN is a qualitative, rather than metric-based approach, to qualify as an Assessor we require that you demonstrate an ability to make professional ‘expert’ judgements in your application of the Standards. We therefore recommend you hold, or are working towards, full or chartered membership of one or more of the following bodies: Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Landscape Institute, Royal Town Planning Institute, Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. If you don’t hold a chartered membership you may join the training, providing you have relevant industry experience, that gives you with a strong grounding in green infrastructure.

The course will comprise 2 days training online (webinars, small group discussion, presentations, assessments and one-to-one tutorials) plus 1-day to complete a desk assessment (to be completed within 1 month of the 2-day course).

On successful completion of the course and desk assessment your qualified status will be confirmed and you become eligible to join our Listed Approved Assessor network.

For more information about the Building with Nature framework, to view case studies, or contact regarding Assessor training go to: https://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk/

Event Venue

Online