Alex Kypriotakis Weijers
The Netherlands

"I firmly believe it should be an industry standard to build more with timber or timber-hybrid structures in the immediate future."

While working as an Architect, Alex Kypriotakis Weijers participated in the online course Sustainable Building with Timber.

What was your motivation for enrolling in this course/program? 
I was looking for a course that fulfilled the criteria for a traineeship for Dutch architects (BEP) and I also wanted to gain more knowledge about building with timber in architecture as it relates to very urgent matters of climate emergency, circularity and the housing crisis. I firmly believe it should be an industry standard to build more with timber or timber-hybrid structures in the immediate future. In my company we are often asked to make studies on flex-housing modular projects and therefore I wanted to deepen my knowledge on how we can do this with timber instead of steel and composites.

How did/will this course impact your career or life? 
Thankfully the course was approved as a module for my traineeship, and I think it will pay off not only for the traineeship itself but for my career in general. I gained some better insights about the nature and properties of timber, therefore now I am better prepared to support my arguments for its use to clients and contractors. I think that in the near future I would like to get some of the books mentioned in the course and use them as a handbook when I design in my professional life.

How was your experience learning online?
It was nice to learn from the comfort of my home and follow the course at my own pace. It was sometimes challenging to combine it with my professional and personal obligations at the time but certainly not impossible. The presentations of the instructors were clear and pleasant to watch. The assignments might seem simple and easy at first, but they really pushed me in a positive way to study every detail available. I then made a complete report on what I was asked for and made some diagrams of my own.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking of taking a similar course?
Do it! It’s easy, flexible, comprehensive and you learn a lot! If you are also doing a traineeship, I would definitely recommend you apply for this course to be included in it.