Chelmer Mouldings
Chelmer AcademyDesign · Material Knowledge · Specification
Chelmer Academy
Online CPD-style learning for architects, designers and specifiers.
Developed by Chelmer Mouldings: practical, on-demand learning focused on material understanding, specification and detailing in high-end residential projects.
5 hrs 30 min · 12 modules · Self-paced · Verifiable completion certificate
The Learning Experience
How Chelmer Academy Works
Access online, any time
All modules are available on-demand. Learn at a time and pace that suits your schedule.
Self-paced, no deadlines
Work through modules in sequence or revisit as needed. There are no time limits.
Practical, project-based content
Structured content grounded in real projects, covering materials, specification and installation.
Built for your profession
Designed for architects, designers and specifiers working with decorative mouldings and architectural detail.
Learning Outcomes
What You'll Learn
12 modules covering material knowledge, design integration, manufacturing, installation and specification.
An integrated approach
How decorative plasterwork is specified on high-end projects, and why early specialist involvement shapes a better outcome.
Material knowledge in depth
Dedicated modules on fibrous plaster, GRG, glass reinforced plastic and Jesmonite, covering properties, applications, limitations and material selection.
Design principles and collaboration
Profiles, scale, proportion and working with traditional and contemporary detailing across RIBA Stages 2 to 5.
Heritage and listed buildings
Matching, repairing and reinstating historic plasterwork, and the consent considerations for listed buildings and conservation areas.
Manufacturing understanding
Follow a moulding from pattern through casting and quality control, understanding lead times and production tolerances.
Installation requirements
Fixing methods, structural requirements, sequencing and the tolerances that determine a successful installation.
Coordination, regulation and pitfalls
The detailing and coordination errors that cause delays and cost overruns, and how to avoid them from the earliest design stages.
From enquiry to handover
What working with a specialist looks like at each stage, from first enquiry and samples through to installation and handover.
Specification and procurement
Writing clear NBS-aligned specifications, managing lead times and what to include at each RIBA stage.
Who It's For
Who Chelmer Academy is For
Practical, on-demand learning for professionals who specify, design and deliver decorative mouldings in high-end projects.
Architects
Confidence in material selection and specification decisions from the earliest project stages.
Interior Designers
Clarity on material character, finishes and the practical limitations of each product type.
Specifiers & Design Managers
Technical accuracy across material options, tolerances and procurement requirements.
Developers & Project Teams
Better coordination and fewer costly errors through improved technical understanding.
Ways to Learn With Us
Two CPD-style formats.
Learn online now, or register interest in future sessions at our Essex workshop.
Online · Self-paced
Chelmer Academy online portal
12 on-demand CPD-style modules covering material knowledge, design integration, manufacturing, installation and specification. Available any time, at your own pace.
In-person · Our workshop
Workshop CPD sessions at our Essex workshop: coming soon
Full in-person CPD-style sessions hosted at Chelmer Mouldings. See materials, casting and finishing first hand, and meet the team behind every project.
Real Project Insight
Learning grounded in real projects.
Chelmer Academy draws on practical experience from real high-end residential projects, helping connect design ideas with technical understanding, specification awareness and practical application.
Credibility
Built on Real
Project Experience
Chelmer Academy is developed by Chelmer Mouldings, a specialist manufacturer working on high-end residential projects across the UK.
Every module reflects real questions and challenges encountered on live projects, bridging design intent with practical application.
20+
Years in specialist manufacture
12
Focused learning modules
4
Core material categories covered
120
Knowledge check questions
Specifying Decorative Plasterwork: An Integrated Approach
How decorative plasterwork is specified and delivered on UK projects, where the specialist fits in the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, and how responsibility, samples and documentation should be managed.
Fibrous Plaster: Material, History and Specification
The composition, history, standards, fire classification, limitations and care of fibrous plaster, including the lessons from historic suspended ceilings.
GRG: Glass Reinforced Gypsum
What GRG is, how it differs from fibrous plaster, the standards and evidence to ask for, and how to design, detail and install it.
GRP: Exterior Mouldings and the Regulations
The composition and behaviour of GRP, and the fire regulations that decide where it can and cannot be used on the outside of buildings.
Jesmonite: Grades, Fire Data and Specification
The Jesmonite family of water-based acrylic composites, the difference between the gypsum and cement-based grades, their published fire classifications and how to specify them well.
Design Principles and Collaboration
The principles of proportion and the classical vocabulary of mouldings, working with listed buildings, and how to run design development with a specialist.
Heritage and Listed Buildings: Matching, Repair and Reinstatement
Surveying historic plasterwork, working with conservation officers, taking profiles and squeeze moulds on site, running in situ, and repairing originals like for like.
From Pattern to Panel: Manufacturing
How patterns, moulds and casts are made, what quality control should look like, the health and safety hazards of each material, and how elements are protected in transit.
Installation: Standards, Tolerances and Handover
Planning, fixing, sequencing and inspecting the installation of decorative plasterwork and mouldings, and the information to hand over.
Coordination, Regulation and Common Pitfalls
The coordination problems that most often affect decorative plasterwork, how to prevent them, and the regulatory changes that affect programme and specification.
From Enquiry to Handover: Working with Chelmer
How a decorative plasterwork project runs with Chelmer, from the first enquiry through drawings, samples, manufacture and installation to handover.
Specification and Procurement
Writing specifications that secure the right product and evidence, example clauses reflecting current regulations, and procurement and contract choices that protect quality.
Begin Learning
Specify with more
confidence.
Chelmer Academy is invite-only. Request access, then sign up and start learning at your own pace.
Questions? maria@chelmermouldings.com
Chelmer Academy provides CPD-style learning for educational purposes. It is not a formally accredited CPD provider. Record learning in accordance with your professional body requirements.