Architects' Alliance of Ireland
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Architects' Alliance of Ireland [1] is described by its members as "a group of long-established self-trained architects created in reaction to part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007[2]. It represents experienced practitioners who were recently stripped of their rights to practice as architects, despite years of experience, skills and knowledge."
The group is lobbying for an amendment of the legislation, for the inclusion of a grandfather clause. Most countries, when first implementing the registration of architects, have included a grandfather clause in their legislation[3], but the Republic of Ireland did not. The actual legislation states that practitioners with a minimum of 7 years of experience but without recognised formal qualification must be assessed through an examination to continue practicing in the State. Architects' Alliance of Ireland considers the examination as inappropriate and severely exclusionary. The current system allows members of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland to be automatically registered. Architects' Alliance of Ireland wants a grandfather clause to be included in the Act for an automatic registration of self-trained professionals who have practiced as architects during a minimum of 7 years within the Republic of Ireland.
The group claims to have identified inconsistencies within the actual legislation and its implementation, complaints were made to the Irish Government and to the European Commission.
The lobbying efforts of Architects' Alliance of Ireland gained the support of John O'Donoghue TD who has tabled The Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2010[4]. The bill awaits its second reading and proposes the inclusion of a grandfather clause within the legislation.
The problem of architects' registration in the Republic of Ireland
There is a concern about the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) having a monopoly on architecture in the Republic of Ireland. The RIAI set up a registration system, which is claimed to have favoured its members while discriminating the others, especially self-taught.
The cost for the Irish Prescribed Register Examination called ARAE[5] for self-trained architects is €11,500 + €2,000 (seminars) instead of €3,500 in The Netherlands. Compared to similar examinations in other professions and countries, the ARAE is perceived as unaffordable, unpractical and inappropriate.
The so called "Technical Assessment" is an examination for self-trained architects with more than 10 years of experience prior to the enforcement of architects’ registration. Architects’ Alliance of Ireland claims that the fees are inappropriate (€6,500)[6] and that the RIAI is manipulating the procedure by setting up academic and administrative standards that do not reflect the practice of architecture before the implementation of registration.
The RIAI is accused of misleading the public about legislative issues concerning the provision of architectural services and about registration cost. The most representative example is an article written by John Burke and published in the Sunday Business Post (Ireland), where the author appears to have been fully misinformed when declaring: “The RIAI is to write to each of the 300 people trading illegally, advising them that it is a criminal offence to practise as an architect without completing the registration process, which was introduced in 2009 under the Building Control Act 2007.”[7] The RIAI frequently omits to inform the press and members of the public that it is not an offence and that it is legal to propose architectural services without being registered with the RIAI. Many of the so-called “Non-registered architects” have denunciated the regulator’s attitude consisting of undermining and criticising architectural services provided by professionals such as engineers, surveyors, technologists or self-trained professionals. The author of the article published on the 30th January 2011 was also misled on the registration cost. On this subject John Burke wrote: “Sources working in the profession said that the cost of registration, which may be as much as €1,200, and the major decline in contracted work, may have led to many architects opting to remain unregistered. “ Despite his contact with the RIAI and despite his apparent conversation with the Registrar, it seems that John Burke was never informed about the real cost of registration, which can sometimes reach a total cost of €14,700.[8]
A grandfather clause, as provided in the French legislation and in many other countries, would solve the conflict as it stands today. It would have a very limited impact for the future of Irish architecture, if we consider that self-taught established architects now in practice, should be retired within the next 30 years.
See also
Professional requirements for architects
List of Ireland-related topics
References
- ^ Architects' Alliance of Ireland web site
- ^ The Building Control Act 2007, Irish Legislation
- ^ Architects (Registration) Act 1931 (UK); Loi du 20 fevrier 1939 (Architects Act in Belgium); legge 24 june 1923 No. 1395 (Architects Act in Italy); Loi n°77-2 du 3 janvier 1977 sur l'architecture (Architects Act in France)
- ^ The Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2010
- ^ ARAE Architects Register Admission Examination web site
- ^ Refer to the RIAI website for more information on the examination and its cost
- ^ "Audit discovers hundreds of illegal architects" by John Burke, The Sunday Business Post, 30/01/2011
- ^ ARAE cost €13,500 (€11,500 exam + €2,000 seminars) + fees charged by the RIAI €1,200 = Total cost of €14,700
External links
- Parliamentary Debates Registration of Architects: Discussion
- Testing time for architects The Irish Times - Thursday, August 5, 2010.
- Architects wage right to work campaign Irish Independent - Wednesday, May 26, 2010.
- Study from The Competition Authority
- Adverts for architects' register 'misleading' The Irish Times - Thursday, February 25, 2010
- Architects draw the line at new register Irish Independent - Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
- Call for 'grandfather clause' in legislation for architects' register The Irish Times - Wednesday, May 19, 2010.
- Archiseek forum discussion Poll and conversation about the implementation of registration in the Republic of Ireland.