Archinect - News

‘Staggering’ discrimination and sexual misconduct levels in the UK architecture profession, ARB study finds

2024-11-20T19:01:00-05:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has published research finding widespread discrimination and sexual misconduct within the UK architecture profession. The study, resulting from a survey of almost 900 individuals, reveals that architecture professionals experience higher rates of discrimination and sexual misconduct compared to other sectors such as academia and healthcare.

According to the research, over a third of all professionals working in architecture have experienced insults, stereotypes, or jokes relating to protected characteristics. One in four female professionals has experienced unwelcome sexual advances, while a third of professionals would not feel confident raising concerns if they experienced or observed misconduct.

On the specific topic of misconduct in the profession, 41% of respondents have experienced bullying while 33% have experienced discrimination. 10% have experienced sexual misconduct. In addition, 38% have experienced insults, stereotypes, or ...

UK Architects Registration Board announces proposal to overhaul registration for international architects

2024-10-04T13:06:00-04:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has announced its intent to issue major overhauls to its registration process for non-UK architects wishing to pursue work within the country.

The organization is now in the process of pursuing a public consultancy that will seek to eliminate demonstrated knowledge gaps while streamlining the number of examinations and outsourcing their administration. The proposed changes apply to the Prescribed Exam and UK Adaptation Assessment, the latter being a prerequisite for architects seeking to join the UK register through via the ARB’s international agreements with the United States, Australia/New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

The changes break down into one of five categories:

Competence-based assessment 

Assessment would be based on ARB’s Academic and Practice Outcomes (in place of the outgoing Criteria)
It would assess equivalent competence and UK context-specific knowledge (instead of equivalent qualifications)

Single gateway 

There would be a sin...

UK academics decry ARB's new annual fee for architecture schools

2023-11-13T19:22:00-05:00

The British Architects Registration Board (ARB) has announced a new £9,200 ($11,300 USD) yearly fee, which will begin being asked from all 60 accredited schools of architecture in the UK next year. The move has sparked criticism that they are “crippling” education efforts in the country’s smaller and underfunded degree programs.

The announcement was made at the beginning of November, just months removed from the organization’s proposal of “fundamental” overhauls to higher education that eventually drew criticism from RIBA and academic organizations.

The scheme is reportedly expected to haul in an extra £550,000 (around $675,500 USD) in funds annually. Fees of £3,000 will also be assessed for any new applications for qualification from schools, along with an annual £2,000 renewal fee requiring a “periodic review” of their credential.

The ARB has been hiking fees lately in addition to pursuing those educational reforms, though the latest news still comes as a “shock” to many, accordi...

NCARB and ARB release reciprocal licensure guidelines for architects in the US and UK

2023-10-02T12:30:00-04:00

The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has released information containing guidelines for architects attempting to find work authorizations in the United Kingdom through the newly-signed Mutual Recognition Agreement between them and the Architects Registration Board (ARB).

The two systems now offer registered architects in each country the chance to obtain reciprocal licensure and pursue contracts after a four-year-long research and negotiation process determined their educational and professional work experience in both are compatible side-by-side.

Speaking in February, NCARB's CEO Michael Armstrong said the agreement will “enhance the value of the NCARB Certificate as a facilitator of domestic and international mobility for many U.S.-licensed practitioners.”

Under the new agreement, architects must hold a valid license in their home country, hold a work visa or other permissions in the location where they are operating, and either an NCARB or ARB certifi...

British Architects Registration Board proposes reformed regulatory approach to architectural education and training

2023-09-08T12:18:00-04:00

The UK's Architects Registration Board (ARB) has published findings and recommendations from a three-month internal consultation aimed at suggesting a series of reforms to the education and professional licensure process for architects in the country.

The Board says it will now move to introduce new Academic and Practice outcomes along with some drafting amendments based on suggestions raised by the consultation's 672 respondents.

Under the proposed changes, the requirement that licensed architects obtain a Part 1 (Bachelor’s) degree would be waived. Part 2 and Part 3 would also be phased out by 2027, replaced by the new 49-pronged ‘outcomes’ path. A one-year-long independent commission aimed at developing further changes to the practical experience component of the process has also been announced after a majority of members surveyed (60%) expressed concerns over dropping the current two-year professional practice requirement.

Hugh Simpson, the ARB's Chief Executive and Registrar, ...

Work and study agreement signed between architectural registration bodies of the UK, Australia, and New Zealand

2023-03-31T13:19:00-04:00

A new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) has recently been signed between the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB), the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA), and the New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB).

This follows the MRA reached between the ARB and the United States’ National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) in February.

Starting May 25th, a streamlined registration process, resulting in reduced costs and examinations, will make it easier for architects to register to work in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally, architects educated up to and including a master’s degree will be able to complete their training in another partner country.

Previously on Archinect: NCARB and ARB sign Mutual Recognition Agreement affecting architects in the US and UK

“This is another welcome step that opens up the world for architects and architecture,” RIBA President Simon Allford said in response to the agreement. “Through these agreemen...

NCARB and ARB sign Mutual Recognition Agreement affecting architects in the US and UK

2023-02-16T14:15:00-05:00

Today, a landmark Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) has been reached between the UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) and United States’ National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) that will streamline the registration process for architects in both countries beginning on April 25, 2023.

Under the new agreement, qualified architects will be able to cross-register in the opposing country in an effort to reduce costs and the need for examinations while “upholding and maintaining the high standards and safety that help to protect the public in both nations.”

“Signing this MRA — creating a reciprocal arrangement whereby UK architects can register and practice in participating jurisdictions within the United States — is an exciting moment for the sector,” Hugh Simpson, the Chief Executive and Registrar of the Architects Registration Board said in a statement. “The agreement helps to open up opportunities for cooperation between individuals and firms in the UK and Un...

UK plans ‘fundamental overhaul’ of architectural education and training

2023-02-09T11:46:00-05:00

The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) has unveiled plans to overhaul the country’s system for educating and training architects. Under the plans, currently out for consultation, the existing Part 1, 2, and 3 system would be replaced by a requirement for only two accredited qualifications; one based on academia, and one based on practice.

The current pathway to becoming an architect in the United Kingdom typically involves students obtaining an undergraduate qualification in architecture to satisfy ARB’s Part 1 criteria, a master's qualification in architecture to satisfy the Part 2 criteria, and a final diploma in architectural practice to satisfy the Part 3 criteria. The resulting pathway involves five years of study, and two years in practice before becoming a licensed architect, though it takes many individuals more than the minimum of seven years between commencing their education and joining the register.

The new system would see the Part 1, 2, and 3 route replaced by a ...

UK ends EU licensure reciprocity with new Architects Act 1997 amendments

2023-01-23T15:03:00-05:00

A pair of unprecedented changes to the UK’s Architects Act 1997 has been announced jointly by the British Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Architects Registration Board (ARB), ending the reciprocal acceptance of qualifications for EU-trained architects that has been observed since it was first established by Parliament.

Under the new guidelines, the UK will “end, in law, the automatic recognition of architectural qualifications listed in the EU’s Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications.” It will also enable the ARB to enter into “regular-led” recognition agreements with international counterparts, in effect leaving the door open for reciprocity agreements to be negotiated with professional bodies from other individual countries on a case-by-case basis.

This comes after the ARB finally hammered out a deal last year with the American National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) to ratify a Mutual Recognition Agreement that...

Deal reached for US/UK reciprocal architectural licensure

2022-06-14T18:49:00-04:00

Two of the most influential professional architectural associations in the western hemisphere have pushed forward with their plans for a reciprocal licensure agreement between the US and UK. The UK’s Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the American National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) have recently ratified a new Mutual Recognition Agreement that will make the registration and licensure process much easier for practitioners in both countries.

The agreement makes it possible for architects to obtain business contracts, network with peers, and pursue new projects in new markets. This forthcoming arrangement is modeled after existing pacts between the American organization and Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. The basis of the agreement is three-pronged, and hinges on each architect’s ability to hold an active NCARB certificate, be lawfully permitted to work in the country in which they are registered and hold a valid license from their home country’s reg...

Grenfell Tower inquiry: expert architectural witness fired because he was not a registered architect

2018-06-25T13:28:00-04:00

The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster has sacked its expert architectural witness after it emerged he was not a registered architect. John Priestley, who was appointed on Wednesday to produce a report into the architectural design of the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, was sacked on Friday. [...] According to the inquiry, before he was instructed, Priestley told officials he was a UK registered and chartered architect.