Archinect - News

Is architecture still in a state of denial?

2019-08-02T17:57:00-04:00

In his book Four Walls and a Roof – The Complex Nature of a Simple Profession, Reinier de Graaf paints an honest picture of what it is like to work as an architect today. De Graaf, who is a partner at OMA and director of AMO, the office’s think tank, provides engaging stories about the banal, everyday reality of working for an acclaimed firm.

When pursuing a life of architecture, it's hard not to become jaded by the peculiarities of the profession. A career path not for the faint of heart: architects often dream of using their skills to "change the world." However, as mystical and alluring the profession may appear to be, architects like Reiner de Graaf have expressed strong perspectives on the profession.

Reiner de Graaf speaking during his Strelka Talk. Image still courtesy of Strelka Institute

A partner at OMA and director of the firm's think tank AMO, de Graaf sheds some light on the profession in his book Four Walls and a Roof - The Complex Nature of a Simple Profession. Two years after its publish date, do de Graaf's assertions about the profession still remain true? Having re-read his article and interview coverage by fellow Archinect senior editor Orhan Ayyüce, it begs me to question: Has this sense of denial grown stronger? Have newly licensed architects taken on this method of thinking?

Luxury housing at Holl...

The AIA works towards improving how it awards architects in conjunction with the rise of the #MeToo movement

2019-06-06T13:57:00-04:00

The plight of sexual harassment claims and news of misconduct within the profession continues to surface as more practicing architects stress the importance of equity in the workplace, representation, and accountability. The global rise of the #MeToo movement has impacted several industries, the architecture profession included. More women and men have voiced their opinions and stressed the importance of fostering better professional standards as well as reassessing professional character in practice and during award recognition.

On June 5th, the AIA announced it's efforts towards improving review standards on how architects will be selected for awards. "Although the rules and processes governing AIA's awards programs are currently effective at identifying design excellence, the AIA's leadership believes they can be improved to better address issues of professional character, especially related to harassment of any kind, and to send a clear message that inappropriate behavior will n...

NCARB reports 3% increase in number of U.S. architects

2018-06-12T14:54:00-04:00

Every year, NCARB requests the number of architects and reciprocal licenses from each of its jurisdictions—which include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 2017 Survey of Architectural Registration Boards indicates architects in the United States rose to 113,554, a 3 percent increase since 2016. Compared to the population, there is one architect for every 2,900 people in the United States.

The NCARB has also tracked the increase in US architects by 10% since 2008 and reports the second highest number of out-of-state licenses recorded at 125,348—revealing mobility in the profession across state borders.

NCARB CEO Michael J. Armstrong stated, “This year’s data not only shows that licensure remains valued within the architecture field, it also demonstrates that NCARB’s efforts to streamline the path to licensure and remove unnecessary barriers has been effective. We’ve achieved this while maintaining rigor and ensuring each board’s ability to protect the public.”

Find out more from NCARB’s data and the 2017 Survey of Architectural Registration Boards.

Architect to Architect? to Jail.

2017-11-29T13:16:00-05:00

The stamp, forged signatures, false paperwork — they were like the scaffolding of a building of his own design, one with no firm foundation.

A fake architect named Paul J. Newman has been sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison for posing as an architect in eastern New York.

Newman also was ordered Tuesday in Saratoga County Court to pay more than $115,000 to his victims in Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties.

Newman pleaded guilty in June to grand larceny and fraud after an investigation by New York's attorney general dubbed "Operation Vandelay Industries." Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office said Newman had rendered fraudulent architectural services since 2010. Victims included municipalities and businesses.

Schneiderman dubbed the operation to nab Newman "Vandelay Industries" in reference to a long-running joke on "Seinfeld" about a fictional company by that name. A character named Newman was Jerry's nemesis on the sitcom.

Despina Stratigakos on the emerging "third wave of feminism" in architecture

2016-03-17T18:21:00-04:00

In 2000, women represented 13 percent of registered architects; today, that number stands at 19 percent. If this rate of progress holds, we’ll have to wait until 2093 before we reach a 50-50 gender split...Yet numbers alone won’t ensure retention if architecture’s gender-biased professional culture remains unchanged. Ten or 20 years from now, we may still be asking ourselves, 'Where are the women architects?'

Despina Stratigakos — whose Architect Barbie collaboration sparked heated debate a few years ago — reflects on architecture's glacial progress toward gender equity as well as the profession's emerging "third wave of feminism".

More related to equity in architecture:

Why International Women's Day matters (for architects)

AIA's Diversity Survey shows some progress, but still skewed perceptions

Latent Complexity: Denise Scott Brown and Katherine Darnstadt (Latent Design) on Archinect Sessions #39

Being an architect is sexy, according to modern society

Latest NCARB survey indicates architecture is a growing profession in the U.S.

2014-11-21T19:03:00-05:00

The architecture profession is back on the rise as the American economy recovers, according to NCARB's 2014 Survey of Architectural Registration Boards. For starters, the number of architects has grown by 3.1 percent since 2011.

Collecting data from all 54 U.S. territories (including District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), the 2014 survey states that there are 107,581 architects in the U.S., which is a 1.6 percent increase from last year. California is listed with the highest total number of added architects at 20,595, followed by New York at 16,809. Data collected for the fall 2014 survey also reflect registration levels from July 2013 to June 2014.

Findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show similar upward trends. In just the last two months, architecture and engineering services added 5,000 new jobs in September and 2,900 new jobs in October.

Earlier this year, NCARB made major announcements regarding licensure upon graduation as well as major mo...

NCSU Faculty Member Vincent Petrarca Receives ACSA Faculty Design Award

2014-02-17T11:13:00-05:00

For a Modernist house designed and built by his firm Tonic Design + Tonic Construction

February 17, 2014 (Raleigh, NC) -- Vincent Petrarca, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Architecture at North Carolina State University’s College of Design and a founding partner of the Raleigh, NC-based design/build firm Tonic Design + Tonic Construction, has received a prestigious 2013-2014 Faculty Design Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) for his design of “Crabill Modern,” a Modernist, single-family house in Hillsborough, N.C.

Each year, the ACSA honors architectural educators for exemplary work in areas such as building design, community collaborations, scholarship, and service.

The ASCA’s Faculty Design Awards honor built work that “advances the reflective nature of practice and teaching by recognizing and encouraging outstanding work in architecture and related environmental design fields as a critical endeavor,” according to the ACSA. Winning ...