Also someone mentioned a modern architect by the name Bill Bruter? He lives in California or somewhere in the west and he is very popular... I tried to google him but I had no luck? Anyone know him?

Forgot to mention: He never went to architecture school.

doh.

i think you mean wil bruder, in arizona. he was self trained.

Tadao Ando was a boxer and he also never went to architecture school... same for Luis Barragan who was trained as an engineer (well back in those days in mexico u got a title which was "engineer-architect" thing), mmhhh i think i've heard somewhere that Le Corbusier also didnt went to architecture school?? am i right??, and well REM went to school, but he was a journalist before...

Manuel deLanda, famous architecture-related theoretic..he never studied any career...dropped out of film school was as close as he got...

no one said that u will b good just by going to school dude, chew it

Great, more clients with an attitude of "I could do this, after all you don't really even have to go to school to become an architect."

Nobody said you will be good by not going to school either - You can represent yourself in court too, but you know what they say about that...

in what state or jurisdiction can five years' work experience make you a licensed architect? without exams?

sure, architects USED to be self-trained but if you're under 60 and you haven't been working in architecture for 40 years...i think you'll find you need that professional degree, IDP, and there's nine tests you gotta pass. at least in the US.

sorry

The traditional IDP process can be done in 3. You can start as easly as your third year of school, this means (if you enroll full time) you can finish IDP by the time you are getting your masters, and then all that's left are AREs.

the one similar trait that the self trained architects have that is mentioned above is a great deal more talent than the average joe, which although you may have gotten a's in studio, most of us are.

it varies state by state!
check out the break down.

best comparison i've seen yet...thanks stephanie

You only need Three Years experience to become A licensed Architect, with a masters Degree. I know a few 27-28-29 year old licensed architects who do not even have a clue about anything....licensed after three years of filling-out door schedules at a corporate firm. That's a crime.

NO PROBLEM!
THERE IS A LOT OF USEFUL INFORMATION ON THAT THERE NCARB WEBSITE.

i aim to be a 27-28-29 year old licensed architect. and i don't think i know everything, but i think i know more than door schedules. it's too bad that there are young architects who are not gaining the most out of their time as an intern. but how many times have we hashed this out anyway? i should just go back on archinect hiatus....

Chili, tell me you are speaking with your tongue stuck in your cheek?

Chili, that's theoretically possible if you could somehow manage to work fulltime while attending school fulltime.
But some states (New York is one) don't allow IDP credit for work that you did while concurrently enrolled as a student. So before you start killing yourself by trying to hold a fulltime job while earning an M.Arch, do check with your state board (the state boards trump NCARB.)

Sorry... I meant 5 years... plus passing the ARE exams...

haha, I wish 5 years without taking the ARE exams... I heard they are hard.

very interesting discussion...here are also some other facts:

Architect's License Law (State of California):

To qualify for a license, one must have a total of 8 years of education and/or experience.

Then one must pass both the written and oral examination. The written exam is now offered all year, and there are nine divisions: Pre-Design; Site Design-written; Site Design-Graphic; Building Design; Structural Technology-General and Long-Span; Structural Technology- Lateral Forces; Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, and Acoustical Systems; Materials and Methods; and Construction Documents and Services.

The exam is entirely computerized so that the tests can be taken in any order.

If one fails a section of the Licensing Examination, one has to wait six months to retake the section.

When one passes all of them, one must have an Oral Examination.

When one does receive the license, it is valid for life, although the AIA requires continuing education for its members.

There is a yearly license fee.

For more info, check out http://www.cab.ca.gov/ or the NCARB since requirements vary from state to state and can usually change over time.

Also, you don't even need a license (or even any required years of experiences) to design the following:

1. Single-family dwellings of woodframe construction not more than two stories and basement in height.

2. Multiple dwellings containing no more than four dwelling units of woodframe construction not more than two stories and basement in height. Not more than four dwelling units per lot.

3. Garages or other structures appurtenant to dwellings, of woodframe construction not more than two stories and basement in height.

4. Agricultural and ranch buildings of woodframe construction. (Unless the building official having jurisdiction deems that an undue risk to the public health, safety or welfare is involved.)

5. Nonstructural store fronts, interior alterations or additions, fixtures, cabinetwork, furniture, or other appliances or equipment including nonstructural work necessary to provide for their installation.

6. Nonstructural alterations or additions to any building necessary to or attendant upon the installations of such listed in number 5.

7. May not design any component that afffects the safety of any building or its occupants, including but not limited to structural or seismic components.

i don't think it works the way you have described it mr. taco.

as for ando and the rest well ando still don have a licence, and last time i checked neither does shigeru ban and a few others. more to the point in the japanese system you don have to go to school at all, long as you work for 7 years in an office. my old boss, and half of the office went the non-educated route to get their licences. they do not know who zaha hadid is, or rem koolhaas, nor greg lynn, but they do know how to build. quite well, really. and they can do their own structures.

anyhow, the thing is ando and ban and other unlicenced architects are very very special people, and there is little point in comparing yourself to them.

as far as the experienced but formally uneducated architects, well they are not (in general) likely to do really good architecture any time soon, though they are very very competent. education makes a BIG difference. so enjoy it. not everyone gets the chance to go to school (i barely made it, myself).

I've managed to balance a full time job and full time classes thus far. I will be done in December. Unfortunately, my IDP is not even close to done, so I'm aiming for the 27-28-29 target.