The time has come for architects, across the globe, to register for their .archi domain names. This year has seen the launch of a entirely new range of domains which explicitly indicate the field of business a particular domain name points to; .archi, the new extension reserved exclusively for architectural bodies, is one such. Not only will it differentiate architects from other fields but, perhaps more importantly, will also help internet users find architects when browsing the web. The development of this domain extension, which has been supported by the International Union of Architects (UIA), will mean that only academically qualified architects and their affiliates will be able to use .archi.
Paul Andreu, designer of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the Taiyuan Archaeological Centre, alongside Corinne Vezzoni, have both pledged their support of the new domain name in an advertising campaign by the regulating body Starting Dot.
Click here to register a .archi domain name or find out more after the break...
According to Starting Dot, the extension is "a guarantee of more clarity and accountability for architects, a more visible web presence for this regulated profession, and more trust for architects on behalf of their clients." They continue in their declaration by stating that:
"Members of the architectural profession are dedicated to standards of professionalism, integrity, and competence, and thereby bring to society unique skills and aptitudes essential to the sustainable development of the built environment and the welfare of their societies and cultures."
When you apply for a domain name will have to establish that you are a participant in the architecture scene and have established rights to each name applied for. This means that you must be an individual professional architect or an architecture firm registered as a member of a UIA Member Section or be an architecture-related organisation listed as defined by the .ARCHI Policy Advisory Committee. In addition, "domains will be randomly checked for website content and, if eligibility is in doubt, the registry may put the domain name on hold and contact the registrant for additional proof."
What if I'm not an accredited architect but would like a dot-archi domain name?
The regulating body recommends premium domain names for those who are not accredited as architects but operate a business which caters to the architectural market. Schools, book publishers, architectural media, those who focus on architectural technology, or if you would like a generic domain name (such as www.design.archi or www.studio.archi) or one which includes only numbers, are all eligible for this. Find out more here.
Register a .archi domain name here.*
The UIA is the domain extension's official sponsor with main objective to unite architects on a global and democratic basis, as described on www.uia-architectes.org. The UIA will chair the .archi Policy Advisory Committee (APAC), which is the supervising and regulatory body of the domain.
* ArchDaily is an affiliate of the 101domain platform
