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ARB: The Latest Architecture and News

US and UK Sign Reciprocal Licensing Agreement for Architects

Architects’ registration boards in UK and US have reached an agreement that enables architects to benefit from a more straightforward process to get licensed in both countries. The Mutual Recognition Agreement results from a negotiation between the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) in the United States and its United Kingdom counterpart, the Architects Registration Board (ARB). This week, the two organizations announced that the agreement has been signed by both parties. It will become active on April 25, 2023, allowing architects to apply for reciprocal licensure in the US and the UK.

This agreement is the result of over nearly four years of research and negotiation between NCARB and the ARB. In 2018 NCARB initiated a process of evaluating the requirements for registration in the United Kingdom, comparing it to the licensing process in the US. The analysis found a substantial overlap between the standards in both countries. These similarities form the base of the mutual agreement, which will provide a streamlined path for architects seeking reciprocal licensure in the two countries, along with the subsequent professional opportunities that could come with it.

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Martha Thorne Urges UK to Preserve International Recognition of Qualifications in Wake of Brexit

Martha Thorne, the Executive Director of the Pritzker Prize and dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid, has warned of the dangers that the United Kingdom's decision to withdraw from the EU will pose to the architecture profession both in the UK and the EU. As reported by BDOnline, Thorne highlighted the mutual recognition of professional qualifications that has been established by the EU, enabling architects qualified in any EU country to practice in another EU country without being required to requalify.

RIBA Agrees Upon Major Changes To UK Architectural Education

Exactly one year ago an important event took place. A gathering of seventy student delegates, organised by the Architecture Students Network (ASN), met to discuss the future of architectural education. Their meeting was sparked by the latest directive from the European Union which seeks to “establish more uniformity across Europe by aligning the time it takes to qualify”, making mutual recognition of the architect’s title easier between countries.

The ASN’s discussions concluded that the course content throughout the UK system of ‘Part I, II, and III’, and the duration of said course, urgently needs to be re-evaluated in order to reflect the changing needs of the profession - especially in light of the recent rise in tuition fees and associated university costs. Back then, a spokesperson for the ASN said that “it really felt like momentum for change has finally reached a tipping point.”

UK Government Confirms Protection of Title Will Continue

The UK government's Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has concluded that UK architecture should continue to be governed by "light-touch regulation based on protection of title," following the first phase of a review into the future of the Architects Registration Board (ARB). Now, a second phase of the review promises to investigate options to deliver this regulation, determining whether or not it is best achieved by the ARB.

A statement released by the DCLG says that it will now work "with all parts of the profession to identify opportunities to simplify the role of the regulator," with BD Online reporting that the available options including absorbing the role of the ARB into that of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), or to keep the ARB as an independent body - but with the DCLG warned that "it should not be assumed that an independent regulatory body would necessarily have the same form or role as the existing regulatory body."

Lines Drawn: UK Architecture Students Network Discuss the Future of Architectural Education

Lines Drawn, the latest gathering of student delegates by the Architecture Students Network (ASN), recently met at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) to discuss the future of architectural education. Seventy RIBA Part 1, 2 and 3 students (including those on their placement years) from across twenty two schools of architecture gathered together to address and unify their voice in calling for improvements to the current pedagogy of UK’s architectural education to reflect a changing society.

The weekend conference provoked questions surrounding the merits and pitfalls of the Part 1, 2 and 3 British route to qualification, raising aspirations of a more flexible education system. Sparked by the latest directive from the European Union (EU), which seeks to "establish more uniformity across Europe by aligning the time it takes to qualify" and by making mutual recognition of the architect's title easier between countries, the discussions centred around how architecture students' opinions can be harnessed at this critical moment of change to have voices heard.

Continue reading for ArchDaily's exclusive pre-coverage of the ASN's report.