New Admissions to the Register 2005 in The Times

New Admissions to the Register 2005 in The Times (23/01/2006)

ARB is pleased to announce that today’s edition of The Times (23 January 2006) carries a list of all those who were admitted to the Register of Architects during 2005. The same list will also be published in the March edition of Architecture Today.

Becoming an architect takes a long period of study and training – usually seven years in total. It is only when this training has been completed and the required qualifications obtained that a person can be admitted to the UK Register of Architects.

This means that consumers have an assurance that when they employ an architect, they can be confident that not only does that person have the relevant training, qualifications and expertise, but they are also bound to a Code of Conduct, and must hold Professional Indemnity Insurance. This protects both the architect and the client in the unlikely event that something should go wrong.

The title “architect” is protected by law under the Architects Act 1997, and its use is restricted to those who have the necessary qualifications which allow them to register with ARB. ARB can, and does, prosecute in the Magistrates Courts those who use the title without having a legal right to it, and in doing so, ensures that the consumer is protected, and the reputation of the profession is upheld.

----Ends-----

Notes for Editors

ARB is the statutory body established by Parliament under the Architects Act 1997 to regulate the UK architects’ profession in the public interest. The Act requires ARB (inter alia) to:

• Maintain the Register of Architects (Section 3)

• Prescribe qualifications for entry to the Register of Architects (Section 4)

• Deal with competence to practise (Section 9)

• Issue a Code which lays down standards of professional conduct and practice (Section 13)

• Regulate use of the title “architect” and prosecute those who use it fraudulently (Section 20)

ARB has a Board of 15 members, seven of whom are architects elected by the profession. The remaining eight are members of the public appointed by the Privy Council to represent the interests of consumers and users of architectural services.