Arb unveils ‘biggest shake-up of profession in 50 years’

Architects could be given more flexible routes to registration in what is being described as the biggest shake-up to the profession in half a century.

The Architects Registration Board (Arb) is proposing to open up new ways of becoming registered as an architect to increase the diversity of a sector historically dominated by people who are white and middle class.

It means that a greater emphasis will now be placed on an architect’s competences rather than what the body admitted is currently an “excessively bureaucratic” focus on process.

The body said: “We believe the most important consideration is what a newly qualified architect can do – not how they got there.”

阿布说，格伦费尔大厦(Grenfell Tower)灾难、气候紧急情况以及全球范围内对平等和包容的呼声日益高涨，要求对建筑环境设计专业人士的评估方式进行全面改革。

这些变化在一定程度上是对朱迪思·哈基特(Judith Hackitt)在格伦费尔火灾后对建筑法规的2018年审查的回应，该审查建议Arb改革建筑师在消防安全问题上的能力水平。

On climate change, Arb said future architects must be equipped with the right skills and knowledge, “underpinned with a commitment to sustainability”, to ensure the profession can reduce the built environment’s contribution to carbon emissions.

改革的重点是多元化，而在此之前，去年Arb发布了一份2020年战略声明，阐述了需要采取哪些步骤，以使职业代表英国人口。

A key aspect of this would be to ensure access to the sector could be given to as wide a group as possible by increasing the flexibility of architects’ required period of initial education and training.

任何想要注册并使用“建筑师”头衔的个人必须持有协会规定的第一部分、第二部分和第三部分资格。

But Arb said the cost of education and the requirement for work experience created barriers, disproportionately impacting people from poorer backgrounds and minority groups, as well as those “without existing networks in the profession”.

In a July 2020 survey of its membership, Arb admitted thatjust 1% of its registered respondents had described themselves as black.

In a report accompanying the findings, the regulator said the profession was facing “serious diversity issues”.

The reform proposals have been set out in a 23-page document, with the body inviting architects, academics, employers, students and others to share their views in a survey.

The body’s proposals also admitted that there is confusion between the roles of itself and RIBA about standard setting and quality assurance in architectural education.

Last year theRIBA announced what it described as ”the biggest professional shake-up for 60 years”.

Arb said it received regular feedback form students, institutions and from representative bodies on the issue, which it said “need to be addressed to ensure clarity and transparent”

The confusion has arisen partly because, since 2002, Arb and RIBA have shared a common set of criteria used for two different purposes, gaining entry to the register of architects,and a RIBA ‘kitemark’ through its validation process.

>> Also read:RIBA announces ‘biggest professional shake-up for 60 years’