A record-high number of candidates—37,178 at the end of 2014—were actively working toward an architect license required by the 54 state and jurisdiction licensing boards across the country.
It is common for candidates to be described, in the press or by many jurisdictions, as “intern-architects” or “architects in training,” or by some other nomenclature that might confer a false level of expertise or legal status.
The National Council of Architectural Regulation Boards (NCARB) wants to change that. Following the recommendations of a Future Title Task Force it formed last year, NCARB is embarking on an initiative that would “sunset” the term “intern” for those who are on a training or testing path to become architects.
NCARB is taking steps to erase “intern” from its internal lexicon, according to CEO Michael Armstrong. It plans to remove the word from its communications and correspondences. As an example, someone registered for the Architect Registration Examination “is an ARE candidate,” he said.
NCARB officials made this announcement during the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Convention 2015 Expo in Atlanta last week.
This debate isn’t new. “This issue has been fraught with controversy,” said Dale McKinney, FAIA, NCARB’s President. “We know that in the last several years, concerns have been raised regarding the credibility of the term ‘intern.’”
That’s not surprising, given the sheer number of architect candidates out there. In its “NCARB By The Numbers” report, which it will formally release in July, the Council estimates that nearly 10,000 new candidates had started on the path to licensure in 2014, 4% more than the previous year. The number of candidates who had completed the Architect Registration Exam was up 17% to 3,719.
The Task Force, chaired by McKinney’s immediate predecessor, Blake Dunn, considered several factors, particularly the regulatory impacts of extending the title “architect” beyond the licensed community. The Task Force recommended that:
• The role of regulation should be restricted to the title “architect,” which should be applied only to licensed individuals;
• Any other title held by those pursuing a license does not need to be regulated.
• NCARB should discontinue the use of the work intern, intern-architect, “or any other regulatory ‘title’ described those pursing licensure.”
(In April, NCARB’s board of directors voted unanimously to accept the Task Force report, which also determined that the term “architect emeritus” is acceptable because those people described as such, while they may not be practicing, still have obtained their license.)
NCARB is taking steps to erase “intern” from its internal lexicon, according to CEO Michael Armstrong. It plans to remove the word from its communications and correspondences. As an example, someone registered for the Architect Registration Examination “is an ARE candidate,” he said. “A person recording experience hours is a Record holder.” The Council is renaming its Internship + Education Directorate with the new title Experience + Education Department, or E2. And it is likely that its Intern Development Program—which the Council recently streamlined and overhauled—will be renamed.
Dennis Ward, AIA, who becomes the Council’s president on June 21, pointed out that 30 jurisdictions or licensing boards currently reference one or more titles that include the word intern or “architect in training.”
With its announcements, NCARB, said Armstrong, is asserting “our role as an advisory organization. We’re putting down a leadership marker.” But he and McKinney were quick to note that proposals to change the Council’s Model Law or regulations would need to be presented by delegates of the state licensing boards. The earliest such proposals could be presented for comment would be next Spring, and for a vote of the Membership at the Council’s Annual Business Meeting scheduled for Seattle in June 2016.
During its press conference at the AIA Expo, NCARB stated that U.S. licensing boards reported 107,581 licensed architects at the end of 2014, representing the third consecutive year of increased growth in the profession.
Related Stories
| Oct 15, 2014
Final touches make 432 Park Avenue tower second tallest in New York City
Concrete has been poured for the final floors of the residential high-rise at 432 Park Avenue in New York City, making it the city’s second-tallest building and the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere.
| Oct 14, 2014
Slash energy consumption in data centers with liquid-based ‘immersive-cooling’ technology
A new technology promises to push the limits of data center energy efficiency by using liquid instead of air to cool the servers.
Sponsored | | Oct 14, 2014
3 color trends drive new commercial exterior color collections
Collectively as a society, we help create color trends, which shape our businesses, recreational facilities, healthcare centers, and civic buildings. These iconic colors are now appearing in Valspar's new color collections. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 14, 2014
Get inspired with the top 10 TED talks about cities
The TED talks, none of which are longer than 20 minutes, feature speakers such as architect Moshe Safdie, Rio de Janeiro Major Eduardo Paes, and animal behaviorist Amanda Burden.
| Oct 14, 2014
Proven 6-step approach to treating historic windows
This course provides step-by-step prescriptive advice to architects, engineers, and contractors on when it makes sense to repair or rehabilitate existing windows, and when they should advise their building owner clients to consider replacement.
| Oct 14, 2014
Richard Meier unveils design for his first tower in Taiwan
Taiwan will soon have its first Richard Meier building, a 535-foot apartment tower in Taichung City, the country’s third-largest city.
| Oct 13, 2014
The mindful workplace: How employees can manage stress at the office
I have spent the last several months writing about healthy workplaces. My research lately has focused on stress—how we get stressed and ways to manage it through meditation and other mindful practices, writes HOK's Leigh Stringer.
| Oct 13, 2014
Debunking the 5 myths of health data and sustainable design
The path to more extensive use of health data in green building is blocked by certain myths that have to be debunked before such data can be successfully incorporated into the project delivery process.
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
The problem with being a customer-centric organization
Kristof De Wulf, CEO of InSites Consulting, argues that the effects of customer-centricity typically don’t endure, leading only to temporary improvements in company performance. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
CLT, glulam deliver strength, low profile, and aesthetics for B.C. office building
When he set out to design his company’s new headquarters building on Lakeshore Road in scenic Kelowna, B.C., Tim McLennan of Faction Projects knew quickly that cross-laminated timber was an ideal material.
