AIArchitect | Industry News

04/2003

Candidates Respond to Questions from the National Associates Committee

The National Associates Committee posed three questions to the candidates for AIA office. The AIA Executive Committee forwarded these questions to the candidates. Candidates were free to address issues raised by the questionnaires in whatever form they found most appropriate, without necessarily answering each question separately. Each response was limited to no more than 500 words. Following are the questions and the candidates’ responses, as they submitted them via e-mail to the AIA on April 22.

Q1. Recent tragedies at two nightclubs bring to mind the importance of working with an architect. How can architects work at the local level to educate both local elected officials and the community about the pivotal role which architects fill in the realm of health, safety and welfare?

Q2. Specialization and certification have been occurring both horizontally and vertically within the industry. LEED is an example of “horizontal” certification that cuts across project types. The American College of Healthcare Architects has set up “vertical” standards of specialization that apply specifically to the needs of healthcare architects. Is specialization or certification necessary to successfully meet the needs of a client? If so, what role should the AIA play in setting the standards and educational requirements to which the specialization and certification aspire?

Q3. Recently NCARB presented to the Board some strong signs that the number of sections being taken is on the rise. In order to ensure that these translate into an equal increase in the number of people being registered, what responsibilities do you feel architects have to the future of our profession and what, if anything, do you feel we should do to improve access to the profession through licensure?

Click on a candidate's name to view his response:

Stephan Castellanos, FAIA
Robin M. Ellerthorpe, FAIA
Douglas L Steidl, FAIA
Paul Davis Boney, FAIA
Jerome Filer, FAIA
RK Stewart, FAIA
David H. Watkins, FAIA
James A. Gatsch, FAIA

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT-ELECT RESPONSES
Stephan Castellanos, FAIA
The great majority of any field is made up of expert practitioners who are recognized by the gatekeepers and are authorized to perform within the domain. Without them, the profession would not exist. Finally, a vital field always needs approved apprentices or students… they are essential to the continuity of the professional realm.
Good Work—H. Gardner, M. Csikszentmihaly, W. Damon

The authors of Good Work posit that when the knowledge in a domain becomes exhausted or when society is no longer prepared to support a field, the number or the quality of potential recruits diminishes. They say that in the opposite case, many of the most talented youth will flock to the field.

While there are strong signs that the number of sections of the Architectural Registration Examination taken is on the rise, we must consider the issues that have bring us to be concerned. Architectural students and graduates may well be the canary in the coalmine for the profession of architecture. Society recognizes a healthy profession when knowledge and skill are combined with an ethical foundation. The academy, students, graduates, and practitioners share a responsibility to assure that knowledge, skills and ethics, combine to best serve society. A reduction in those seeking licenses may be perceived as a reduction in the value society places in our profession.

The future of our profession rests in society’s sense of the importance of design, healthy and vibrant colleges and universities, a relationship between practitioners, students and graduates based in mentoring and the development of knowledge. Together we should advocate on behalf of our values.

Health, safety and welfare concerns triggered by recent tragedies encourage all of us as members of a profession to advocate in our communities for the protection and welfare of those we serve. AIA must strive to bring much needed resources and support to our local components so that this advocacy can succeed. We must also be more involved on the state and national stage in influencing model code development and public policy to assure public safety.

The fact that specialization and certification have found their way into the marketplace provides ample evidence that the public we serve sees a need. When a trend toward specialization and certification is recognized in the marketplace AIA should support both our clients and the profession in the development of standards. We need to define how to leverage such demand into more responsive and powerful PIA’s; PIA’s that define, produce and implement practice standards, skills and competencies; PIA’s that become thought leaders, and centers of education and research on behalf of client and marketplace needs.

We should seek to unify AIA, and trust that the creation of centers of expertise and knowledge, when combined with certification, need not result in the increased fragmentation of AIA and our profession. There is risk in pursuing development of certifications within the traditional definition of practice. Regardless we may need to assume leadership when necessary. Certification can better provide more opportunity when areas outside the regulated practice of architecture can be developed. We can leverage the unique skills and abilities of architects in many new ways through the use of certification and improve the public understanding of the value of design and architects. TOP

Robin M. Ellerthorpe, FAIA
Q1. Recent tragedies at two nightclubs bring to mind the importance of working with an architect. How can architects work at the local level to educate both local elected officials and the community about the pivotal role which architects fill in the realm of health, safety and welfare?

In pursuit of code review work in Chicago, we discovered that many of the City’s review employees were not licensed professionals. Without professional involvement of architects and engineers, protection of the public’s health, safety and welfare becomes a bureaucratic process. In some cases, other organizations like homebuilders have filled a void by offering planning and review assistance, possibly working to exclude architects in these important areas.

Architects can work with their local municipal authorities to perform peer review in planning and code related activities. We can assess municipal processes and suggest ways to better align review with protection of the public. The AIA can assemble best practice ordinances and State legislation for use by local architects in helping these organizations.

Architects seem to have accepted horizontal certifications because they have been accessible, inexpensive and give us a quick foothold in attaining expert status in areas of expertise. Vertical certifications have tended to be more expensive and less accessible, causing smaller firms to question whether larger entities are trying to exclude them from a market.

In some markets, clients have clearly voiced preference for certifications—and there are many. Whether certifications are here to stay, we may look to the medical and legal professions. Under general practices of law (JD) and medicine (MD), there are scores of certifying organizations that differentiate expertise from expertise.

Even if the AIA supported certification, it should not determine or manage certification processes—something we also do not do for academy or licensure activities. Where appropriate, certifications give the AIA an opportunity to develop continuing education and research in particular areas of focus to assist members. The AIA should work with certifying organizations to minimize costs and processes to make them accessible to all members.

At the October Internship Summit I realized that a gap existed between graduation and licensure where no collateral organization was responsible for encouraging graduates to become licensed. Whether initially a building or virtual designer, graduates should become licensed to prepare for any future. Architects had assumed that NCARB was focused on cheering Interns toward licensure and becoming members of the AIA – it is not. In addition, the exam change from paper to computer had affected the community of candidates that studied together and cajoled each other through the exam process.

The National Associates Committee should claim responsibility for the period from graduation through AIA member. Continuing their role as leaders, the NAC could develop a holistic approach to getting graduates licensed and becoming members. This role fits well with their joining the ExCom team beginning next year.

How? As the College of Fellows mentors young architects, Members should support our Associates and our Associates should become a pulling force and include students as they make that important transition from student/AIAS member to Intern to licensed architect. The NAC could also improve the AIAS’ visibility and become the link to AIA, providing programs and assisting in organizing. Our family of organizations must pay attention to our future members and leaders beginning today. TOP

Douglas L Steidl, FAIA:
Q1. Recent tragedies at two nightclubs bring to mind the importance of working with an architect. How can architects work at the local level to educate both local elected officials and the community about the pivotal role which architects fill in the realm of health, safety and welfare?

It is obvious that elected officials in general do not think of architects in connection with public safety. In the Rhode Island tragedy the response was to appoint a blue ribbon committee that included several entertainers, but no architect. We as a profession have not made ourselves known to elected officials or the public as purveyors of public safety. Most of our concerns in this area have to do with legislators working on licensing legislation (turf protection) as opposed to making known our everyday practices that truly do provide public protection. I would offer two suggestions for the local level:
1. As individual architects provide public service through community activities, so community leaders not only know you, but respect your contributions and see the practical value you possess.
2. As a local component, when situations arise, or better yet before they arise, prepare a white paper that addresses the issue in clear practical terms and present it to the community leadership. In AIA Akron, the Young Architects Forum, at its own initiative, is working with the City Planning Department to prepare a plan for redevelopment of a local canal corridor. Perhaps in the future the City will recognize the abilities of these young AIA members to be influential in community problem solving.

At the national level, I believe we have opportunities as well. When falsification of financial data by corporations was deemed a threat to the public (even though non-life threatening) Congress jumped to pass the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that created even more work (and income) for accountants. Perhaps we should consider lobbying for legislation that requires “building audits” on a five-year cycle to be performed by architects. Such action might make us known as the protectors of the public.

Architectural Registration should always be the standard of practice and should be adequate to allow a practitioner to perform work for any client. Specialization/Certifications should only indicate some “substantive” level of additional qualification. Certification programs can be viewed two ways. First, as acknowledgement of significant expertise in a specific area, or second as a marketing methodology.

Certifications are here. An AIA National Task Force has been established to decide their appropriateness and the AIA’s role. I will defer a final decision on my part until that Task Force reports. However, I will share my current views.

I am in favor of the first viewpoint, acknowledgement of expertise, as long as it doesn’t become a criteria for exclusion of other architects. This type of certification can aid each of us in defining what we need to address to fulfill a client’s needs even when we choose not to attain the certification. It raises the practice bar on the profession and makes us more valuable to the client and society.

The second viewpoint is dangerous. It doesn’t raise the standard of practice, but merely seeks to provide marketing advantage to a select group of practitioners to the exclusion of other architects.

AIA California Council has a certification, open to any AIA member, providing knowledge on “development”, thus expanding the traditional knowledge of the architect and expanding the profession’s acknowledged expertise. LEED allows us to improve our standards regarding energy and sustainability (AIA missed an opportunity here—we should be known as the primary proponents in this area). Both of these certifications are horizontal and I favor both.

Vertical certifications have the same potential, but we must be careful that they do not become exclusionary and only serve for marketing advantage.

In both cases, certifications that are so narrow or finite can be detrimental to the profession, i.e. Certified Stairway Designer. AIA should be involved in the certification process to direct its relevancy and maintain a high level of standard.

We must be careful how we establish, monitor and most of all use Certifications. Our goals should always be to improve the profession’s ability to serve our communities. More knowledge and understanding does so. Pure marketing advantage fragments the profession and does not add value.

The decision to become registered is complex, but I believe in any profession the overwhelming force that drives an individual is personal satisfaction. My personal satisfaction is achieved through architecture practice that “improves the community in which I work.” It is the responsibility of each of us to tell K–12 graders about the great service we perform and how that service provides great satisfaction. We have the same responsibility when we discuss the profession with architecture students and recent graduates. We must be the cheerleaders for this great profession. In the past we’ve always assumed the next generation will be waiting in line. That is not necessarily so, if we do not present the positive aspects of practice.

A couple practical responsibilities which should be uniformly adopted:
1. Practitioners must incorporate graduates into project teams in such a way that they participate in the satisfaction of the profession, sharing in celebrations throughout the course of a project, while truly contributing to the decision process that formulates how the project serves the client, the public, the environment and the community.
2. Practitioners must pay reasonable salaries to attract and hold quality individuals.

I do not believe the standards for registration should be lowered in any way, but I do believe alternative pathways, besides the professional degree requirement, should be available through specific experience and testing scenarios. TOP

VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE RESPONSES
Paul Davis Boney, FAIA:
I want to thank the National Associates Committee for being involved in the process by asking for opinions and comments from the candidates for national office.

I feel that architects can play a vital role in our communities. Architects must show the value in our knowledge of design issues, code compliance and material selection. We must become involved with the local elected officials so that architects are trusted advisors on life/safety issues. Above all, do the right thing and never compromise your core values.

I think that the issue of specialization is one that should have further discussion on the Board and with our membership. I strongly believe that our system of AIA PIAs is an excellent way for our members to learn about a particular building type.

Our firm has always believed that interns should be encouraged to take the exam as soon as possible. We provide resources necessary to help them through the process and believe that becoming a registered architect is a goal that should be attained as quickly as possible. TOP

Jerome Filer, FAIA:
1. Nightclub Fire Tragedy: Local chapter leadership should network with all fire departments in their chapter regions and encourage these fire departments as well as city, town, and village leaders to address policies to prevent fire death tragedies.

Architects should first use a task force group to prepare the chapter strategy to respond in a detailed and organized fashion. Then the chapter leadership should meet with the community leaders and fire officials to present the chapter recommended plan to address prevention of fire in places of assembly.

I believe regular inspection by the fire department or perhaps architects every six months would help discover fire code violations. These violations could then be corrected. The chapter could point out that any required corrective construction should be performed with a building permit with plans prepared by an architect.

2. Architectural Exams participation on the rise: I believe that AIA leaders in each state should recommend to their state professional regulations department to allow certain parts of the total registration examination to be taken when a student graduates with a five year degree in architecture. Sections or portions of the exam related to architectural history or other appropriate parts could be taken immediately upon students’ graduation. After the required internship requirements have been fulfilled; the appropriate parts of the exams requiring actual design experience related to real buildings could be taken later and a license could be issued if all sections are passed.

3. Specialization and certification: I support specialization certification. I do not believe that it is necessary to successfully meet the needs of a client. The AIA should provide educational seminars at all component levels to assist all members to acquire specialization certification at a reasonable cost. TOP

RK Stewart, FAIA:
Protecting the public: The recent nightclub tragedies focused attention on public safety of buildings. As a member of the Board’s Building Codes and Standards Committee, I have followed the discussions that followed. Initial analysis does not point to failure of the Building Code in either case, rather enforcement or operational issues compromised building’s safety. These cases indicate that architects have a pivotal role in crafting Building Codes and supporting their adoption by local jurisdictions. Codes are another point where AIA’s strategic public policy advocacy must receive greater attention and support. The second part of that advocacy lies with our clients. Only if they understand the implications of code decisions made in design will they avoid compromising their safety. Public safety is the fundamental reason we are granted the right to practice. Continually educating others of that responsibility is our obligation.

Increasing access through licensure: While NCARB’s records appear to indicate ARE sections being taken have risen, those rates are barely greater than one section per candidate each year. Based on records complied in California, newly licensed architects are not replacing those departing the profession. We can reverse this tend. The Collateral Internship Summit of 1999 and the following Collateral Internship Task Force each made a series of recommendations. The AIA has “accepted” those recommendations without adopting or enacting them. The other Collaterals have done the same. We cannot continue to ignore those recommendations. We should adopt them and encourage their adoption by the Collaterals. We can then jointly implement them. Two recommendations I believe would have tremendous immediate impacts if adopted are allowing access to the ARE upon completion of educational requirements and reconsideration of the term “intern”.

In addition to adopting the Internship Summit and CITF recommendations we must demonstrate the value of licensure in a person’s career. Without clear increases in respect, authority, compensation, responsibility and quality of their lives it’s understandable someone would chose not to complete the long, costly process to licensure. Society and the profession cannot afford to lose bright young professionals because they do not see a future rewards equal to the risks they must assume.

Specialization and certification: This challenging issue has been debated for sometime. Qualifications Based Selection is a cornerstone of our beliefs about design professional selection so these concepts play a role. The question about their “necessity” hinges on client perceptions. There will always be a role for the generalist practitioner, changes in the client population often demand more of us. Having participated in development of AIACC’s Development Strategist certification program, I understand the value qualifications have when an architect presents their qualifications, in this case “tiering up” from an architectural license to compete against non-architects. I believe specialization and certification will play roles in the profession’s future. The study of these issues authorized by the Board at its March 2003 meeting will identify key considerations and opportunities. Based on that study we can evolve principals to guide standards development in which AIA must take the lead.

I look forward to discussing these issues and others with Institute’s Associates when we gather in San Diego. TOP

David H. Watkins, FAIA:
Q1. Recent tragedies at two nightclubs bring to mind the importance of working with an architect. How can architects work at the local level to educate both local elected officials and the community about the pivotal role which architects fill in the realm of health, safety and welfare?

In Texas, we have initiated a legislative campaign to lower the threshold for an architect’s mandatory involvement in a project from the current level of 20,000 SF to 5,000 SF. Despite our legal obligation to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, our effort has highlighted, once again, how important it is to build coalitions to achieve legislative action.

Most often, public advocacy succeeds when various groups come together to fight for a common cause. In the case of public safety, we need more allies among insurance carriers, public health officials, firefighters and police. In order to recruit this kind of support, we need better data, more convincing literature and an educational campaign directed at state and local code officials. I think the packaging of this information is best handled by AIA National and should be offered as a resource to our members.

As stated in the 1990 report of the AIA Licensing Law Task Force, entitled “Registration and Certification of Design Specialties”, specialization is here to stay and the AIA can do little to change that. What the AIA can do, however, is be more responsive to the growing demand for recognition of specialized capabilities. Absent action on the part of the AIA, we now have a host of non-AIA entities servicing that demand. ACHA, CSI, CEFPI, the US Green Building Council and DBIA, have each carved out a piece of architectural practice to represent. The net result has been a weakening of the AIA’s voice within the profession and, worse, the potential for a fractured profession through exclusiveness.

As addressed in our most recent AIA Board meeting, the Institute must first undertake a study to fully analyze the dynamics of specialization and specialty credentialing. Second, we must define the appropriate role of the AIA in this process. At the very least, we need a system that recognizes specialized practice, offers specialty credentials and implements educational programs that allow younger, less experienced practitioners to enter new markets.

I have previously advocated the creation of the AIA Center for Professional Excellence that would, in part, provide the framework for governing specialty credentialing.

Too often, practitioners fail to fully appreciate the responsibility they have toward the interns they employ. An important part of that responsibility is support and encouragement to achieve licensure. At our firm, supporting our interns is not just an investment in their future, but in ours as well. Our firm’s future leaders will come from the ranks of the recent graduates we currently employ. We have a stake in their professional capabilities and credentials.

Like many firms, we financially support study programs, we reimburse the cost of the exam and provide a salary increase to those who pass. More importantly, we stress the value of licensure within the culture of our firm and celebrate when one of our own obtains a license. The cost to the firm, in our view, is minimal. I would encourage more firms to do the same. TOP

TREASURER CANDIDATE’S RESPONSE
James A. Gatsch, FAIA
1. The issue of how architects can work at the local level to educate elected officials and the community about the critical services architects provide is one of the greatest challenges facing the profession today. Increasing the public’s understanding about what architects do, the value of good architecture, and yes, the role we play in ensuring their health, safety and welfare should be one of our highest priorities.

We have a clothing store in New Jersey which advertises that “an educated consumer is our best customer.” Just think how different our practices would be if our clients had a better understanding of design and the design process; or the beneficial impact quality design could have on their business; or the quality of life issues associated with creating more livable communities. The surest way to improve the quality of our built environment (and perhaps avoid the recent fire related tragedies) is for the marketplace to demand more from those responsible for creating it. Unfortunately, as long as there is marketplace demand for sprawl or for the careless destruction of our historic resources or for projects executed without our special expertise in HSW, there will be firms that will respond to that demand accordingly.

The AIA is already helping the public become better informed, more demanding, and better customers via our national advertising campaign and through our continued support of the American Architectural Foundation’s work with K-12 educators. In addition, some firms which specialize in designing and renovating schools seek to interact with the students to explain what they’re doing, and why. And why couldn’t AIA components adopt a school district and begin design orientation courses?

2. Whether vertical or horizontal, specialization responds to two issues; professional interest and market advantage. But, for whatever reason it is sought, it should be a tiering up process. The school specialists mentioned above are licensed architects first and school specialists second. As your first question stresses, architects play a pivotal role in protecting the public’s health, safety and welfare, and therefore, it is in society’s interest for professionals to achieve a minimum level of competency (as represented by passage of the ARE) prior to becoming specialized Specialization and certification are not necessarily required to meet a clients’ needs, but if appropriately created and administered, by the AIA and others, the focus it represents can be a benefit in our ever increasingly complex practice environment.

3. It is every architect’s and architectural firm’s responsibility to continue a graduate-architects education as they move from graduation through internship to licensure. We must also encourage them to complete the ARE, and once licensed facilitate their continuing education.

In one of the exam’s previous formats it was offered in two parts with each part offered once a year. In an effort to make the exam more accessible, NCARB now allows each candidate to schedule each section when convenient and the number of registrants has dropped. Seemingly by making the exam more convenient, NCARB may have created a disincentive for candidates to start and complete it. Hopefully this is only the result of the format change and with the encouragement from their employers, graduates will once again aggressively pursue licensure. TOP

Visit the NAC Web site.