AIA, KIA Renew Friendship Accord

AIA President Kate Schwennsen, FAIA, signed the first renewal of the AIA-Korean Institute of Architects Accord on Professionalism in Architecture on November 13, in Seoul, with her Korean counterpart, Byun Yong, Hon. FAIA. The accord, first signed by then-AIA President John D. Anderson, FAIA, in 2001, has intensified the pace and range of interactions between the two associations. It is a friendship and cooperation agreement, not an agreement for mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The KIA has studied the organization of architecture in the U.S., including the roles of the AIA and the other collateral organizations, to help them devise a new system for their own. Accordingly, their Architects Act will be revised to create a new registration system effective on January 1, 2008. Accreditation and registration agencies are under development, and the AIA Continuing Education System is serving as a model for the development of the Korean continuing professional development program.