Ranjit (Randy) Dhar, FRAIC, Hon. FAIA

by Heather Livingston
Contributing Editor

Summary: Randy Dhar is the 2009-2010 president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). He has served on the RAIC Board of Directors since 2003. Dhar also has served the AIA as chairman of the Design-Build Knowledge Community in 2001 and 2002 and vice-chair of the Academy of Architecture for Justice in 2006. In addition, he is the co-author of The Architects Guide to Design-Build Services. Here, Dhar discusses his agenda for RAIC during his tenure as president.

Background
I did my BArch (Hons.) degree in architecture from IIT, India, and masters from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I was born in India and had a short teaching and practice career there. I have spent most of my professional life in Canada and the U.S.

Where are you employed?
I’m a senior project manager of architecture/engineering services with the Public Works and Government Services of Canada. PWGSC is the same as the U.S. GSA. We are much smaller in size, but have the same scope.

What do you hope to achieve for RAIC members during your year as president?

1. Increasing membership: Until 1984 we had a system in place that anyone licensed in any province became a member of the RAIC automatically. Now it has become optional. We have a little over 10,000 architects in Canada, but our total membership is considerably less than that for the RAIC at approximately 4,000, so increasing the membership base is a major initiative. It has increased over the last year or so and we have to increase that even farther.
2. Working together—and I emphasize together—with our component organizations, which are the provincial licensing boards: There are 10 provinces and one territory, for a total of 11 licensing organizations. They administer the licensing and regulations in each province, unlike in the United States where the state issues the license. We would like to work even more collaboratively than we have been in the last few years to improve the reciprocity of the continuing education requirement through RAIC.
3. Improving diversity: Marshall Purnell, the immediate past AIA president, was here in Montreal a few weeks ago and has become very close friends with RAIC. Our diversity issue is similar to the United States’ because we have people from all over the world in our profession, and we are trying to bring in more students. We give them free membership after their graduation for the first year, and that is increasing our student complement considerably. We also want to bring more minority groups and women in architecture. It was pointed out the other day that in the last 11 years, four women presidents of RAIC have taken office and two of them were born outside Canada. It has never happened in any other country that in a short period of time four female architects became president of the national organization. The number of women entering the architecture schools and the profession is increasing considerably. I am the first South-Asian, albeit the first Indo-Canadian President of the RAIC. This demonstrates that plurality in Canadian social fabric is vibrant.
4. Securing champions for the profession: We’re also trying to take a page from the AIA. The AIA has been extremely successful in getting champions of the architecture professions at the political and society level over the years. We lack very much in that regard and would like to explore that possibility so that not only do architects talk about architecture, but people in society who have an influence speak for the profession.
5. Improve international relationships: The AIA is the strongest international relationship we have which will continue undoubtedly because the practice is quite similar in both countries. We would like to advance working with the International Union of Architects, the Architects Council of Europe, and APEC, which is the 21 member economies in the South Pacific areas. We have established a good working relationship with Australia. We are trying to develop a better working relationship with RIBA because our heritage is such that many of the pioneers in this country came with that background, and we are trying to reestablish that. The international relationship is an important area where RAIC, given our limited resources, is working and we will try to improve that.

What design issues are concerning your members?
Environmental issues. The AIA already has adopted the 2030 Commitment, as have many other organizations. The LEED certification of renovated and new buildings is becoming commonplace. That is one area the whole profession is working towards, particularly the younger architects.

Other issues of importance are the impact of technology and the impact of information technology altering production and construction. BIM has impacted the U.S.A. in a big way. It is impacting our profession as well, and we are offering courses for that. In the United States, the GSA is making it mandatory for the consultants they hire to be conversant with that technology and use that for production. In Canada, some of the contractors are getting into that and some of the architects likewise.

Right now, amongst the challenges is the economy. The downturn has affected our profession, though not as much as it has affected the United States. There have been some layoffs, but many firms are keeping in touch with people who are on the surplus list so that when things turn around, they are brought back because they have invested in training these young people. That definitely is a major challenge.

Has the economy begun to show signs of recovery yet in Canada?
Very slowly, yes, because at all levels of governments there are incentive programs for infrastructure. There’s a lot of infrastructure work under way, so that certainly is helping. The government still expects that within the next couple of years things will turn around. There are signs of turning around already.

In what areas do you think the RAIC and AIA should work more collaboratively?

1. 2030 environmental agenda
2. Integrated project delivery and alternative delivery methods
3. Intern Development Program
4. Canada has been using the Architects Registration Examination (ARE) for many years and will continue to keep that option open for architects, however, Canada has introduced a new Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) since last year; discussions with the AIA and NCARB will continue to explore recognition of the ExAC in the USA
5. RAIC and AIA could explore recognition of International Architects as full members instead of Associate members
6. Integration of internationally trained architects through the BEFA (Broadly Experienced Foreign Architects) system.