NCARB 2015 ANNUAL REPORT

Embracing Opportunities

Second Vice President

Margo P. Jones, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

By ninth grade, I knew I wanted to be an architect. I was very fortunate to live in a town with several practitioners, a number of whom were women. I was also very lucky to have a terrific mentor who helped me achieve licensure.

 

But earning my license was just one step on a long and satisfying journey. As second vice president, I wanted to help make licensure more accessible—not just for women and minorities, but for professionals with diverse experiences and perspectives. Now, a whole new generation of architects is learning that NCARB is a resource they can turn to for the same kind of career support.  I was pleased to be part of the ongoing dialogue with our Education Committee regarding education requirements, and to be actively engaged in our Executive Committee’s deliberations regarding simplification of NCARB fees.

 

While best known for guiding emerging professionals, NCARB implemented a number of initiatives for the architect community in FY15. Collaboration was key in many of these endeavors, from establishing international partnerships and enhancing continuing education to advancing the dialogue on diversity in the profession.

I was thrilled to be part of the NCARB delegation at the 2014 International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress in Durban, South Africa. By sharing best practices across borders—both domestically and internationally—we can continue to improve the licensure process. During NCARB's Committee Summit, AIA First President Russell Davidson and I exchanged how each organization encourages volunteer participation. For example, to help guide volunteers, I worked with Member Board Executives to update the New Member Board Members Handbook.

 

Success comes from the courage to champion new ideas. NCARB embodies that same spirit of innovation and is constantly applying it to develop professional advantages for all architects. Working together, we can make sure our buildings are safe, that laws are fairly enforced, and that doors are opened to all qualified candidates.

Second Vice President Margo P. Jones, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Revitalizing the NCARB Certificate

The NCARB Certificate is a great asset to architects, allowing them the freedom to pursue work opportunities in multiple U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions. To facilitate certification for foreign architects, NCARB developed a simplified alternative to the Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect (BEFA) Program. The change will remove unnecessary financial and administrative impediments and refocus on the nationally accepted standards for licensure. This will present licensed foreign architects with a new avenue for gaining the Certificate and expanding their career options.

 

“Our Certificate program has been the backbone of our  stability. It represents why we were created—to facilitate mobility across jurisdictional boundaries, and now, international borders. But we can go further, with this program and for our Certificate holders.”

—NCARB Vice President Dennis S. Ward, AIA, NCARB

At the Annual Business Meeting in June, Member Board Delegates voted on whether to discontinue the Broadly Experienced Architect (BEA) Program and replace it with alternative education and experience requirements for certification. With the membership split on how the BEA should be remodeled, this initial resolution did not pass. Plans are now underway to introduce a remodeled BEA alternative next year that captures the blend of rigor and inclusion that will be more acceptable to a majority of our members.

 

Mini-Monographs Offer Big Benefits

@amalanow

Yay! I’m now a licensed architect in two states! My @NCARB certificate made getting reciprocity super easy!

In most jurisdictions, architects must complete continuing education hours (CEH) to renew their license and keep their professional skills up-to-date. In February, NCARB took a huge step forward in providing architects with a more accessible and cost-effective means of earning CE hours by relaunching a new and improved Monograph Series.

Partnering with AEC Daily—a well-known continuing education provider—NCARB is updating its Monograph Series so architects can accumulate their CEHs in Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) more easily—and at no cost! All digital mini-monographs and hard-copy monographs are now free for NCARB Certificate holders and active intern Record holders. Beginning in February, new mini-monograph titles were released on a monthly basis to allow for greater flexibility in satisfying annual CEH requirements.

The Architect Licensing Advisors Community

This newly rebranded Licensing Advisors Summit (formerly known as the Intern Development Program Coordinators Conference) brings together volunteers from across the country for open dialogue on the latest licensure issues. Advisors rely on this annual event for the latest information needed to confidently guide the next generation of architects. In August 2014, nearly 200 educators, supervisors, and students met in Miami to share best practices, explore timely topics, and receive program updates.

NCARB by the Numbers

The 2015 NCARB by the Numbers—our annual data report on licensure and the profession—revealed positive trends across the entire architectural community. This year’s edition provides greater transparency into the path to licensure, including a dashboard of comparative statistics on each of the 54 U.S. jurisdictions. The 2014 data showed progress in several key areas:

NCARB by the Numbers

Download NCARB by the Numbers

“The report’s findings also help validate NCARB and its work with licensing boards to open doors of opportunity for qualified people in the architecture profession—without sacrificing the rigor needed to ensure public health, safety, and welfare.”

— NCARB CEO Michael Armstrong

Photo courtesy of AIAPA.org

“Recognizing that our role goes far beyond IDP, coordinators will now be known as architect licensing advisors. The change in title emphasizes licensure and appropriately reflects the expanded role that we play in the overall process.”

— Pennsylvania Architect Licensing Advisor

— Sean Sheffler, AIA, LEED AP

NCARB Live: Women in Architecture

In FY15, two episodes of our bi-monthly webinar series, NCARB Live, examined the topic of women in architecture. Hosted in September 2014 and March 2015, each episode featured an all-female panel consisting of NCARB leadership and industry experts, who offered their advice and insight on the state of women in the profession.

Everything from finding a mentor to handling sexism on construction sites was explored during the chats. Both hour-long episodes closed with a Q&A session with the audiences. The series was well received, with hundreds of professionals tuning in each time to hear our thought leaders discuss this important topic and share their unique experiences.

 

NCARB Live: Women in Architecture Part I

NCARB Live: Women in Architecture Part II

The NCARB Award

The NCARB Award is presented annually to recognize innovations in architecture education. Programs are awarded based on their success in bridging the gap between practice and education, as well as their long-term impact on students, faculty, and curriculum. In 2014, NCARB awarded over $50,000 to the following schools for their educational advancements:

Clemson University,
School of Architecture—Clemson, SC

“Graduate Program in Architecture + Health”

This program advanced health care facility design through collaboration
among architects, academia, and members of the health care industry.
“This project’s social capacity is far-reaching. It creates a road map for health
care but is also a framework that is portable across all project types,”
said 2014 NCARB Award Jury Chair Wendy Ornelas, FAIA.

“Student-Practitioner Partnerships in Building Performance Evaluation”

This program created opportunities for architecture students to improve the environmental performance of buildings through measurement. “This program will provide us with a cadre of information and data on whether or not these buildings are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” said Ornelas.

 

Parsons The New School for Design,
School of Constructed Environments—New York, NY

@druizmallon

#WomenInArch @NCARB Great conversation. The need to

position ourselves in the right place [is] a continuous path of

learning and confidence.

 

Licensure Across Borders

NCARB worked diligently on behalf of its member jurisdictions to connect with the architecture profession on a global scale. At the 2014 International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress in Durban, South Africa, we began discussions with the Conselho de Arquitetura e Urbanismo do Brasil (CAU/BR). This new relationship will open up the exchange of information, standards, and best practices between the U.S. and Brazilian architectural regulatory bodies to better protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

“NCARB is pleased to be able to advise Brazil on how to strengthen and solidify its regulatory approach governing architects. We are also excited to learn from Brazil’s activities, including its effective national system of monitoring various aspects of architectural practice.”

—NCARB President Dale McKinney, FAIA, NCARB

NCARB also signed the Tri-National Mutual Recognition Agreement with the architectural authorities of Canada and Mexico. The agreement allows for an architect’s credentials to be recognized throughout North America, creating additional work opportunities across borders.