Small Project Design

Dues for any organization may seem exorbitant when times are hard but as an active member of AIA I receive value for my money.  I pay half the AIA price in dues membership to several other organizations each year that do not benefit me they way AIA has.  I do not like the price and as a firm owner who pays for each of my employees to be members, it really hurts my bottom line and is a struggle each January.  That said, I gladly pay for AIA.  On the other hand, NCARB is a waste of my money.  They are nothing more than a file cabinet with outrageous fees offering little value.  I hold them responsible for discouraging so many of our architectural graduates from getting their licenses.  To pay money as an intern to keep IDP records and then putting a time frame on how long the data is good and then charging a very high fee to take the test is a huge block to encouraging more women and minorities to get their license.  NCARB should be reigned in and made to benefit our profession not just exist as a money grubbing organization that offers little if any value. We need to refocus our attention and revamp NCARB.

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Ronnette Riley, FAIA
LEED Accredited Professional

Ronnette Riley Architect
Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue # 7401
New York, NY 10118
212-594-4015
f. 212-594-2868

www.ronnetteriley.com
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In 2010 - a time when the architecture profession was burning - NCARB saw fit to raise their registration fee from $675.00 to $1,500.00 - Over 200%!  They had just moved into a high-end LEED certified facility in expensive Washington DC.  Their staff makes more than the average architect with commensurate experience.  They are a for-profit entity  Their board has a generous package (aprox. $20K per board member) to come to meetings in Washington.  

It cost me $2,130.00 to get my reciprocity in Iowa - four times what it cost me to get my original license 15 years prior!!  This for-profit entity has a monopoly on reciprocity as their ore no other options for many seeking reciprocity!  How the AIA could let this happen is beyond me!  In 2011, I did not renew my AIA membership (for the first time in 18 years)  I told the AIA that there is only so much money to aroundd and NCARB got all of it that year!

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Edward Shannon AIA
Des Moines IA
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