Small Project Design

How many of you have gone on job listing websites and clicked on "Architects" only to come up with "IT High Tech/Internet Software Designer - Architect" listings"? How do you feel about that? Has our title been hi-jacked? Should AIA address this?

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Sally Anne Smith AIA
Smith Architectural Studio
Carmel CA
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Over the past few years there have been numerous discussions on various Linked-In groups regarding this.  Here is a quick synopsis of what I have found.

Most architects are upset by this emerging trend.  We all remember when we were "interns" and couldn't call ourselves architects.  Out of reverence for our state title/practice acts, we all refrained from calling ourselves architects.  Now somebody else comes along using our earned professional title cavalierly.  Some find this to be the ultimate commitment.  But, most are upset.

The AIA has looked into this.  I have seen two position statements that address this.  While this is really a state licensure issues, according to the AIA it is perfectly legal for these industries to use the word "architect" in their title.  Using the title architect without a licenses is only illegal when  it is related to providing building design services.

The AIA also feels a lawsuit would be futile as the court's and public's perception is that the term architect is generic, akin to "lawn doctor". 

So what is the profession to do?  Here is but one idea. 

We could follow in the footsteps of the engineering profession.  They realized that the term "engineer" was generic and adopted "Professional Engineer" as their title.  Would there be any harm in the architecture profession adopting "Professional Architect", with a unique suffix, such as "P. Arc." As Physician Assistants already use "PA"?

Many respondents in the Linked-In forums claim that the architecture profession already has "RA".  Yet this is not officially sanctioned by the architecture profession.  Furthermore, it does not suffice for those practicing in states (such as Illinois) which have Practice Acts (instead of title acts) and use the language "Licensed Architect".

Some have responded that we already have "AIA".  Yet, this is not actually a professional title, but an indication that one is the member of a professional society.  Currently less than half of all licensed/registered architects are AIA members.  So, this hardly seems appropriate.  Moreover, there are other professional societies and suffixes, such as ALA, and NCARB.  Use of these suffixes, combined with the trend of using "RA" only breeds confusion.  AIA, RA, NCARB, ALA, which is it?

A universally sanctioned title with a suffix could help distinguish us architects from all the others currently using our title.

I have provided one idea.  It did not originate with me.  Given the AIA's position on our title, I would be interested in any other solutions to this dilemma we face.   

Here is a link to the AIA's position.

http://www.aiane.org/newsletters/2010Jul23/IP-Term-of-Architect-2010-06-30.pdf

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Edward Shannon AIA
Waterloo IA
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I'm much more concerned that the general public seems to take 'LEED' after your name more seriously than 'AIA'-  Thanks a bunch USGBC!  

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John Onken Intl. Assoc. AIA
Director
John Onken Architects Limited
Menlo Park CA
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I share John Onken's concern about LEED verses Architect. Many of us have jumped on the LEED bandwagon and seem to exhibit pride in the additional initials after our names. It is a shame that the AIA did not develop the LEED framework ahead of USGBC so now the AIA cannot share in the program's successful public relations and awareness, qualitative and quantitative facets, as well as its income stream. More to the point, I am wary of LEED's success since it seems to come at the expense of the architecture profession, or at least the AIA. Some might say LEED strengthens architect's professional credentials and this may be true to a point. (Isn't it still unclear that LEED works and that this is the basis of a lawsuit working its way through the courts?) But, from my experience, architects in general are seen increasingly as gatekeepers, code enforcers and part of an expensive municipal approval system. Given LEED's success, I don't know how the AIA can sieze the initiative in this area. 
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Daniel Alter AIA
Daniel Alter Architect PLLC
Brooklyn NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2011 00:17
From: John Onken
Subject: ARCHITECT

I'm much more concerned that the general public seems to take 'LEED' after your name more seriously than 'AIA'-  Thanks a bunch USGBC!  

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John Onken Intl. Assoc. AIA
Director
John Onken Architects Limited
Menlo Park CA
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I, too, have been frustrated by the IT intrusion into our domain with terms such as 'systems architecture'. In refernece to your question I sit on the Ohio Architects Board and we looked into this very issue several years ago. We are the architectural licensing authority of the State.
Our discussion also included legal counsel from the State Attorney General's Office. We reluctantly concluded that we could not win the argument that a licensed architect is the only person that can use the term 'architect'. We do have a title law and a practice law that regulates the practice (and naming) of what we, as architects, do. However, even our own IT people within state government were using terms like 'software architect' and 'information architect'. It's a very popular term and so many people are using it we simply couldn't reverse the tide.
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Stephen Sharp AIA
McCall Sharp Architecture
Springfield OH
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I'm interested to know how your state attorney general thought you could continue to investigate and fine those who break the professional practice act at all. How did he justify the selective enforcement of the law?

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Sean Catherall, AIA
Herriman UT
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2011 09:44
From: Stephen Sharp
Subject: ARCHITECT


I, too, have been frustrated by the IT intrusion into our domain with terms such as 'systems architecture'. In refernece to your question I sit on the Ohio Architects Board and we looked into this very issue several years ago. We are the architectural licensing authority of the State.
Our discussion also included legal counsel from the State Attorney General's Office. We reluctantly concluded that we could not win the argument that a licensed architect is the only person that can use the term 'architect'. We do have a title law and a practice law that regulates the practice (and naming) of what we, as architects, do. However, even our own IT people within state government were using terms like 'software architect' and 'information architect'. It's a very popular term and so many people are using it we simply couldn't reverse the tide.
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Stephen Sharp AIA
McCall Sharp Architecture
Springfield OH
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In one sense the use of the term 'architect' would seem to be an appropriation of title.  In another it may be seen as a measure of esteem by those who would wish to have it for themselves.

No one thinks Dr. Pepper is a physician.  I say let it ride and keep our eyes on fulfilling our professional responsibilities.  Our only due will be as earned from our steadfastness in this regard.


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Craig Hunt AIA, LEED AP
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After watching many States lose more than 50% of their Architects, it's understandable that we fear the possibility that the profession is teetering on losing all relevance in this society. In 2008 GA had over 12,000 Architects and today we're closer to 5,500. America already despises creativity with a passion, yet everyone wants to claim to be the genius behind the great idea. As Costanza once said, "I always wanted to pretend I was an Architect." How else can you explain a money-o-centric society paying all creative job types much less than those requiring little to no creativity? Art & Music are the first on the chopping block when it comes to education cuts. We have a culture that hates culture. Sales is clearly the most important, so we need to be associated with improving sales. This is why I design unique spec houses a part of my services. I have a recognized sales history that has brought builders to me because I have them believing good design=good sales. We need many of us proving this point to society, yet we typically run from spec houses, which are the only buildings affordable to regular people that also create an instant sales history.

Why wouldn't we be scared of the title Architect morphing into a new job title for a software programmer. After all, we were just the head mason when our title was originally conceived by the ancient Greeks. Wood framed structures grossly outnumbered masonry structures through out time. The masonry just lasted longer for us to see. There was no master builder. A head mason didn't design wood buildings, the majority of buildings, so how can they be a master builder?

We are at a curious turning point in the history of this profession. We could slip into irrelevance and be replaced by engineers, self proclaimed designers, and cheesy 3D shareware. We could find a new avenue, a new strategy to not only increase our numbers, but our worth in society. If we continue to ignore the residential sector with the majority of buildings being built, we will surely continue to flounder as a profession. Popular opinion, a perceived need in society, etc. can only be achieved by actually working for the majority of people, yet we choose to limit our services to 3% of society. We need to find it within ourselves to rethink why Architects just 50-100 years ago could get buildings built without the paranoia of over documenting, over working ourselves, and ultimately spending much less time on site. Back then, many components were fabricated on site, from scratch. Today our buildings are mostly made of easy to install prepackaged products, which should make our lives easier too, yet here we are getting worked more. The GA capitol building in Atlanta was built with 4 sheets of paper! When I read about people using AIA contracts on a bath room addition, I think about how out of touch we have become. There is a certain amount of professionalism required when dealing with the owners of large, expensive buildings. There is a certain level of casual that's far more appropriate for the bathroom addition. We have just grown accustom to doing business with a very small and specific group of wealthy clientele and I'm urging everyone to consider how you can offer affordable services to a larger sector. Don't devalue yourself, just limit your services appropriately for the smaller project to lower your fee. A bath room addition doesn't need a spec book and if you think you're protecting yourself by producing more and more documents, that's just what the lawyers for the other side want to hear. Giving a lawyer more information to sift through has never helped anyone.

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Eric Rawlings AIA
Owner
Rawlings Design, Inc.
Decatur GA
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2011 10:42
From: Craig Hunt
Subject: ARCHITECT


In one sense the use of the term 'architect' would seem to be an appropriation of title.  In another it may be seen as a measure of esteem by those who would wish to have it for themselves.

No one thinks Dr. Pepper is a physician.  I say let it ride and keep our eyes on fulfilling our professional responsibilities.  Our only due will be as earned from our steadfastness in this regard.


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Craig Hunt AIA, LEED AP
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Not this subject again.........

Look,the designation has been in use by the computer industry since the early 1960's. The earliest reference I've come across is from the book "IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems" by Emerson W. Pugh, Lyle R. Johnson and John H. Palmer. 

The phrase Computer Architecture appears to have been coined by Fred Brooks, an engineer for IBM. He was managing the development of a new mainframe product line, and was looking for a way to adequately describe the complexities of designing the human/machine/software/circuitry interface. From the book....

    "The principal initial objective of Brook's design department was to establish an NPL (New Product Line) "Architecture", a word he had recognized during his 1959-1960 sojourn in Research as one that might be useful for distinguishing overt (user-related) aspects of a computer's design from the inescapable welter of design detail. When he joined DSD in 1960, he sharpened the term and used it to characterize aspects of his work with Blaauw on the 800 series. Later, before working on NPL., he defined the term as follows:

" Computer architecture, like other architecture, is the art of determining the needs of the user of a structure and then designing to meet those needs as effectively as possible within economic and technological constraints. Architecture must include engineering considerations, so that the design will be economical and feasible; but the emphasis in architecture is upon the needs of the user, whereas in engineering the emphasis is upon the needs of the fabricator." "

Like it or not, the use of the term architect or architecture is well entrenched in another industry. The AIA or any state board in not likely to completely wrest it back. If it is to be a fully restricted/protected title, it therefore needs to be done so in a way that recognizes an attachment with the construction industry.

Perhaps Building Architect, Architector ( a nod to the Realitors...), Building Designers?.........

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Rudy Beuc III AIA
Architect
R. Beuc Architects
Saint Louis MO
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