Housing and Community Development

The issue of non-licensed designers providing architectural services for home owners in and of itself seems harmless, but there in lies the rub.  Non-licensed designers have and continue to undermine the integrity and expense of a professional license.  I think that architects in general are less motivated by ego and more by providing  professional design services that are a result of years of training and financial investment.  Non-licensed designers threaten that investment especially for small practitioners who have seen their share of the market dwindle substantially thru this economic downturn.

Like any good licensed financial planner, they take care to make sure their client's investment is protected through diversification and continues to thrive, even in down markets.  Architects need to take the same care and protect their investment (professional license).  Licensed architects not only "bring more to the construction and design table" but provide a level of professional circumspection as a direct result of their training and license. In the end, the client has to believe that the licensed architect versus the non-licensed designer, not only provides more value, but ultimately is a better return on their investment (ROI) in the long run. 

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Paul Bourbeau AIA
Director of Architecture and Design
Brady Sullivan Properties
Rye NH
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Thanks Paul, you hit the nail on the head.  But to take it further, the non-licensed person can't possibly do as good a job as those with architectural degrees, who have studied for and passed the grueling ARE, obtained a decade+ of outstanding performance to allow them to be certified by NCARB, worked on commercial and residential projects, obtained state licensure in at least one state, possibly more, worked as an apprentice for years under the watchful eyes of seasoned licensed architects, being corrected when making errors, so that we don't do those things again and taking nearly continuous CEUs.  Unlicensed people don't have those qualifications and can't, so it really ticks me off when people who are not licensed say that have the same background as a licensed person.  Impossible.  And misleading to an unknowing public, who is already confused about what an architect is. 

Which is why my efforts in CRAN are solely to help us obtain cashflows to economically support CRAN public awareness programs, making them aware that we licensed, REAL architects exist that will design their homes and that there are good reasons for them to consider having an architect design their home.

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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Home Architects
Cashiers NC
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