Good Morning Edward,
You raise valid concerns. There is nothing we can do to stop any other organization from creating and issuing questionable "certifications" for anyone to do anything that is not regulated by each state's laws. However, what we can do, is to help develop programs and revenue streams to fund public awareness programs that help to do 2 things:
1. Make the public aware that licensed, real architects exist that can and will design their homes.
2. That there are good reasons why someone might want to consider having an architect design their home.
Those are my main goals in working with you (ArCH) and with CRAN. My suggestion is that any of us that have such concerns help develop methods to deal with them as effectively as you can.
WE are the AIA and ArCH. Come on in and continue making your case and likely a subcommittee will be formed to deal with these issues, with you at the forefront.
Personally, I don't see what good it would be to work with the NAHB to help them develop any sort of certification program for residential designers. All that would do, in my opinion, would be to help them marginalize what real architects do. I would prefer that No such program be developed by anyone else, but don't know what could be done to curtail such efforts at this point in time and under current laws. Sort of like a program developed in another country to certify "Health Care Certified Provider," rather than a real doctor. If anything, such programs reduce the quality of services, while exposing the public to less qualified people who are not professionals.
State laws governing our profession of architecture have at their root: "To protect the Health, Safety and Welfare of the public." While you and others, and even the AIA could attempt to contact the Boards of Architecture in all 50 states and alert them to such efforts, they would likely respond that housing design is not at presently regulated and therefore they would likely do nothing.
However, making a case that housing design Should be regulated is an entirely different matter and a bold one. I would support such an effort, but the results of that challenge would be unknown. That would be fought, tooth and nail, by those who are not licensed architects and the possibly questionable organizations to which they belong. However, the laws governing such are at the state level. Waging a war on 50 fronts is something huge to undertake. Would you have any thoughts to suggest as to how such an effort would be handled? Seriously, this is a good fight and you raise a good argument. Let's hear how to handle it...
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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Home Architects
Cashiers NC
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