Re: Re: Architect Registration

Paul I don’t know who you know of who’s taking the entrance assessment, but you seem sucked in by the glories of academic qualification.
You, like many whose parents have paid a fortune for their education and may feel a bit aggrieved, seem to miss the point.

Let’s look back on where your own profession arose from the tradition of master builders and Victorian Engineers.
Even their failures were glorious failures, and pushed the borders of man’s knowledge and achievements.
Their apprenticed means of education produced many fine feats of engineering still with us today.

For example, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel

“The son of the eminent engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and Sophia Kingdom Brunel, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born on 9 April 1806 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, where his father was working on block-making machinery.[4][5] He had two older sisters, Sophia and Emma, and the whole family moved to London in 1808 for his father’s work. Brunel had a happy childhood, despite the family’s constant money worries, with his father acting as his teacher during his early years. His father taught him drawing and observational techniques from the age of four and Brunel had learned Euclidean geometry by eight. During this time he also learned fluent French and the basic principles of engineering. He was encouraged to draw interesting buildings and identify any faults in their structure”

Accordingly to John Graby, the Registrar, when I put a similar point to him about Michael Scott, he confirmed he sat the RIAI entrance examination and was admitted into the ranks of its members.
Admittedly Scott is on record as “distrusting anyone with letters after their name” and apparently he was badgered into sitting a special exam.

No everyone takes the same path in life.
I believe there is an onus us to be inclusive and recognise all those who are persistent and have ability and reach a certain standard.

Some can, and do.
Some cannot and teach.
Some whinge and complain and fall away and achieve nothing.
Some struggle to achieve their qualification through five and more years of 3rd Level work.
Some start indentured servitude to those who can and work their way up the ladder to competence.

The current position in Architecture is that several routes exist to membership for those who are willing to stand up and be assessed.
There is broad agreement among many of those wishing to practice as architects that such an assessment is a Good Thing.

– There are disagreements with the RIAI’s elevation to the position of competent authority.
– There are disagreements over the perceived difference in standards now and previously.
– There is a huge concern over the high cost of some routes to becoming assessed.

There is a small group of people who believe that they should be allowed entry to the profession without any assessment whatsoever.
This small group is at the core of a larger group within which it buries itself with the aim that “all go through or none go through”.
This small group has as a core principle the unseating of the Registrar and the undermining of the competent authority.
Some members of the larger group have decided to stand up and be assessed and some have already been admitted.

As Teak has said, this is a much more complex situation than at might appear and there are many shades of gray.

Thus,

• I am actively working to try to get to overall cost of assessment reduced to reflect people’s ability to pay.
• I support any persons right to stand forward for assessment to become registered as an architect.
• I denounce anyone who, as a matter of principle, seeks to undermine the competent authority.

As I posted before,

• I am FOR Assessment.
• I am FOR Registration.
• I am FOR Regulation of the provision of services.

The last thing we need are incompetents practicing as architects in Ireland.
That might have implications for some current RIAI Members.
But that’s another day’s work.

ONQ.