Saturday, July 18, 2009

RIAI, AAI, IAF...

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There are ostensibly three architectural organisations in Ireland, the RIAI, the AAI and the IAF.

In their own words:

The RIAI,
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, founded in 1839, is the representative body for professionally qualified architects in Ireland.
The objects of the RIAI are the advancement of Architecture and the associated Arts and Sciences, the promotion of high standards of professional conduct and practice and the protection of the interests of architectural training and education.


The AAI
The Architectural Association of Ireland was founded in 1896 ‘to promote and afford facilities for the study of architecture and the allied sciences and arts, and to provide a medium of friendly communication between members and others interested in the progress of architecture’.


The new kid on the block is the Irish Architectural Foundation
Established in 2005, the IAF is all about promoting a better built environment for everyone’s benefit. We strive for an Ireland in which the importance of architecture is widely acknowledged, and in which people are able to relate to and influence the built world around them, and where high standards of architectural design are appreciated by all.


A loose synopsis is that the RIAI represents its members and the promotion of architecture generally, the AAI promotes education for architects and discussion mainly amongst architects, and the IAF promotes architecture for non-architects.

With the recent change in legislation, the title Architect is protected. The RIAI maintains the Register of Architects™, or at least will do when it is set up. The question is will the RIAI then represent only its members, or also those who choose to join the Register only? If they decide to represent only the RIAI members, who will represent those on the Register who are not members?

There are three organisations, and my feeling is that such a small country does not need another, but there are currently areas which are not being covered by anyone. I think that the RIAI needs to look hard at its role now that it has finally 'got' registration, and what that in turn means for its stated role as the "representative body for professionally qualified architects".

The recent and very successful Now What? initiative in Richview highlights how slow to react long established organisations are.

What do you suggest the RIAI could do at this time that would be useful to struggling architects? Is there anything you would suggest that they do differently? What do you think their role is? Leave a comment...

1 comment:

  1. The RIAR seemed to have changed their level of entry without justification. In this regard they appear not to recognize experience as the "primary" qualification (without going through a serious of exams and interviews which would not be economical to 'architects' with their own Practices) but would sooner give membership to freshly qualified persons without any knowledge of the working office / environment - this takes as least 5 years from my experience as an employer.

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