Architecture columns : the newsletter of the NC Board of Architecture [2003 : spring]

Spring 2003 Newsletter NC BOARD OF ARCHITECTURE President's Message In addition to my role as president of your Board, I'm also serving as chair of NCARB's Reciprocity Impediments Task Force. This committee has been reviewing impediments to reciprocity within each of NCARB's fifty-five jurisdictions, with the goal of eliminating impediments for reciprocity for individuals who have been certified by NCARB and who have what is commonly referred to as NCARB's Blue Cover. NCARB's ultimate goal is for NCARB certificate holders to be able to receive reciprocal registration in any of the fifty-five jurisdictions with minimal effort and in a timely manner. Our Task Force has defined impediments to individual reciprocity "as any requirement or delay imposed upon an NCARB- certified architect beyond presentation of the certificate". Examples of impediments include the following: • Jurisdictions that look behind the Blue Cover, including re¬ verifying items in your certificate that you've already answered, or asking you for additional information not covered in your NCARB records. • Jurisdictions that require an NAAB (professional) degree prior to 1984, which was the date that NCARB adopted the NAAB degree requirement. North Carolina does not have such a requirement. • Jurisdictions that require you to take special technical examinations in addition to passing the Architectural Registration Examination. • Jurisdictions that require you to take special examinations on jurisdictional laws and rules. In North Carolina, we require you to certify that you have read the architectural rules and regulations, but there is no test. • Jurisdictions that require you to appear before their board for a personal interview even though you have a Blue Cover. • Jurisdictions that don't accept another jurisdictions' continuing education requirements. North Carolina accepts, without conditions, another jurisdiction's requirements if that jurisdiction accepts ours. • Jurisdictions that take longer than 15 days after receipt of your completed application and NCARB records for approval of your license. In North Carolina, Cathe Evans, our Executive Director, has the delegated authority to issue reciprocal licenses for NCARB -certified architects so that there is no delay until the next Board meeting. Turn-around time is usually under 15 days once all documentation is received. • Jurisdictions that don't allow you to market architectural services or enter design competitions without first being licensed in that jurisdiction. Of the above, North Carolina's only impediment to reciprocity is the last item cited, and the Board is in the process of discussing howto remove this impediment. North Carolina recently began a rulemaking process that may reduce or eliminate that impediment. Once implemented, I hope that we will only require that the architect be NCARB-certified, notify our Board in writing prior to soliciting for services or entering into a design competition, and receive his/her North Carolina license prior to signing an architectural agreement. Without these, the architect will be practicing illegally. Now you may ask why would we consider changing our regulations to allow non-resident architects to look for work in North Carolina? There are several answers. First, we want to know who is seeking work in North Carolina and allow a mechanism for control. Second, we would like to encourage other jurisdictions to change their regulations to allow North Carolina architects the ability to legally seek work in other states. Third, by changing our regulations we could be consistent with NCARB's model laws that will make an even playing field for NCARB-certified architects across the country. As architects and clients do more work outside their home states, we believe this will allow all of us the opportunity to practice nationally. If you have any comments, please feel free to email me at j h u be rman @gant thu berman.com Jeffrey A. Iluberman, FAIA Inside Columns Up-Coming Board Meetings 2 From the E.D. 2 NCARB News 3 Enforcement Report 4 ARE News May 14, 2003 9:00 a.m. Raleigh July 16, 2003 9:00 a.m. Raleigh All Board meetings are open to the public. Contact Julie Piatek (juliap@ncbarch.org) for further information.