About the AIBC

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) is an independent, professional self-regulatory body established in 1920 by provincial statute – the Architects Act. It is the AIBC’s mandate to regulate the profession of architecture within the province in the public interest. This entails upholding excellence in the profession by establishing stringent standards for entry to practice, and continuing competence and conduct standards through which professionals maintain their rights to practice and title.

The AIBC is governed by a council of 10 elected architects, four persons appointed by the provincial government, and one appointee from within the faculty of the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture.

The architectural profession has both exclusive right to title and exclusive rights of practice in British Columbia. Given the complexity of practice and the health and safety implications to the public within the built environment, only those practitioners who have demonstrated that they meet the stringent education, experience and examination standards for entry to the profession, as well as the continuing competence and education requirements for maintenance of registration, are entitled to registration and the rights and privileges it allows.

Copyright and Trade-marks
Programs and Services Offered
For Members
Description of Programs/Designations

Copyright and Trade-marks

The entire contents of the web site ("materials") are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws in Canada and under both the laws of foreign countries.

The materials, including all site design, graphics, text, and the selection and arrangement thereof, are Copyright © [year] Architectural Institute of British Columbia or its licensors, as applicable. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Under the Architects Act, the British Columbia legislature has reserved the title “Architect” and any similar title, name, description or use, as well as the designation “MAIBC” (Member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia) to only those persons admitted to the AIBC as registered members.

To further protect the public interest and public health and safety, the AIBC has adopted and maintains the following official marks for members and associates as defined in the Architects Act:

Architect.AIBC and Arch. AIBC;
Architectural Technologist.AIBC and AT.AIBC;
Building Designer.AIBC and BD.AIBC;
Residential Designer.AIBC and RD.AIBC.

Any trade-marks, trade-names, logos, and official marks of the AIBC, and the icons appearing on this web site, may not be used without the express written permission of the AIBC. All other trade-marks, product names and company names or logos in the materials are the property of their respective owners.

Licence:

The AIBC grants a limited licence to display or print the materials for personal use, on condition that the materials be unchanged and all copyright, trade-mark and other proprietary notices contained in the original materials, including a copy of the Terms of Use, appear in any copies made. A limited licence is also granted to use the e-mail and Internet links in the materials. Any modification, display, reproduction, distribution, access or other use of the materials, including for commercial or public purposes, must be pursuant to written permission from the AIBC or those third parties to whom the intellectual property rights belong. Reproduction or display of the materials on any other web site on the Internet or intra-net is strictly prohibited. All rights not expressed herein are reserved.

Upon a breach of the terms and conditions of the limited licence, the AIBC can terminate any limited licence granted to use the materials, and require the immediate destruction of any copies made of the materials. Any unauthorized use of the materials may violate the laws of Canada, including copyright, patent and trade-mark laws.

Disclaimer:

The AIBC does not represent or warrant as to the currency, accuracy, completeness or reliability of the materials or any other information contained on any site to which links are provided in the materials. The AIBC and its representatives, including employees, officers, agents, licensees and affiliates, are not liable to the licensee or any other third party for any claims, damages or any other costs arising from the use, or reliance upon, the materials. The above limitation of liability applies even if the AIBC or its representatives had advice regarding, or should have known of, the possibility of such liability arising.

Jurisdiction:

The materials herein are governed by laws of the Province of British Columbia and Canada, and all licensees of the AIBC are responsible for complying with such laws. Any use, licensed or otherwise, is subject to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of British Columbia and all licensees voluntarily acknowledge such.

Programs and Services Offered

For the Public
The primary role of the AIBC is to protect the public interest, including public health, safety and welfare, in the practice of architecture by building public awareness and confidence in the roles, responsibilities and capabilities those registered by, and practicing through, the institute.

The AIBC also fulfils its mandate by ensuring competence and good conduct of registrants and, to that end, maintains official marks. The official marks of the AIBC indicate to the public the designation that AIBC grants to its members.

For more information about AIBC's official marks, please click on any of the marks below:

Architect.AIBC* and Arch.AIBC*
Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC*
Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC*
Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC*

The AIBC provides a range of regulatory and advocacy programs and services to the public. Regulatory programs and services include formal mechanism for complaint resolution should a member of the public have questions or concerns about the competence or conduct of a registrant, as well as enforcement mechanisms to ensure public protection as against illegal practice through which a person not qualified or competent to engage in practice can be prevented from so doing.

Advocacy programs and services include a formal advisory services program through which members of the public can access AIBC volunteer members to discuss when, how, and under what terms and conditions an architect can and should be engaged. The AIBC also administers a member directory service for the public, oversees its Architecture in Schools program, and offers Architectural Walking Tours. In addition, the institute educates and informs through a variety of programs including the AIBC Annual Architectural Awards and regular public displays in the AIBC Architecture Centre Gallery.

* AIBC has adopted and uses Architect.AIBC, Arch. AIBC, Architectural Technologist.AIBC, AT.AIBC, Building Designer.AIBC, BD.AIBC, Residential Designer.AIBC and RD.AIBC as official marks in conjunction with governing the practice of architecture in British Columbia, all in accordance with its mandate to protect public health, safety and welfare. For more information, please see the Terms of Use.

For Members

The AIBC, either by itself or in partnership with provincial and national counterparts, provides a range of programs and services for practitioners in each of the various registration categories. These include:

Accreditation and Certification
The AIBC determines the education, experience and examination requirements of practitioners seeking entry to the profession in one or more registration categories. To that end, the AIBC administers the following programs:

(a) Architect.AIBC* and Arch.AIBC* Program

(b) Architectural Technology.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* Program

(c) Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC* Program

(d) Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC* Program

The AIBC works with national counterparts and accrediting agencies to evaluate post-secondary education and determine whether graduates from designated programs meet entry requirements. The AIBC also provides evaluation services for individuals who have not graduated from an accredited institution so they may have their education assessed for entry to the profession.

Similarly, the AIBC works both independently and in concert with national counterparts to establish and maintain programs and services to allow prospective practitioners to gain necessary internship experience for registration, and access registration examinations that are recognized nationally and between Canada and the United States of America. The programs and services offered through the AIBC and its counterparts allow for labour mobility and recognition of practitioners throughout Canada and the U.S.A.

Intern Program and Registration
The AIBC offers intern programs through which persons assessed as having met the educational requirements for entry into one or more registration programs may gain the necessary work experience as well as access to the examination processes for registration. Once a practitioner satisfies the relevant intern work experience and examination requirements, he/she may apply for registration as a Architect.AIBC* and Arch.AIBC*, Architectural Technologist.AIBC*and AT.AIBC*, Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC*, or Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC*.

Practice Support
The AIBC retains staff and maintains a number of boards and committees that provide practice support and advice to members. A wide range of materials arising from these structures are available to all registrants and interested members of the public through printed publications, web postings and electronic distribution.

Continuing Education
All MAIBC and associate registrants must undertake and report annual continuing education activities. The number of hours and types of activities recognized for any registration category is published and maintained by the institute, which also provides tracking and recording services so that registrants can demonstrate they are meeting the continuing education requirements for maintaining their registration in BC. AIBC records may also be used as evidence of meeting continuing education requirements in other jurisdictions in which an AIBC registrant may also be registered and practicing.

Advocacy
The AIBC provides representation on a wide range of industry-related committees, liaises with provincial and national industry-related associations and other regulatory bodies, and provides a voice on important professional issues at all levels of government.

* AIBC has adopted and uses Architect.AIBC, Arch. AIBC, Architectural Technologist.AIBC, AT.AIBC, Building Designer.AIBC, BD.AIBC, Residential Designer.AIBC and RD.AIBC as official marks in conjunction with governing the practice of architecture in British Columbia, all in accordance with its mandate to protect public health, safety and welfare. For more information, please see the Terms of Use.

Description of Programs/Designations

Architect.AIBC* and Arch.AIBC* Program

Under the current Architects Act, the titles “member” and “architect” and the designation “MAIBC” are reserved for those registrants who meet the education, experience and examination requirements for engaging in the full range of activities defined as the practice of architecture in the province of British Columbia. To qualify for entry into the Architect.AIBC* and Arch.AIBC* program, an applicant must:

have a Masters-level university degree from a program accredited and/or recognized by the AIBC;

acquire 5,600 hours of prescribed intern work experience;

attend six mandatory professional development courses offered by the AIBC;

pass an oral peer review process; and

write and pass a series of Canada/U.S.A. registration examinations known as the ARE – NCARBs.

Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* Program

Those entitled to use the titles Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* work closely with architects in the project documentation and administration phases of projects ranging from the more simple residential through to large and complex buildings.

To register for the Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* Program, applicants must have a diploma in Building Technology or related discipline from an accredited/recognized college or technical training institute. Applicants must also must also complete 5,600 hours of broad-based internship work experience and successfully write registration examinations set and administered by the AIBC to obtain the titles Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC*.

Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC* Program (under development)

Persons with the title Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC* work independently and may design and oversee construction of residences and small commercial buildings not requiring the services of an architect as determined by provincial legislation.

The Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC* Program requires registrants to have a diploma in Building Science or related discipline from an accredited/recognized college, a prescribed amount and breadth of internship work experience, and successful completion of the registration examinations set and administered by the AIBC.

The Building Designer.AIBC* and BD.AIBC* Program differs from the Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* Program in the nature and scope of internship work experience required, and the types of buildings and the scope of services that successful candidates in the respective programs are permitted to work on and provide.

Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC* Program (under development)

Practitioners with the designation of Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC* can design and may oversee construction of residences.

For registration in the Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC* Program, applicants must have technical education in residential design, drafting, or related building fields,. relevant experience as an intern working under the supervision of a registered residential designer, building designer or architect, and must pass a registration examination set and administered by the AIBC.