Professional Regulation

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Professional Regulation

Registration

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Intern Architect

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Programs and Services in aid of Self-Regulation

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, Interior Designer.AIBC, ID.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.

Registration

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) Interior Designer.AIBC* and ID.AIBC* Program
(e) 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*, Interior Designer.AIBC* and ID.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. Please contact the AIBC Registration Coordinator at registration@aibc.ca for information and application packages regarding:

AIBC Intern Architect Program.
Architect.AIBC* and Arch.AIBC* Program.
Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* Program.
Building Designer,AIBC* and BD.AIBC* Program.
Interior Designer.AIBC* and ID,AIBC* Program.
Residential Designer.AIBC* and RD.AIBC* Program.
Affiliate Membership.
Architectural Graduate Membership.
Foreign Trained/Registered Architects.
Reciprocal Licensing (Registration in other provinces or states). For more information, contact the Licensing Coordinator.
Reinstatement.
Student Membership.
Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) Application

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.

Registration - Architectural Technologist.AIBC* and AT.AIBC* Program

If you have graduated with a diploma or certificate in Architectural Technology and/or Building Engineering Technology, or if you are pursuing the seven-year experience-only route towards certification, you should apply to the AIBC for membership as an Intern Architectural Technologist. You will find the application package below. The current process is:

1.) Apply as an Intern Architectural Technologist;

2.) Upon eligibility, write the Architectural Technologist (AT) Examination held at the AIBC offices in April and October of each year (see below for the three categories of eligibility);

3.) Having successfully passed the AT examination, your status changes to that of Architectural Technologist or AT.AIBC (see “Exam Information” for details about the examination).

Category 1

Graduation from an AIBC-approved two-year technology diploma program (such as the BCIT Architectural and Building Engineering Technology Diploma Program) or equivalent.

+

Letters of employment demonstrating two years of related work experience (At least one year of this period must be under the direct supervision of an MAIBC. One year may be industry-related experience.).

Category 2

Graduation from an AIBC-approved one-year certificate program or the equivalent.

+

Letters of employment demonstrating five years of related work experience (At least three years of this period must be under the direct supervision of an architect. Two years may be industry-related experience not under the direct supervision of an architect.).

Category 3

Letters of employment demonstrating seven years of related work experience under the direct supervision of an MAIBC.

When you apply to become an Intern Architectural Technologist, you shall provide evidence of your educational qualifications and evidence of any architectural work experience you have had after graduation. Your education and experience will be reviewed, and you will be advised if you are eligible to write the examination. If you are not yet eligible for the examination, you will be informed how much more education or experience you require.

Registration – 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.

Registration – 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.