An Evolving Profession - Delivering Quality in Architecture & Urbanism

RIAI President Anthony Reddy recently outlined his comprehensive programme for office, when he delivered his inaugural address at the RIAI.

Professionalism in the Modern Era
Professionalism has been defined as the structuring of an occupation in order to assure clients of the competence and integrity of its practitioners. These assurances are usually made through the medium of voluntary professional association.

Such an association typically regulates standards of competence internally, while simultaneously protecting the public from shoddiness by laying down standards of conduct for its members.

This issue of protecting the public interest mattered greatly to the founders of the RIAI. The objective of the codes and ethics developed by the Institute was to make the architect the friend of the client; someone who could be relied upon to act fairly and honourably in the sometimes less-than-transparent world of construction.

Of course, so much has changed since those days in terms of building complexity, if not transparency. Architects now have to deal with very different client expectations, radically different building materials, more complex construction methods and a whole new range of specialised building professionals. In an increasingly well-educated and knowledgeable society, expectations in relation to the quality of the built environment have risen and the creative resources required to meet these expectations have also increased.

The planning and construction sector is now characterised by highly differentiated and complex structures and therefore the ability to utilise its resources for the benefit of all citizens – as the architect ought to - is increasingly important. It is the view of the RIAI that in a more complex industry the independent role of the architect is more important than ever.

For the architectural profession working alongside our colleagues in other built environment professions, one of the most important future tasks will be to continue to assist and inform public and private building owners in their decisions to ensure good planning and high-quality construction for the benefit of all.

George Bernard Shaw believed that all professions were a conspiracy against the laity. Architects must strive to include and serve the laity in their professional activities.

Regulation and Competition
The preparation of the RIAI’s response to the Competition Authority's Consultation Document on the Architectural Profession last January, while dealing specifically with the particular issues raised, was also an opportunity for the profession to reflect on its structures, codes of conduct and internal regulatory system in the light of a changed economic and legislative environment.

The Consultation Document concluded that the architectural profession has relatively limited restrictions on entry and a light regulatory structure. It appears some “bottlenecks” do exist, most notably in the area of architectural competitions, publication of fee information and restrictions on advertising.

The RIAI has made proposals to the Authority on these issues and looks forward to a resolution through constructive dialogue. As part of this process the RIAI has recently removed restrictions in print media advertising and is strengthening the transparency of RIAI fee information.

Regulation and Registration
Regulation of the architectural profession in most developed states is primarily aimed at securing quality in the built environment and protecting the consumer.

Registration of title exists in most EU states, the United States and most developed countries, where there are regulatory regimes that promote competition law. The fundamental principle underpinning the registration of architects in these countries is that government sets standards and qualifications to protect the consumer and ensures, through competition and antitrust laws, the operation of a free market in the provision of services.

The RIAI has emphasised in its submission to the Competition Authority the risk to consumers, in particular in relation to life and property, resulting from the current unregulated system. The RIAI accepts the concept that any registration system should be administered by an independent, impartial body, with appropriate statutory safeguards.

The RIAI is in a position and willing to fulfil this function and has no difficulty with the view expressed by the Authority that the Admissions Board and the Professional Conduct Board should have a majority of independent non-architectural representatives.

Consumer Relations – Client’s Charter
Another way of looking at this issue is through what we might call consumer relations. The construction sector must ensure that the services, products and finished buildings it delivers meet consumers’ requirements and that the life cycle costing of their investment is correctly balanced in economical, social and environmental terms.

Government must ensure that there is an adequate and appropriate regulatory framework to assure the client, the user and society at large of a minimum level of quality. Issues such as registration, commercial communications, professional indemnity insurance, ethics and the resources needed to provide a good product, deserve particular attention.

With all this in mind, the RIAI has recently begun to formally develop a Client’s Charter to further enhance its consumer protection policies, and during my term, I will be steering this through to publication.

As with most professional organisations, the RIAI also works as a mediator between clients and member architects when things go wrong. However, up to 80% of the complaints received by the RIAI on an annual basis relate to unqualified practitioners and non-RIAI members.

The RIAI is unable to assist in situations such as this and it is clear from the range of these complaints that the consumer’s interest is not adequately protected by existing legislation in Ireland.

Again, the simplest way to minimise the fall-out from shoddy practitioners is to ensure that the architect is duly registered and regulated by a professional organisation. The clients can then seek information on charges, standard contracts and conditions, scope of the architect’s services and quality of service.

Education
The quality of architectural education and training is of critical importance to the ability of the profession to achieve its objective of providing a high standard of architectural service to society.

An important piece of legislation in keeping the quality of the profession at a high level has been the EU Architects’ Directive (85/384/EEC). It acts both as a benchmark for education and skills.

The Architects’ Directive states that the education and training in the field of architecture should ensure the acquisition of knowledge of a number of fundamental subjects including design, history and theory urban design & planning, building technology and the processes involved in the building industry.

The practising architect, to meet all the criteria listed, is of necessity a generalist. Of course the education and training of the architect does not stop at the point where a university degree is conferred. It is a lifelong process that is maintained through CPD courses and peer-reviewed practical experience.

Education and Architectural Practice
A major concern for the profession and therefore for the RIAI is the quality of the graduates emerging from schools of architecture and their ability to enter professional practice.

There is a significant gap between the vision of the architect’s job, as characterised in our schools of architecture, and the reality of practice. The crucial role of design in our education is vital to acquiring unique core skills and our important contribution to society. However, the culture of educating students of architecture towards the objective of becoming a ‘star architect’ may not be in the best interests of the profession.

The RIAI has committed to two initiatives to ensure that there is more significant interaction between education and practice:

• The concept of the ‘Teaching Office’ could be developed in a similar way to the model used by the medical profession of the Teaching Hospital. With this concept a student could spend their year out in an office to gain practical experience.
• A programme of mentorship could be organised between the schools and practices. Under this scheme, a small group of students would follow a project in an office on a regular basis. The project architect would devote time to informing this group on the procedures and progress of the project by reference to the regulatory environment and progress on site.

The implementation of these initiatives by the schools and practices would allow the profession to devise an educational structure that is flexible and more responsive to the changes in national and European policies, which alter the demands on architects and hence on students.

The RIAI is, in such educational reforms, ensuring that not only the current generation of architects is empowered to deal with the changing face of the construction industry, but also future generations.

Architects and the Public Realm
In our increasingly complex, globalised world the architect has to fulfil a wide range of roles and functions as well as have design, organisational and mediation skills, construction knowledge, and the ability to synthesize and create a vision while remaining ethical and independent.

The complexity of regulations together with increasing demands of clients and the expectations of society have contributed to the creation of many forms of specialisations in architecture. This increasing complexity of the built environment has produced architects/urban designers, conservation architects, hospital architects, space planning architects, specialists in energy conservation and sustainability, architects/policy makers and architects/administrators.

The concept of the generalist architect capable of being an expert in every field is slowly disappearing. The profession will become stronger by recognising these trends and further education.

Increasingly, architects are playing key roles in the public sector. Through the preparation of framework briefs and through the selection of design teams, many architects in the public sector have contributed significantly to the attainment of quality in architecture to a greater degree than any architect in private practice.

The RIAI is supportive of the continued contribution of our members in government departments and local authorities to the achievement of quality in the public realm.

International Affairs
Ours is a truly international profession and in an era defined by globalisation our shared relationships with architects internationally through the Architects Council of Europe (ACE), the International Union of Architects (UIA) and the European Forum for Architectural Policies is a source of immense benefit and assistance.

The RIAI – through its membership of ACE, UIA and the Forum – advocates that quality in architecture and urbanism must be taken into account in all National and EU policies leading ultimately to the realisation of a European architecture and urbanism policy.

We believe that such a policy should have as its objective the recognition of European architecture and urbanism as a central means of expression in the daily life of our citizens and emphasise their impor-tance as the heritage of tomorrow.

Quality in Architecture and Urbanism
Not since the end of the 18th century, when the formation of Georgian squares and streets with their urban terraces formed a prototypical model of urban classicism, has Dublin witnessed such an intense period of urban expansion and development. The economic boom has permeated to most of our cities and towns. The recent spate of quality local authority headquarters is indicative of this trend.

However, there is still much recent development in our cities and towns which is of poor quality. The suburban sprawl with its industrial and retail sheds and mean-spirited housing estates that characterise it are clearly set to be an unfortunate legacy of the era.

European Cities
The recent prosperity of the Irish economy is reflected in the revival of the centre of the nation’s capital. Having been traditionally a services and administration centre, Dublin city centre is now the focus of a high-tech, post-industrial economy.

This transition in Dublin and in other cities around the country was possible because our cities were fortunate to miss out on the radical changes that were effected on the urban fabric of most European cities both as a result of the Second World War and the modernist aftermath, when renewal was equated with removal.

In general, the guiding principles of the ‘European city’ with its clear distinction between public streets, squares and parks on the one hand and private property on the other is now in the ascendant among a significant group of Irish architects, urban designers and planners.

In this new paradigm, architecture ought to relate to the city, to the historical and urban planning context and to architectural tradition, in order to reinforce as well as develop the identity of the city.

Architectural progress evolves from the elaboration rather than rejection of tradition, and from the continued development of typologies and technologies. Recent renewal work in Irish cities and towns and, in particular, in award-winning RIAI schemes has been generally faithful to these principles.

The effects of the economic boom are also particularly evident in Galway and Limerick. Cork has not yet witnessed the same level of redevelopment, although this is likely to change with the recent publication of its Docks Plan and its designation as European City of Culture for 2005.

Initiatives
In the suburban areas of our cities and towns little thought appears to have been given to concepts such as urbanism and place making. Rather they are a poor amalgam of many of the worst aspects of modernist city planning theory and the principles of Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City movement.

This is a serious problem and regrettable phenomenon, which we share with our European partners, and will be given particular emphasis during my term of office as President. I believe it is in the suburbs that the next major breakthroughs in architecture and urbanism need to occur.

The success of Irish architects in winning international competitions and awards is a clear indicator that Irish architects, urban designers and commissioning bodies are capable of competing with the best internationally and I would like to see such high standards becoming more evident in our suburbs.

The RIAI Council has initiated a series of policy initiatives aimed at promoting quality in urban design and urbanism to ensure that future renewal and extensions to our villages, towns and cities are well designed and sustainable.

Among the objectives of this policy are:

• The increased use by local authorities of Area Action Plans, Framework Plans and mixed-use zoning;
• The provision of more widespread and integrated educational courses in urban design and urbanism for the built environment professions;
• The publication by Government of an Urban & Regional Settlement White Paper, which addresses economic, social and environmental policy requirements for the planned growth of our towns and cities, co-ordinating the activities of all relevant Government departures and institutions;
• The establishment by Government of an Urban Regional Policy Board, which combines national, regional and local leadership in driving urban and regional policy at all levels of government.

The RIAI will work actively to encourage the creation of new policies for the urban environment and will expand its award system to put urbanism on the public agenda. It is estimated that up to 76,000 new homes will be built in Ireland this year, with similar rates expected up to 2010 to meet with anticipated demand.

While several will be built on brown-field sites, where many architects see the best opportunities, the majority will be built on the edges of our towns and cities, where I feel the real challenges lie.

Of course, notwithstanding the optimism of forecasters, it is inevitable that this period of economic advancement will moderate and, before we know it, future generations will be reflecting on our achievements and our inevitable failures.

Let us take one thing very seriously and let the RIAI lead the way in it: that all of those involved in shaping our cities and towns – architects, urban designers, planners, administrators and politicians – maintain a commitment to a vision of our cities as places where real people live, work and interact.

Let us improve rather than damage quality of life. Let us ‘stand up’ for the built environment.

An Evolving Profession
As architects we are conscious of our architectural tradition, surrounded by the work of great figures from our past including Francis Johnston, James Gandon and Deane and Woodward. It is also a reminder to the architects present that in addition to being part of this great tradition we are equally responsible for extending that tradition into the future.

The ethos of the RIAI has always been to promote quality in architecture and the built environment, to ensure educational standards are maintained at a high level and to protect the interest of the client, consumer and society.

The Institute has enormous potential for developing, applying and transmitting knowledge on architecture and the built environment. The concept of a knowledge-based architectural profession will become increasingly relevant in the early years of this century, as the EU vision of the most competitive, knowledge-based society becomes a reality.

Irish architects can be confident of a future where their skills will be increasingly in need and architecture is valued as an important representation of our culture.

The profession has shown a remarkable ability to evolve while adhering to core values and in this spirit will welcome EU directives and initiatives, which promote greater competition, removal of restrictions and freedom of movement.

In this spirit, the RIAI welcomes the opportunity created by the Competition Authority review and looks forward to establishing principles for the regulation of the Irish profession, which will prove to be a sustainable and enduring legacy for the 21st century.

I am fortunate and challenged to follow a series of Presidents who have significantly raised the profile of the architectural profession in Irish society.
I hope that the programme I have outlined will generally be achieved during my term of office, will continue to raise our profile and be to the satisfaction of my colleagues in the profession.