From 1932 there has been a statutory Register of Architects under legislation of the United Kingdom Parliament originally enacted in 1931. The
originating Act contained ancillary provisions for entering an architect’s name in the register and removing a name from it which later legislation has amended. The 1931 Act gave it the name “the Register of Registered Architects”, but by an Act of 1938 the name was changed to “the Register of Architects”.
Entry in the Register has always been upon voluntary application but subject to payment of an annual retention fee, and the legislation has always required the registration body to publish the current version of the Register annually.
The setting up of the Register had been the result of many years of negotiation by the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
(RIBA), the leading professional society for practising
architects
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
in the United Kingdom, which had been incorporated by charter granted by
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
in 1837.
Maintenance of the Register of Architects is the responsibility of a body corporate which, from July 1997, has the statutory name "
Architects Registration Board
The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is the statutory body for the registration of architects in the United Kingdom. It operates under the Architects Act 1997 as amended, a consolidating Act. It began under the Architects (Registration) Act, ...
". This body is regarded as a
non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process of n ...
by the United Kingdom Government and it is liable to judicial review in the
Administrative Court
An administrative court is a type of court specializing in administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are considered s ...
of the
High Court in England.
Consultation on reform
The identity of the Register of Architects itself has continued unchanged, but under later primary legislation (of 1996/1997) some of the administrative or ancillary provisions were abolished, and some were altered having regard, among other things, to the use of data in electronic form in connection with maintenance of the Register and its annual publication. This happened after the
Department of the Environment
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
had issued a consultation document with the title “
Reform of Architects Registration "Reform of Architects Registration" was the title of a UK government consultation paper dated 19 July 1994 which was issued by the Department of the Environment. The introduction stated that in October 1993 the Government had announced that the pro ...
” in 1994, followed by the government introducing an amending bill in Parliament in 1996.
One of the alterations was that the name which had been given by the originating Act of 1931 to the body constituted as the proprietor and publisher of the Register was changed from the
Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom {{noref, date=December 2011
Under an Act passed by the UK Parliament in 1931, there was established an Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom (ARCUK), referred to in the Act as "the Council". The constitution of the Council was pres ...
(ARCUK) to the
Architects Registration Board
The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is the statutory body for the registration of architects in the United Kingdom. It operates under the Architects Act 1997 as amended, a consolidating Act. It began under the Architects (Registration) Act, ...
(ARB), with effect from 21 July 1997.
Legislation
As an aid to statutory interpretation, the following summarises the series of enactments governing the Register from 1931 to 1997. The legislation at the time of the passing of the Architects Act 1997 (19 March) had been the Architects Registration Acts 1931 to 1996, namely,
*the Architects (Registration) Act, 1931;
*the Architects Registration Act, 1938;
*Part III of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, including, by section 125(1), the intricate tracery of amendments, transitional provisions and savings listed in Parts II and III of Schedule 2.
The legislation at the time of the passing of the 1996 Act (24 July) had been the Architects Registration Acts 1931 to 1969.
When the consolidation Act of 1997 which replaced the previous legislation was enacted the name of the proprietary body with the statutory duty to publish the Register of Architects was the Architects’ Registration Council of the United Kingdom. From 21 July 1997 when the 1997 Act took effect, the name of this body has been the Architects Registration Board, but that change of name did not change the identity of the Register of Architects itself, which has been in continuous existence from its inception under the originating Act of 1931.
Amendments An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. The ...
to the 1997 Act made in June 2008 by
Statutory Instrument
In many countries, a statutory instrument is a form of delegated legislation.
United Kingdom
Statutory instruments are the principal form of delegated or secondary legislation in the United Kingdom.
National government
Statutory instrument ...
established rules for the recognition of professional qualifications enabling migrants from the
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...
or
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
to register as architects in the United Kingdom. It also set out provisions for facilitating temporary and occasional professional services cross-border.
Copies of the Register
The Register was first defined as the Register kept in pursuance of the 1931 Act. Hard bound copies of the series of annual versions of the Register, from volume 1 for the year 1933 onwards, are made available for reference to members of the public at the British Architectural Library of the Royal Institute of British Architects, London. Some hiatus on the part of the Board in producing printed copies of the Register in accordance with the legislation and the Board's previous practice has latterly impeded the continuation of the series for reference in that way. The Board's current website offers only a downloadable pdf. format.
The provision of copies of the Register annually was a requirement imposed on the registration body itself under the originating and later legislation. Under present legislation, subsections (1) to (5) of section 3 of the Architects Act 1997 require: _the Board to publish the current version of the Register annually; _a copy of the most recently published version to be provided to any person who requests one on payment of a reasonable charge decided by the Board; and _a copy of the Register purporting to be published by the Board to be evidence (in Scotland, sufficient evidence) of any matter mentioned in it. These provisions can be traced to section 3 of the originating Act of 1931 (21 & 22 Geo. 5. Ch.33)
The importance of such annual versions of the Register being available is seen (inter alia) in connection with the restrictions, and the liability to criminal process for infringement, under sections 20 and 21 of the 1997 Act.
The five subsections of section 3 of the 1997 Act are as follows: (1) The Registrar shall maintain the Register of Architects in which there shall be entered the name of every person entitled to be registered under this Act. (2) The Register shall show the regular business address of each registered person. (3) The Registrar shall make any necessary alterations to the Register and, in particular, shall remove from the Register the name of any registered person who has died or has applied in the prescribed manner requesting the removal of his name. (4) The Board shall publish the current version of the Register annually and a copy of the most recently published version shall be provided to any person who requests one on payment of a reasonable charge decided by the Board. (5) A copy of the Register purporting to be published by the Board shall be evidence (and, in Scotland, sufficient evidence) of any matter mentioned in it.
Section 3 derives from section 5A (which had been inserted in the previous legislation by the Act of 1996, to modify s.3(4) of the originating legislation in connection with the new statutory provision for the Board to appoint a person as 'the Registrar').
Online facility as service for registered persons
There appears to be no provision in the legislation authorising the Board or Registrar to offer to registered persons as such any service, whether for the purpose of claiming a commercially competitive advantage or otherwise. But a communication of May 2012 (issue 34 of ebulletin
) addressed to registered persons announced a 'new and enhanced' version of the online Register, stating that by this resource '...every
egisteredarchitect now has their own web page. This offers a number of opportunities for you. You can create a link with your own website so that your clients can see at a glance that you are a genuine, registered architect. By using the online facility to update your own details, you can also add your contact details, including your email and website addresses, to give your clients and potential clients immediate access to your services. The best way to demonstrate your registered status is to use ARB’s logo. You can download this to add to your website, business stationery and signage. The new online Register and downloadable logo create an ideal platform for you to demonstrate your professionalism not only to members of the public but also to your non-registered and possibly unqualified competitors in the marketplace.' The communication ended by expressing the hope that as many registered persons as possible would use this opportunity for increasing their profile with the public.
Further information
See articles listed on the Categories page for further information about:
*
Architects (Registration) Acts, 1931 to 1938
The Architects (Registration) Acts, 1931 to 1938 is the statutory citation for three Acts of the United Kingdom Parliament, namely:
* Architects (Registration) Act 1931;
* Architects (Registration) Act 1934; and
* Architects Registration Act 1938 ...
*
Architects Act 1997
The Architects Act 1997 (c. 22) is the consolidating Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the keeping and publishing of the statutory Register of Architects by the Architects Registration Board. It has the long title: ''An Act to conso ...
*
Architects Registration Board
The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is the statutory body for the registration of architects in the United Kingdom. It operates under the Architects Act 1997 as amended, a consolidating Act. It began under the Architects (Registration) Act, ...
*
Architects Registration in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the Architects Act 1997 imposes restrictions on the use of the name, style or title "architect" in connection with a business or a professional practice, and for that purpose requires a statutory Register of Architects to be ...
*
Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom {{noref, date=December 2011
Under an Act passed by the UK Parliament in 1931, there was established an Architects' Registration Council of the United Kingdom (ARCUK), referred to in the Act as "the Council". The constitution of the Council was pres ...
*
Architectural education in the United Kingdom (19c-20c) After nearly a century of endeavour and negotiation which had been led by the Royal Institute of British Architects, a statutory Board of Architectural Education was formed under the Architects (Registration) Act, 1931. For the purposes of constitu ...
*
Board of Architectural Education
The Board of Architectural Education is no longer appointed. It had been a statutory body in the United Kingdom constituted under section 5 of the Architects (Registration) Act, 1931.
The Act was citable with two amending Acts as the Architects ...
*
Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its long title shows that it is a piece of omnibus legislation:
:''An Act to make provision for grants and other assistance for housing pur ...
*
Reform of Architects Registration "Reform of Architects Registration" was the title of a UK government consultation paper dated 19 July 1994 which was issued by the Department of the Environment. The introduction stated that in October 1993 the Government had announced that the pro ...
*
Schools of Architecture, Architects (Registration) Act, 1931
See also
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Registration of architects in the United Kingdom