A Critical Review of the Registration Process of Architects - Its Highs and Lows (Case Study: Uganda)
محورهای موضوعی : ArchitectureKenneth Ssemwogerere 1 , Ian Senkatuka 2
1 - Department of Architecture, School of the Built Environment Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
2 - Department of Architecture, School of the Built Environment Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
کلید واژه: Architects, Registration process, Uganda,
چکیده مقاله :
The practice of architecture worldwide is one of the most regulated. To become an Architect, one must undergo a rigorous process, first at an architecture school and then in real-life practice. This paper critically examines the architect registration process in Uganda, highlighting its highs and lows, and recommends what must be done to improve the process. Using the mixed-methods approach consisting of surveys, thematic analysis, and document reviews, the study assesses the individual experiences of graduate architects who have undergone this process. To ensure the validity and reliability of research tools, the questionnaire was reviewed by five experts with in-depth knowledge of the architectural registration process. The study acknowledges that compulsory placement of graduates under a registered architect is useful as it exposes the graduates to practical skills, which include management of projects, office management, communication, supervision skills, and legal compliance, which cannot be easily provided in architecture schools. However, the registration procedure is considered very rigid and outdated due to its long registration timelines, lack of communication, and failure to accommodate the views of the new specialties in the course. In conclusion, it is acknowledged that reform is necessary in the registration process, which will include digitizing the documentation and feedback process, as well as introducing a modular assessment method. It also calls for flexible mentorship models that are tailored to meet professional requirements.
The practice of architecture worldwide is one of the most regulated. To become an Architect, one must undergo a rigorous process, first at an architecture school and then in real-life practice. This paper critically examines the architect registration process in Uganda, highlighting its highs and lows, and recommends what must be done to improve the process. Using the mixed-methods approach consisting of surveys, thematic analysis, and document reviews, the study assesses the individual experiences of graduate architects who have undergone this process. To ensure the validity and reliability of research tools, the questionnaire was reviewed by five experts with in-depth knowledge of the architectural registration process. The study acknowledges that compulsory placement of graduates under a registered architect is useful as it exposes the graduates to practical skills, which include management of projects, office management, communication, supervision skills, and legal compliance, which cannot be easily provided in architecture schools. However, the registration procedure is considered very rigid and outdated due to its long registration timelines, lack of communication, and failure to accommodate the views of the new specialties in the course. In conclusion, it is acknowledged that reform is necessary in the registration process, which will include digitizing the documentation and feedback process, as well as introducing a modular assessment method. It also calls for flexible mentorship models that are tailored to meet professional requirements.
ACE – Architects' Council of Europe. (2020). ACE Charter. Retrieved from
https://www.diearchitekten.org/fileadmin/news/Fuer_Mitglieder/Chancengleichheit/2020ACESECTORSTUDY.pdf
AACA – Architects Accreditation Council of Australia. (2020). Registration and
Accreditation. https://www.aaca.org.au/registration-accreditation/
AERG – Architectural Education Review Group. (2013). Pathways and gateways: The
Structure and regulation of architectural education. Architectural Education Review. http://people.bath.ac.uk/absaw/fi les/
AIA – Australian Institute of Architects. (2020a). About the Australian Institute of Architects.
https://www.architecture.com.au/about/
AIA – Australian Institute of Architects. (2020b). AIA Code of Conduct.
https://www.architecture.com.au/about/code-of-conduc
Alharbi, M. A. S., Emmitt, S., & Demian, P. (2015). What is architectural management?
Towards a pragmatic definition. Journal of Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 22(2), 151–168. https://doi.org/10.1108/JECAM 02 2012 0008
Architects Registration Board. (2020). Annual report and accounts 2019-2020. ARB.
https://arb.org.uk/about-us/annual-reports/
Australian Institute of Architects. (2020). About the Australian Institute of Architects.
Retrieved from https://www.architecture.com.au/about/
Architects Accreditation Council of Australia. (2020). Registration and accreditation.
Retrieved from https://www.aaca.org.au/registration-accreditation/
Autor, D., Levy, F., & Murnane, R. (2003). The skill content of recent technological change:
An empirical exploration. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), 1279–1333. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355303322552801
Bowen, P., Cattell, K., Distiller, G., & Edwards, P. (2008). Job satisfaction of South African
Quantity surveyors. Construction Management and Economics, 26(7), 765–780. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190802035322
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (4th ed.). Sage. https://www.ucg.ac.me/skladiste/blog_609332/objava_105202/fajlovi/Creswell.pdf
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods
Research (2nd ed.). Sage. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=1596237
Eraut, M. (2000). Non‐formal learning and tacit knowledge in professional work. British
Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(1), 113–136. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709900158001
Farrell, T. (2014). The Farrell review of architecture and the built environment: Our future in
place. Farrells. http://www.farrellreview.co.uk
Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (A. Sheridan, Trans.).
Vintage Books. (Original work published 1975). https://monoskop.org/images/4/43/Foucault_Michel_Discipline_and_Punish_The_Birth_of_the_Prison_1977_1995.pdf
Freidson, E. (2001). Professionalism: The third logic. University of Chicago Press.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37689531_Professionalism_the_third_logic_on_the_practice_of_knowledge/references
International Union of Architects. (2019). A global effort for excellence in architectural
education. UIA. Retrieved from https://www.uia-architectes.org/en/mag/a-global-effort-for-excellence-in-architectural-education/
Irumba, R. (2010). A system dynamics approach to modeling of safety performance on
construction projects (Unpublished manuscript). Department of Real Estate and Construction Management, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
Irumba, R. (2015). An empirical examination of the effects of land tenure on housing values in
Kampala, Uganda. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-05-2014-0020
Jamieson, C., Robinson, D., Worthington, D., & Cole-Colander, C. (2011). The future for ] architects. Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240916942
JIA – Japan Institute of Architects. (2020a). About JIA and architectural practice in Japan.
https://www.jia.or.jp/en/about_jia/
JIA – Japan Institute of Architects. (2020b). JIA Code of Ethics.
https://www.jia.or.jp/en/about_jia/
Jones, C. B. (2006). The role of the architect: Changes of the past, practices of the present,
and indications of the future (Master's thesis). Brigham Young University. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/395
Kakitahi, J. M., Landin, A., & Alinaitwe, H. M. (2013). An exploratory study of rework
Causality in Uganda. Construction Innovation, 13(3), 266–280. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI Nov 2011 0051
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and
development. Prentice Hall.
Kubba, S. (2018). Architects' registration guidelines: A comparative study. Journal of
Architectural Education, 72(1), 34–45.
Kokemuller, N. (2019). The disadvantages of professionalism. Pocketpence.
https://www.pocketpence.co.uk/disadvantages-professionalism-8447488.html
Lawrence, R. (2020). Creating built environments: Bridging knowledge and practice divides.
Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351201674
Man Fong, C. (2011). Ethics management for the construction industry: A review of ethical
decision-making literature. Bradford, 18(5), 516-537. https://doi.org/10.1108/09699981111165194
Mingyi, Z., & Xiaohui, J. (2017). The utilitarianism roots of ethical anomie in modern
Engineering and countermeasures. Journal of Shenyang Institute of Engineering: Social Science, (4), 513–519. https://www.ewadirect.com/proceedings/lnep/volumes/vol/57/378.pdf
Myers, G. A. (2011). African cities: Alternative visions of urban theory and practice. Zed
Books.
NCARB – National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. (2020). NCARB model law.
https://ncarb.org
Nyapendi, A. M. (2023). Examining the major barriers to the adherence of building codes
and regulations: A Kampala perspective (Unpublished undergraduate dissertation). Makerere University.
Ofori, G. (2022). Professionalism in built environment research: Beyond integrity and good
practice. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 29(9), 3617–3646. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-02-2020-0118
Okonta, D. E., Oluigbo, C. U., Egwuma, M. A., & Njoku, R. C. (2024). Building a pathway to stability: Strategies for overcoming the architect's registration crisis in Nigeria. Discover Civil Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44290-024-00078-8
Ogunsemi, D. R., & Jagboro, G. O. (2006). Time-cost model for building projects in Nigeria.
Construction Management and Economics, 24(3), 253–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446190500435572
Ochsner, J. K., Hays, D., & Michael, C. (Eds.). (2014). Educating architects: How tomorrow's practitioners will learn today. Thames & Hudson. https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/6336-educating-architects-how-tomorrow-s-practitioners-will-learn-today
Oyedele, O. A. (2018). A study of control measures of building collapse in Lagos State,
Nigeria. In FIG Congress 2018: Embracing our smart world where the continents connect: Enhancing the geospatial maturity of societies (pp. 1–10). International Federation of Surveyors. https://fig.net/resources/proceedings/fig_proceedings/fig2018/papers/ts02j/TS02J_oyedele_9284.pdf
Pieterse, E. (2010). City futures: Confronting the crisis of urban development. Zed Books.
RAIC – Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. (2020). RAIC Handbook.
https://raic.org/handbook
Shahruddin, S., & Husain, S. H. (2024). Navigating paradoxes of identity and leadership in
The age of digital transformation of construction industry: Architects' experiences and perceptions. Construction Management and Economics, 42(7), 591–609. https://doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2023.2293901
Sunday, A. B., Adewale, J. A., Ogunmakinde, O., & Aribisala, E. A. (2013). The Nigerian
Institute of Architects' professional practice examination: Conceptions, misconceptions and the way forward. African Higher Education Review (AHER), 7(2). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1072716
Wang, Z. (2024). Disadvantages and professional ethics issues arising from the
professionalism of registered architect qualifications. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on International Law and Legal Policy. Institute of Design, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753.7048/57/20240125
Wiley, L. A., & Berry, S. (2018). Enhancing pathways to registration: Reforming the
Architectural licensing process in Australia. Journal of Architectural Education, 72(2), 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/10464883.2018.1465731
Zhou, W., Liang, F., Guo, H., & Li, B. (2025). Research on personal skills that architects should focus on improving in professional career development. Sustainability, 17(3), 995. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030995
Zhou, W., Nair, D., Gunawan, O., van Kessel, T., & Hamann, H. F. (2015, October). A testing platform for on drone computation. In 2015, the 33rd IEEE International Conference on Computer Design (ICCD) (pp. 732–735). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCD.2015.15
