Architects body gets tougher on members

Isaac Pinielo | Wednesday November 30, 2016 14:56

In its continued efforts to maintain the integrity of the profession, the council this year started conducting the Architects Registration Council Professional Examination (ARCPE), which is held three times in a year.

According to the registration council, which is the regulatory body for architects, architectural technologists and architectural draftspersons, the third and last of the three examinations will be held next week in Gaborone.

The council’s registrar, Mmilili Kenneth said the examination is intended to improve the standards and professional qualifications of architectural practitioners.

“As the council, we want to be quality assured people who are going to be offering architectural services to the public,” he said.

Kenneth noted that the examination is strictly for eligible candidates who have applied for registration with the council and those who previously sat for the ARCPE and failed to meet the required pass mark.

He said these candidates have been notified in writing of their eligibility to sit for the examination. Currently, there are about 160 architects who are registered with the registration council, 46 of who have practising licences.

“We are here to protect the interests of members of the public in any dealings with registered architectural professionals,” Kenneth said.

The regulatory body requires individual architectural professionals operating in Botswana to apply for a registration certificate, the validity of which will entitle him or her to apply for a practising certificate should one wish to render services to the public as an individual or within the framework of a body corporate, firm or partnership.

To ensure compliance, the registrar said they work with local authorities to only accept plan submissions from architects who are registered with the council.

“We have also engaged registered professionals to monitor people in this profession to comply as well as encouraging the public to use registered professionals,” he said.

Furthermore, the council reminded the public that enforcement of the Act commenced on June 1, 2016, noting that any person using the title ‘architect’, ‘architectural technologist’ or ‘architectural draftsperson’ must be registered with the council.