How to become a Registered Architect in New York State
In this post, I want to explain how to become a registered architect in America, especially for immigrants and people who live outside of the United States
The first thing you have to keep in mind is in America architects and Engineers are different topics and titles, It is not like in other countries that consider Architects and Engineers the same.
Based on the law you cannot call yourself an architect even if you have a professional degree from a university To become a Registered Architect or Licensed Architect ( same meaning )
You need to:
- – get a professional degree (at least a bachelor – 4 years program)
- – then open an account on NCARB.ORG (National Council of Architectural Registration)
Boards), which tracks your documents, experiences, and hours and eventually, gives a
report about your background to your state Board of Architecture to be able to get to
exam program and if you pass all of them, you will get your license and be
able to sign and seal jobs in your state
These two steps are the General concept of the whole process that you have to do
But each state has different requirements and based on your target state you need to contact your Board and get more information on what exactly you need to do there.
Normally when you open an account on NCAR.org it gives you an experience chart that has six different fields of hours like
- • Practice Management 160 hrs
- • Project Management 360 hrs
- • Programming and Analysis 260 hrs
- • Project Planning and Design 1080 hrs
- • Project Development and Documentation 1520 hrs
- • Construction and Evaluation 360 hrs
You need to cover them during your internship and work for other architecture companies, totally 3740 hrs. that almost takes 3 years to be fully covered
But as I mentioned before you need to talk to your state board of architecture and figure out what else you need to do, and some states allow you to take exams in the middle of your internship but in other states, you need to cover your AXP (Architectural Experience Program) then be able to take your exams (ARE: Architectural Registration Examination)
After you are a Registered Architect and can use your sign and stamp to submit a job to your state DOB (Department of Building) the main Organization to Reviews and control buildings in each city and issue construction permits for people to start their job for any kind of Development like Interior Renovation, Enlargement, Extension, New Building Construction from scratch and ………
To become a successful Architect in your state and city, the first and vital thing you need to understand is the BUILDING CODE of your city
Building Code is the group of laws and regulations that leads to having a safe, functional, reliable, and energy-efficient design, and it’s different in each city, town, and state
In New York State, as an Architect, you can sign Architectural jobs but the problem is, Building Codes in New York City are different from other parts of New York State, and even in Up State and Long Island, codes are different in each town and county
( if you want to read more about Zoning and Construction Zones in NYC please click here)
Now at the end of this post, I want to share the first experience I had with Architecture and Development companies in NYC and I hope it gives you a clear vision about the company you want to choose to work in and get your license faster.
First of all, make your decision, whether you want to get your license or not because you need to be dedicated to it and it has many sources to study
Then you need to find a company with a Registered Architect in it because most consulting companies don’t have an architect and when the layout is ready to submit to DOB they ask an outside Architect to review their job and sign.
Even if these companies approve your experience hours, there is no guarantee to be acceptable by the Board of Architecture.
Don’t waste your time if you have a goal, find a well-known company with an Architect inside the company, work under his/her supervision, and increase your knowledge about Building Code, Zoning Analysis, Energy Code, and your state DOB paperwork
If you want to know more about Floor Area Ratio (FAR) please click here
FAR is the first thing you need to calculate for any architectural job
Thank you for reading this post and good luck with your career
A building code architect is a specialist who ensures that a construction project adheres to the norms and standards set by the government and other organizations. Building codes, zoning codes , fire and safety standards are all types of codes and regulations that change by city and town . Building code architects are involved in all stages of the construction process, from design and planning to construction and final inspection. The job of a building code architect is essential to ensuring that the buildings in which we live are secure, sustainable, and ........................
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