A registered architect is listed on a building permit for the project they are contracted for. They must meet legal requirements and ensure safety codes are met. Communication and record-keeping are important, and the architect must be accountable for their documentation.
A registered architect is a firm or individual architect listed on a building permit for the building project for which they have been contracted. Permission is obtained by submitting an application, design drawings, and construction specifications to the appropriate regulatory authority for the area where construction is to take place. There may be more than one registered architect if several architects plan to work on a single project. A large firm may also enter into a working relationship with a local architect, whose name will appear on the application and permit.
Special skills may be required for construction in certain areas, such as those that are seismically active or have a specific type of soil. The local architect can oversee project operations and thus becomes the architect of record. In the United States, for example, that status means the firm has control of the project, according to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). The NCARB requires architects to ensure that appropriate legal requirements for registration are met, even when they outsource document preparation. It also describes the criteria for being responsible for project control.
According to NCARB guidelines, a registry architect should always be in control of what goes into the documents, know their contents, and be professional in their preparation. They should also keep records to make sure these criteria are met for a minimum of five years. The quality of communication is also emphasized, and as building permits are in place, email communications between all parties involved in the project should be established.
The architect should also be open to sharing technical files via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers for faster communication. Internet meetings and reviews are the best way for all parties to stay up to date on projects. The NCARB Model Law and Regulation guides architects on how to follow these rules when documents are being prepared elsewhere. A record architect must also be accountable at all times in handling his or her documentation in a professional manner.
Any registered architect is also responsible for ensuring that all safety codes are met during a project. This applies whether they are the lead firm for a project or are contracted out by a larger architecture firm. Regardless of record keeping control, most US states have enforced the NCARB standard and some have added requirements defining how the registry architect identifies himself on documents.
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