The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the Conselho de Arquitetura e Urbanismo do Brasil (CAU/BR) have entered into an agreement of cooperation to exchange information and share best practices for regulating architectural licensure and ensuring professional standards are in place to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
“NCARB is pleased to be in a position to help Brazil strengthen and solidify its regulatory approach governing architects,” said NCARB President Dale McKinney, FAIA, NCARB. “We are also excited to learn from Brazil’s activities, including its effective national system of monitoring various aspects of architectural practice.”
Representing about 110,000 architects, CAU/BR was established in 2010 to regulate the practice of architecture.
The signed agreement—created when the two organizations met in December at the 2014 International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress in Durban, South Africa—ensures the exchange of information on procedures, standards, and best practices concerning architectural regulation. The Brazilian organization is interested in learning more about continuing education for architects and gaining more understanding about NCARB, organized in 1919, and its programs required for licensure, including the Architect Registration Examination (ARE), the Intern Development Program (IDP), and the NCARB Education Standard, which establishes the requirements of a professional degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).
CAU/BR has also recently established relationships with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and NAAB to help CAU/BR support its practitioners and establish an accreditation process for the country’s 300 schools of architecture.
NCARB, on behalf of its jurisdictions, is also meeting with other countries to open the door to embracing more globally connected practices. In December 2014, NCARB and the architectural authorities of Canada and Mexico forged a new Tri-National Mutual Recognition Agreement. The agreement makes it possible to recognize an architect’s credentials across North American borders.