Does anyone have any information on, or experiences of, applying for both your part 1 and part 2 based solely on experience (10+ years and a relevant design degree)? With the possibility of then going on to do the part 3 at a later date.

I’ll be ploughing through the ARB website later, but for now I’m interested to hear peoples experiences of doing it, the amount of work involved and whether you noticed any real benefits. Other than the easy access to polar neck jumpers and old citroens.

Cheers

Almost certainly doomed to failure I’m afraid based on one of my guy’s experiences – why don’t you contact them directly.

Unless the work you can provide for the interviews comply with the RIBA guidelines and demonstrates all criteria (which it may) I suggest the same as aP above.

A girl at my practice came with a degree from abroad that was not recognised my the RIBA – she applied for an interview with the RIBA and the work to get her portfolio from the previous degree up to standard was considerable.

What is the relevant design degree? I’m sure a technology related degree such as ADTP or similar can be turned into a Part 1 qualification quite easily.

I’m about to do my part 3 – its been a long 7 years up to this point 🙂

Hmmmm. Thought it might be a bit of a closed shop.

The (possibly relevant) degree is in contemporary furniture design. Designing for large scale manufacture, none of that chiselling beautiful dove tails rubbish. Lots of design theory, proportional systems, design/art/architecture history, structural and manufacturing techniques. Just very small buildings really.

After that I spent a few years working at a couple of small practices learning the trade and doing a bit of everything. I’m now coming up to 8 years at my current practice, spent most of the first 4 years designing and running some big packages for a very large project, and have since worked on a bunch of competitions, fanciful projects in the middle east up to stage D and now about to embark on construction of another huge project. Basically everything from feasibility studies, very early concept design and all the way through construction. Pretty much the same work that the fully qualified architects at our place do.

I doubt having part 2 will further my career too much, I’m already an associate, but I’m really aware of lacking the contract knowledge you get from the part 3. And if I want to start running jobs this is something I will need to know.

It’s not a closed shop it’s a legally prescribed profession, akthough IMO the ARB is a pointless QUANGO that serves no specific purpose.
Where are you doing your P3 hoochylala? I took mine at the Bartlett in the last century…

So you want easy access to a profession. “Architect” is a legally protected word just like “Doctor”. Anybody that describes themselves as such must be appropriately qualified. The short route is 5 years full time education and two years practice. This is what the rest of the world is entitled to expect.

You presumably would be happy with a Doctor who got into the Royal College of Surgeons via a Boy Scouts First Aid badge and a summer job butchering carcasses in an abattoir.

Of course qualifying for ARB will be, and should be, difficult – at least as difficult as the seven years described above.

Agree with aP about ARB. It only exists because Government didn’t trust RIBA which is, and always has been, hopeless.

Architecture? Piece of piss these days. Just do a box and put some windows and a couple of doors in it.

Can’t imagine why you’d need any qualifications to do it really. Hardly an intellectually challenging profession.

@ elfinsafety. Shows how much you know about the construction industry! Might be true for the generic crap that large house developers throw out but it’s a different ball game when you work on £650 million pound retail & residential developments or when your working with old buildings that need a bit of traditional tlc and conservation work!

I’m not aware of anything of that sort for ARB recognition. I looked into the options myself and have started on the CIAT route instead ( POP record and interview) wanted something similar for architecture as I have already done four years