United States, Canada and Mexico to recognise each other’s architects

Most countries require anyone calling themselves an architect to have completed a certain amount of formal education and practical training and the title is protected by law. The organisation was described as   «crackers» and «pathetic» when it then wrote to Dezeen, demanding an article on John Pawson be amended for the same reason. In 2012, Britain’s Architects Registration Board was criticised for writing to journalists demanding that they cease describing Renzo Piano and Daniel Libeskind as architects because they were not registered in the UK. «Throughout the process, the underlying goal has been to remove barriers and provide qualified architects the opportunity to offer professional services across borders while ensuring the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare,» said NCARB in a statement. News:   architectural licensing bodies in the United States, Canada and Mexico have forged an agreement to   allow architects to work across North American borders. The issue of cross-country licensing   has proven problematic for architects as design and construction become increasingly global industries. Currently, individuals   have to register with the governing body of each country to be able to legally call themselves architects   when working abroad. The new agreement means architects in North America will only need to be licensed in their home country to work across the continent – providing they satisfy a set of criteria. The Tri-National Mutual Recognition Agreement for the International Practice of Architecture requires participants to have   an architecture degree from a recognised accrediting body and 10 years of experience. Following a decade of negotiations, the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) in the US and the Federacion de Colegios de Arquitectos de la Republica Mexicana (FCARM) have finalised an agreement that will   allow   registered   architects to work across all   three countries. The North American agreement echoes the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) of 1994, which created the world’s largest free trade area and which prompted the reassessment of architectural regulations in the three nations.