ARBV Update

Edition 25, June 2026

Welcome to the June 2026 edition of the ARBV Update.

With 30 June fast approaching it has been a flurry of activity at the ARBV. This includes hosting our 10^th formal CPD webinar for the year on 16 June 2026. Pleasingly our CPD webinars continue to attract strong numbers, with a total of 10,863 attendees recorded for the year. Alongside our busy program of work, we have been fielding questions about the future of the ARBV. In response, we advise that the Government is still working through the proposal to consolidate the ARBV as part of a Business and Professions Regulator and has made a commitment to consultation before any changes are implemented. When details of the Government’s intentions are announced, updates will be provided.

Important information in this edition includes:

• A reminder that registration renewal is open and must be completed by 30 June to avoid payment of late fees
• An update about guidance material to support architects to transition to the Architects Regulations 2026
• A round-up on upcoming CPD webinars, release of our communication matters video series, and collaboration in upcoming public events with Open House Melbourne and Melbourne Home Show
• A link to our media release about building reform developments and how the changes may affect architects
• An overview of National Construction Code amendments adopted on 1 May 2026 and announcement about free access to the Australian Standards
• A reminder about how to maintain your CPD activities record
• Resources from whole of life carbon webinar.

Reminder: Renew your registration by 30 June 2026

Thank you to everyone who has already renewed their registration for FY27.

If you are still to complete renewal, please do so no later than 30 June 2026 as late fees will apply for applications received from 1 July 2026.

Failure to complete renewal by 31 July 2026 means you will no longer be registered and will be removed from the Register of Architects.

For instructions on how to log in to the ARBV Portal and complete renewal, please refer to the Registration Renewal Guides on our website. 

You must complete all renewal requirements relevant to your registration type via the ARBV Portal. If you follow the steps in the renewal process the information you need to provide is made clear and you will be able to complete your application.

Please note it is important your contact details are correct in the Portal, including employment information. For practising architects please ensure your employer information is correct before starting your renewal application.

If a company employer is paying for your renewal fee, the company must complete the payment in the ARBV Portal for the renewal to be processed.

If you are the sole director of an approved company with no employees and are experiencing financial strain by having to pay a company renewal fee in addition to your individual registration renewal fee, you may be eligible for a reduced company renewal fee. If you fall into this category, you can send an email to Registrar@arbv.vic.gov.au requesting a reduction of the company renewal fee.

If you have any queries or are having difficulty paying your renewal fee, please call us on 03 9417 4444.

Architects Regulations 2026 guidance materials

To supplement the resources already made available, the ARBV continues to work on developing guidance material to support architects to transition to the Architects Regulations 2026.

Guidance materials already available on our website include a side-by-side comparison of the new and the previous Code of Conduct; a summary of the Code changes; the ARBV’s webinar recording and slides about changes to the regulatory framework; and responses to key themes arising from questions about the changes. As most of the obligations in the new 2026 Code were in the 2015 Code, and the changes that have been made are aligned to professional standards already expected of architects, the new Code does not significantly add to the regulatory burden on Victorian architects.

Upcoming CPD webinars

The ARBV has successfully delivered 10 formal CPD webinars during the financial year and 10 CPD webinars are planned for FY27. Throughout the year, you can keep up to date about the CPD webinar program by checking the email reminders we send to you. 

Webinars on the following topics are planned in the coming months:

• August 2026 – Managing client communication
• September 2026 – Waterproofing and membrane roofs
• October 2026 - Overview of the NCC changes

Why communication matters video series

The ARBV is proud to announce that it has developed an 8-part video series in partnership with Antoinette Trimble and Allison Tsao from CPD for Architects (pictured above), designed to help architects practising in Victoria to communicate more effectively with their clients. Antoinette and Allison have previously worked with the NSW ARB to deliver communications guidance to architects practising in NSW. The ARBV will release 2 videos weekly starting on 24 June 2026. The videos will be hosted on our YouTube channel. The topics and release dates are listed below:

01 - Proactively Building the Relationship - 24 June

02 - Educating the Client - 24 June

03 - Setting Clear Expectations - 1 July

04 - Record Keeping - 1 July

05 - Managing Scope Creep - 8 July

06 - Communicating Bad News Early - 8 July

07 - Navigating Conflict with Clients - 15 July

08 - Promoting Your Value as an Architect - 15 July

Open House Melbourne

The ARBV is very pleased to be again collaborating with Open House Melbourne to deliver a guided walking tour as part of OHM’s July weekend events. The guided tour is about the architecture that shaped Melbourne shopping and we are very fortunate to have Dan Blake and Cara Banks of Conservation Studio leading the tour, which will visit Melbourne’s iconic shopping precinct along Bourke Street.

Two 90-minute tours will be held on Saturday, 25 July 2026 at 11am and 1pm. Open House Melbourne is opening registration for the weekend program of events at 5pm on 24 June 2026.

Melbourne Home Show

The Melbourne Home Show is being held from 21 to 23 August 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the ARBV will again be hosting a stand. We will have checklists and resources available to attendees, and ARBV staff will be on hand to explain what architects do and why it is important to engage a registered architect.

The ARBV will be at stand B37, come and say hi to the team!

National Construction Code amendments

On 1 May 2026, Victoria adopted the National Construction Code (NCC) 2025.  The NCC is an Australia-wide code, but each state has its own variations to the code.  The 2025 NCC contains a significant number of amendments to the Victoria-specific provisions of the Code, as well as amendments to the NCC more generally.

Important changes:

A significant change to the Code which may affect many architects in their design practices relates to stricter requirements for waterproofing. The changes are intended to address sub-surface water beneath finished surfaces such as balconies, concrete roofs and other horizontal parts of buildings. The changes are intended to ensure that practitioners don’t simply rely on the waterproof membrane but design to include falls and to minimise the impacts of structural movement that may cause membrane failure.  

Other important changes for architects to consider are:

• heightened condensation mitigation requirements, including:
  • mandatory drained and ventilated cavity systems for external walls in colder climate zones;
  • stricter requirements regarding the vapour permeance of building wraps and control layers; and
  • more detailed requirements for airflow and ventilation paths for walls and roofs.
• modernised requirements for amenities and accessibility, including:
  • an optional deemed to satisfy pathway for commercial buildings to include all-gender facilities; and
  • updated accessibility provisions via AS 1428.1.

Other significant changes relate to heightened requirements for fire safety in class 7a carparks and increased energy efficiency requirements for class 3 and class 5-9 buildings.

One of the more significant changes under the 2025 NCC relates to performance solutions under the NCC; where the design element relates to fire safety or structural reliability, the use of ‘Expert Judgement’ as an assessment method has been prohibited. 

Please note: this change was not adopted in Victoria. In Victoria ‘expert judgement’ can still be used as an assessment method for a performance solution, whereas in other states where this amendment has been adopted it cannot.

A useful list of the changes that apply across all 3 volumes of the 2025 NCC, as well as the many variations to the Victoria-specific provisions of the 2025 NCC has been prepared by the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) and by the Australian Building Codes Board. Refer to the links below:

vba.vic.gov.au/building/regulatory-framework/ncc-2022/ncc-2025-amended-variations

https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/ncc-2025/ncc-2025-key-changes

Commencement date:

The 2025 Code took effect in Victoria on 1 May 2026. For building projects where the project’s design was substantially progressed as at 1 May 2026, the previous version of the NCC will apply as determined by the relevant building surveyor.  For all other projects, the 2025 NCC will apply.

Implications for architects:

Architects should ensure that they familiarise themselves with all the changes that are relevant to the classes of building for which they carry out design work. 

The Australian Building Codes Board is holding a series of webinars from 25 June to 30 June to provide an overview of the NCC changes. The webinars are free but there are limited places, be sure to register.

Free online access to Australian Standards

A welcome change at Commonwealth level is a Federal Government commitment via the federal budget to sponsor public access to mandatory Australian Standards, as recommended by the Productivity Commission.  This should mean that architects and other practitioners in the building industry will  have access to the Australian Standards which are referenced in the NCC and published by Standards Australia without having to purchase them.

This is a recent announcement.  It is not clear how access will be implemented but it is likely that access will be provided via the Standards Australia website, with the Federal Government to provide funding to enable access to the standards.

How to maintain your CPD activities record

Architects registered in the practising class may be asked to provide the ARBV with a record of their CPD activities. You are required to maintain an accurate and current record of your activities at all times and retain these records for at least 5 years. 

How you choose to record your activities is up to you. For example, you may wish to record your CPD activities in an Excel spreadsheet or perhaps keep a hand-written record of activities in a diary. In addition to the record of activities, you should keep any documents which support your claimed CPD points, including certificates issued by CPD providers and booking records for presentations or seminars. 

Your record of activities should contain the following information:

1. Date of the activity
2. Name of the activity
3. Organisation providing the activity
4. Category of learning – formal or informal
5. Points you claimed against the CPD requirements
6. How the activity relates to specific performance criteria in the NSCA.

To assist you in categorising your CPD activities The ARBV website provides examples of formal and informal activities and the maximum hours you can claim per activity each year. The ARBV has created a CPD Activity Record template on the ARBV website for you to download here https://www.arbv.vic.gov.au/continuing-professional-development-architect.

Whole of Life Carbon and NSCA webinar resources

We had a very good turnout for the webinar held on 16 June 2026, with 1021 attendees joining the session. Our sincere thanks again to our expert panel Dr Dominique Hes and Professor Philip Oldfield for delivering the webinar. Set out below are resources about embodied carbon and whole of life carbon referred to during the webinar.

RAIA CPD course - Embodied Carbon

International Environmental Performance Data Library

Australasia Environmental Performance Data Library 

AIA-CLF Embodied Carbon Toolkit for Architects - Carbon Leadership Forum

NABERS Embodied Carbon

Green Building Council Australia upfront carbon calculator guide (PDF)