ARBV Update

Edition 9, June 2022

We would like to congratulate the Victorian architects who were appointed a Member of the Order (AM) in this year’s Queen's Birthday Honours list. The list recognises 992 Australians for their excellence and commitment to service, including:

Ms Kerstin Thompson, principal at Kerstin Thompson Architects, for significant service to architecture, and to tertiary education
Ms Phyllis Murphy, who practiced in Melbourne from 1949 until her retirement in the early 1980s, for significant service to architecture, and to built heritage conservation
Mr Joseph Lewit, public administrator and architect, for significant service to architecture, and to public administration

For the full list visit: www.gg.gov.au/queens-birthday-2022-honours-list

Reminder: Your registration fees are now due

To work as an architect in Victoria, you must be registered with the Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV). Registration helps ensure the quality and safety of Victoria's built environment and protects the reputation of the architectural profession. Thank you to everyone who has already renewed their registration this year.

The annual fees to renew your registration as an architect (practising) are due Friday, 1 July 2022. To renew your registration, log in the ARBV Portal and go to your 'Dashboard' and click on the 'Pay renewal' button.

The process for renewing your registration has changed given the introduction of the enduring fit and proper person requirement and mandatory CPD declaration. You must complete the declaration on the ARBV Portal as part of the renewal process. If you do not make the declaration it means your registration will not be renewed.

If you have requested that your employer pay for your renewal fees, the company must complete the payment in the ARBV Portal for the renewal to be processed.

For instructions on how to log in to the ARBV Portal and pay your renewal fees, please see the Registration Renewal Guide or view the video on our website.

What happens if you don’t pay your registration fees?

If you do not pay your annual fees and make your declaration, the ARBV may suspend your registration as per section 15 of the Architects Act 1991 (Vic).

If you are suspended you cannot:

provide architectural services
describe yourself as an architect
represent yourself as an architect.

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

Architects Registration Board of Victoria Professional Practice Award

ARBV CEO Dr Glenice Fox was proud to present the ARBV Professional Practice Award to University of Melbourne recipient Lachlan Welsh, at the Dean's Honours Awards on 5 May 2022.

Studying both his undergraduate degree and masters at the University of Melbourne, Lachlan’s views on architecture have evolved over time.

“With each subject I have taken, my mind has been expanded to the broad range of possibilities for architectural skills and knowledge.

Over the past year I have tried to think and design as adventurously as possible to uncover what the future may hold for me.

As I approach the end of the degree, I have plans to further lean into this bold form of critical experimentation.”

L-R: Dr Glenice Fox, Lachlan Welsh, Dr Djordje Stojanovic

Photographer: James Rafferty

Guideline: Continuing Professional Development

What you need to know: The Victorian Architects Code of Professional Conduct requires architects to maintain suitable skills and knowledge. The ARBV refers to this as a requirement for ‘continuing professional development’ or ‘CPD’. The requirement applies to architects registered in the practising class (architects (practising)).

From 1 July 2020, the ARBV requires architects (practising) to make a declaration that they have maintained suitable skills and knowledge for the architectural services they provided. The declaration will relate to the registration period immediately preceding renewal (i.e. for the period 1 July to 30 June).

See www.vic.gov.au/continuing-professional-development-architect for more information.

Case study: Failure to pay for services rendered

An architect engaged services on behalf of their client (the owner of the project) and the company issued invoices to the architect rather than the client. It was then up to the architect to pay the company AND issue invoices to the client for reimbursement. During the engagement the architect failed to pay several invoices.

A complaint was raised by the company for the following issues:

the architect failed to pay several invoices issued by the company, and
the failure of the architect to pay for services rendered by the company amounts to unprofessional conduct.

In a situation like this a failure by an architect to ensure consultants are paid in accordance with their respective terms of engagement could amount to a breach of clause 17 of the Victorian Code of Professional Conduct, which provides a duty to engender confidence and respect for the profession.

What you need to know:

It is important for architects to ensure that consultants they have engaged on behalf of clients are paid, a failure to do so means:

the ARBV can consider complaints from consultants in respect of non-payment
these complaints may cost the architect time and money to defend.

For more information on Professional Conduct visit our website.