A.

ARCHITECT’S ACT, 1972

The Act provides for registration of Architects, standards of education, recognized qualifications and
standards of practice to be complied with by the practicing architects. It can briefly to be studied under the
following heads:
(a) Use of title: ‘Architect’: A person is prohibited from using the title and style of ‘Architect’ unless he is
a person registered in the Register of Architects (Section 37).
(b) Council of Architecture: The act provides for the establishment of COA, a body corporate consisting
of members from institutions, councils, central and state government nominees. The members elects
president and vice president of the council from among them.
(c) Qualifications for Registration: Bachelor of Architecture Degree or Diploma awarded by Indian
universities established by an act central or state legislature.
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B. ROLE OF COA AS PROFESSIONAL BODY IN ARCHITECTURE

COA is a body corporate established under the architect’s act, 1972, consisting of members from
institutions, councils, central and state government nominees; and charged with the responsibility to
regulate the education and practice of profession throughout India.
Necessity of Registration with COA: It is very important that every qualified Architect, desirous of carrying
on the profession of ‘Architecture’ be registered with the COA because any reference in law to an Architect,
shall be deemed to be a reference to an Architect registered under the Act. For the purpose of registration,
one must possess the requisite qualification as mentioned in the Architects Act, after having undergone the
education in accordance with the Council of Architecture Regulations. The registration with the Council of
Architecture entitles:
(a) A person to practice the profession of Architecture, provided he holds a Certificate of Registration with
up-to-date renewals.
(b) A person to use the title and style of Architect.
Membership and Constitution
 Five architects elected by the IIA from among its members:
 Two persons nominated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
 Five persons elected from among themselves by heads of architectural institutions in India.
 The Chief Architects in the Ministries of the Central Govt.
 One person nominated by the Central Government.
 An architect from each State nominated by the Government of that State.
 Two persons nominated by the Institution of Engineers (India) from among its members.
 One person nominated by the Institution of Surveyors of India from among its members.
Functions of COA
 To appoint the registrar and other such officers and, necessary to carry out its functions.
 To maintain proper account of finance and a register of architects registered under the act.
 To renew the registration from time-to-time - remove the name of the architects from the register either
on his own application or when he is dead or on account of other moral misconduct.
 To furnish reports, copies of minutes and other information to central government.
 To Issues of registration certificate and also duplicate if necessary

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Powers of COA
 Power to acquire, hold and dispose of the property both movable and immovable.
 Powers to make regulations and prescribe minimum standard of architectural education and
professional conduct and etiquette and a code of ethics for architects.
 Powers to appoint inspectors to inspect any college or institution where architectural education is given
or to attend an examination conducted by such bodies for the purpose of recognition of architectural
qualifications granted by such bodies.
Procedure for Registration
An application for registration is addressed to the Registrar of the Council along with a prescribed fee. The
documents to be submitted for Registration include:
(i) Application form in duly filled in and signed by the applicant.
(ii) Attested Copy of Birth Certificate and Marriage Certificate.
(iii) The recognized architectural qualification certificate.
(iv) The attested copies of mark sheets for all the semesters/years.
(v) A duly attested copy mark sheet of 10+2 or equivalent examination.
(vi) A demand draft (Non-refundable) drawn in favor of ‘Council of Architecture’.
In what circumstances is an architect not registered?
1. If he has not paid the registration fee or renewed the registration.
2. If he does not hold a qualification or has not successfully completed the Architecture course.
3. If his name has been removed from the register for some act of professional misconduct.
4. If the Architect has been convicted of any offence which involves moral turpitude.
5. If the Architect has been adjudged by a competent court to be of unsound mind.
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C. ROLE OF IIA AS PROFESSIONAL BODY IN ARCHITECTURE

In 1917, a group of ex-students of architecture of Sir J.J. School of art decided to form a Student’s
association of Architecture. Later when the members showed steady progress and the status of the
association improved, in 1922 it was formally named as ‘Bombay Architectural Students Association;
before it as converted into IIA in 1929. IIA is the national body of architects in our country having more
than 12000 members today.
Six Classes of Membership:-
1. Honorary Fellows - any individual who is not necessarily a qualified architect but has contributed to
the growth of architectural profession.
2. Associates - any person who has attained the age of 21 and graduated from one of the institutions
registered with council of architecture.
3. Students - a student enrolled in any one of the architectural institutions – can on application, become a
student member.
4. Licentiates - any person who is registered with COA is eligible to apply for licentiate member.
5. Retired members - any fellow, associate or licentiate after attaining the age of 55 and on completely
retiring from service or profession can apply for this post.
6. Subscribers - a subscriber shall be either a person who was a member of the Bombay architectural
association at the time of adoption of the original constitution of the institute, or a person who in the
opinion of the council is likely to render assistance in promoting the objects of the institute.

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Roles of IIA
1. Major role in promoting the profession of architects by uniting and organizing the architects of India
to promote aesthetic, scientific and practical efficiency of the profession.
2. It encourages the science and the art of planning and building the standards of architectural education,
training and practice, by making grants to Institutions, or by paying or assisting to pay the fees and
expenses of students or by providing and giving scholarships, prizes or other rewards to such students.
3. It devises and imposes the means for testing the qualifications of the candidates for admission to
membership of the Institute, by examination in theory and in practice.
4. It looks into all factors affecting the practice of architecture and amendments in the law relating to or
affecting the practice of Architecture.
5. It holds conferences or meetings for the discussion of, and the exchange of news and matters affecting
or relating to architecture, the reading of papers and the delivery of lectures etc.
6. It co-ordinates the activities of the building industry and of the Profession of Architecture.
7. It acquires by purchasing, donation, request or otherwise a library and collection of models, drawings,
designs or other materials.
Difference in COA and IIA
• COA has remained a body which primarily maintains a registry of Architects and monitors the
minimum standards of architectural education in India.
• The COA, by virtue of the limitations of the Act and its purpose, has not endeared itself to its
Registrants. Registered architects are not ‘members’ of the Council of Architecture, it only registers
and looks over the control of education in countless schools of Architecture. In this way COA is
different from the IIA.
• Thus, COA is a regulatory body while IIA is more like a club – with programs, cocktail dinners and
workshop-conventions.

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