Architects will be able to design abroad without any problems

Until recently, the naming of architectural fields was incompatible with the rest of Europe, which often caused problems for Czech architects when it came to recognizing their qualifications abroad, where they were then unable to design. Thanks to an amendment to the law on the recognition of professional qualifications, which came into effect at the beginning of July, the fields will finally align more closely with European nomenclature. The changes have a fundamental impact on the practice of the architect profession both in our country and abroad.

The Czech Chamber of Architects has long sought changes in the naming of fields related to the practice of the authorized architect profession. As stated by Jiří Plos, the secretary of the Czech Chamber of Architects, "the titles used here so far were based on terms established during the socialist education system and did not correspond to the nomenclature used in today's Europe." The current amendment to Act No. 18/2004 Coll., on the recognition of professional qualifications, was a suitable opportunity for the Chamber to eliminate inconsistencies and bring the field designations into line with European law and tradition. Mutual recognition of the professional qualifications of architects would certainly be addressed by special agreements between individual countries and the Czech Republic, which, however, need not be drawn up thanks to the recently approved change in the law.

Currently, more and more architects are seeking commissions not only in our country but also abroad. The greatest interest in designing is primarily in neighboring countries, but other European countries and distant lands are not left out. For a Czech architect to operate outside the Czech Republic, however, that state must recognize his professional qualifications obtained in his homeland. He usually presents a university diploma, demonstrates experience in the field, and provides evidence of authorization issued by the Czech Chamber of Architects. The Chamber will now issue authorizations designated as: "authorized architect," "authorized urban planner/authorized architect for spatial planning," and "authorized landscape architect." If he meets the requirements for all three fields, he may obtain the authorization "authorized architect with general competence."

Before the fundamental change in the naming of fields, many Czech authorized architects faced problems with the recognition of their qualifications abroad. This was particularly evident among holders of the authorization "architect for building construction," which other states interpreted as a narrower specialization. Misunderstandings occurred when translating the name of this field, and the consequences of this conceptual confusion led to some countries including only certain types of above-ground structures in this category. To exaggerate, it would mean that holders of this authorization could not design even a basement for a family house or the solution for adjacent land. Complications regarding the recognition of qualifications also arose in neighboring Slovakia, where, unlike us, there has long been a broader designation for the field of "authorized architect." Therefore, the Slovaks recognized only our broadest authorization "architecture without specification of the field," which has now been positively renamed to "architecture with general competence," but they will now also recognize holders of the original authorization "building construction." Hence, the name "building construction" will be abolished for Czech architects and replaced with the broader and more general term "authorized architect," while the field of building construction will continue to be under the jurisdiction of construction engineers registered with the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians active in construction.

An authorized architect can now operate without problems in the fields of construction and urbanism (up to the municipal zoning plan). An authorized architect for spatial planning can, as before, address not only the zoning plans of municipalities but also documents corresponding to higher planning levels at the regional and state levels. The scope of activity and recognition of the authorized landscape architect remains unchanged and pertains to the design of gardens and landscapes.

Engineers associated with ČKAIT should also follow a similar path, as a considerable number of fields and specializations for which ČKAIT grants authorizations do not correspond to the European tradition of holistic professional practice.

The amendment to the law also relates to technical changes. The Czech Chamber of Architects is obliged to replace the stamps and certificates of most authorized architects by June 30, 2009. This exchange will affect current holders of authorizations for the fields: building construction (BC), authorization without specification (A), and garden and landscape modifications (GLM).

Another point accompanying the amendment to the law on professional qualifications is the change in the conditions of recognized education for the field of architecture. Jiří Plos explained that "a necessary condition for the recognition of the education of an architect will be, similarly to doctors, lawyers, or judges, a master's degree concluded with a diploma thesis and state final exam, not just a bachelor's degree with proven five years of practice."

The law has also changed the functioning system of limited liability companies. If authorized architects practice as partners in a limited liability company established for the purpose of practicing the profession, authorized persons must be predominantly represented among both partners and executives. If a given company has a sole partner or executive, it may only be an authorized person.

The last substantial change is the explicit mention of the Czech Chamber of Architects as the issuer of performance and documentation standards for the activities of architects, which this institution can then approve as its internal regulations. This opens up the possibility of effectively unifying the conditions and requirements for practicing the profession, which also relates to the amount of fees that architects charge for their work. Such price lists would be issued by another independent institution in connection with the standards issued by the CKA.