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UNIT IV

IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALISATION IN ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE

Globalisation (meaning, advantages)


WTO and GATS and their relevance to architectural profession in India
Pre-requisites for Indian architects to work in other countries
Preparedness and infrastructure requirements for global practice
Entry of foreign architects in India (views for and against)
Information Technology and its impact on architectural practice.

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Globalisation (meaning, advantages)

Globalization (or globalisation) is the process of


international integration arising from the
interchange of world views, products, ideas, and
other socio economic aspects of culture.

Economic globalization is the increasing economic


interdependence of national economies across the world
through a rapid increase in cross-border movement of
goods, service, technology and capital.

Chinese economic reforms 1980s product centric


Indian economic reforms 1991 service centric

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Advantages

GDP growth in developing countries will be high (up to 10% is possible)


Control of immigration
Improved living standards and health conditions
Literacy rates increase in developing nations (child labor is reduced as a consequence)
Military cooperation between countries
Environmental cooperation

Disadvantages

Social disintegration
Breakdown of democracy
Rapid and extensive deterioration of the environment
The spread of new diseases
Increasing poverty
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Harmness to cultural diversity
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GATT & WTO

GATT

GATT (GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS & TRADE )

INTRODUCTION OF WTO in INDIA

WTO was formed on 1st jan,1995.


It took over GATT (General Agreement On Tariffs & Trade).
In 8th round of GATT, popularly known as Uruguay round, member nations of GATT decided to
set up a new organization, World Trade Organization in place of GATT.

GATS
The main purpose for the creation of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)
was to create a credible and reliable system of international trade rules, which ensured fair
and equitable treatment of all countries on the principles of non- discrimination.
It aims at stimulating trade and development by seeking to create a predictable policy
environment wherein the member countries voluntarily undertake to bind their policy-
regimes relating to trade in services.
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OBJECTIVES OF WTO

The primary aim of WTO is to implement the new world trade agreement.
To promote multilateral trade .
To promote free trade by abolishing tariff & non-tariff barriers.
To enhance competitiveness among all trading partners so as to benefit consumers.
To increase the level of production & productivity with a view to increase the level of
employment in the world.
To expand & utilise world resources in the most optimum manner.
To improve the level of living for the global population & speed up economic
development of the member nations.
To take special steps for the development of poorest nations.

PRINCIPLES OF WTO
Non discrimination
Reciprocity (mutual benefits)
Binding and enforceable commitments
Transparency
Safety values
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WTO Vs GATT

WTO
GATT
It is permanent.
It was ad hoc & provisional.
It has legal basis because member nations
It had no provision for creating an
have verified the WTO agreements.
organization.
More authority than GATT.
It allowed contradictions in local law &
GATT agreements. It doesn't allow any contradictions in local
law .

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WTO AGREEMENTS
GATS
Banks, insurance firms, telecommunications companies, tour operators, hotel chains and transport
companies looking to do business abroad can now enjoy the same principles of freer and fairer trade
that originally only applied to trade in goods.
These principles appear in the new general agreement on trade in services (gats).

TRIPs
The WTOs intellectual property agreement amounts to rules for trade and investment in ideas and
relativity.
The rules state how copyrights, patents, trademarks, geographical names used to identify products,
industrial designs, integrated circuit layout-designs and undisclosed information such as trade secrets
intellectual property should be protected when trade is involved. In nutshell .

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM


The WTOs procedure for resolving trade quarrels under the dispute settlement understanding is vital for
enforcing the rules and therefore for ensuring that trade flows smoothly.
Countries bring disputes to the WTO if they think their rights under the agreements are being infringed.
Judgements by specially-appointed independent experts are based on interpretations of the agreements
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and individual countries commitments.
TPRM

THE TRADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISMS PURPOSE IS TO IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY, TO CREATE A


GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE POLICIES THAT COUNTRIES ARE ADOPTING, AND TO ASSESS THEIR
IMPACT. MANY MEMBERS ALSO SEE THE REVIEWS AS CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK ON THEIR POLICIES.

ALL WTO MEMBERS MUST UNDERGO PERIODIC SCRUTINY, EACH REVIEW CONTAINING REPORTS BY THE
COUNTRY CONCERNED AND THE WTO SECRETARIAT.

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Information Technology and its impact on architectural practice.

Architectural design requires immense amount of information for inspiration, creation, and construction of buildings. The process from the
initial conception to the finished product involves substantial knowledge and involvement of multidisciplinary agents, such as architects,
engineers, and planners as well as their collaboration. As buildings become more complex due to the introduction of innovative
technologies and increased awareness of social and communal needs, design process requires significant modifications of previous
practices to respond to newly emerging requirements. Improved environmental sensitivity, energy efficiency, integrated building systems,
life safety and security measures, as well as high performance are the driving factors at present. These factors might not result in the
development of new building types, but rather they change the nature of architectural discourse and practice and impact the design
process. In particular, integrated practice, use of virtual building, simulations, modeling, and analysis of design decisions have become
crucial.
Recent developments in information technology are providing means and methods for improvement of current practices to
respond to these changes.
Energy and thermal simulations, modeling of structural behavior, improved design representations, and enhanced collaboration
using digital media are being utilized in the design process.
Traditional CAD programs present data based on geometric entities, capturing the spatial relationships but not the domain-specific
information.
Building Information Model (BIM) provides a common database of information about a building including geometry and attributes.
The goal of BIM is to provide a common structure for information sharing that can be used by all agents in the design process and
construction, as well as for the facility management after a building is constructed and occupied.
BIM allows designers to fully use the concepts developed during the schematic design phase, advance data transfer into the design
development phase, and integrate visualization efforts into project development.
Integration as an approach and as a delivery method, entails advanced design methodology, and improved means of communication.
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Representations of architectural principles and knowledge are essential for the future implementations of information
technologies and advanced applications.

Information Technology and Design: Representation


Information technology has the potential of transforming current design processes into a network of design,
manufacturing, and management organizations where multiple professions are involved and geographic locations are
insignificant.
Understanding the future of architectural practice is even more challenging, since currently available computational
tools are starting to change processes.
When the architectural drawing was introduced, organization of work and image of practice changed, as well as
products.
Especially exigent are the tools that have the ability to represent what was formerly obtained through education and
practice, and the implicit values of architectural knowledge.
The difference between the past practices, where processes are distinct activities separated from the information that
direct the final product, and the future where information-centric integrated processes are essential.
It is important to note that the present is a transitional stage, where both approaches are present. Information-centric
methodologies for design depend on computational representations of design processes, knowledge and elements.

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Role of Information: Applications
Current information technologies allow for improved planning, visualization and simulation of growth, land use, and infrastructure control.
Virtual cities in conjunction with GIS offer navigable environment and effective digital simulation of real cities, which give planners and
designers an opportunity to visualize un-built spaces and interaction with the existing infrastructure.
Visualization and analysis of BIMs within virtual 3D city models are possible through integration of GIS and BIM data .
Virtual 3D city models represent objects and components of urban areas at a lower level of information detail and rely on spatial data.
An approach for integration is through distributed, heterogeneous web services and geo-visualization system, where BIM data is mapped on
building representation in GIS.
Besides integration of BIM and GIS data, there are also other advantages for combining other information technologies to assist the design
process.
For example, information over the web could be accessible through applications that internally contain knowledge-bases and links to various
data-sources.
Manufacturers of architectural products provide online catalogs and details; however, these are currently not formatted to allow a method
for accessing data internally.
BIM-based CAD and these new web-based technologies will change the information delivery and processing.
Moreover, integration of contextual aspects requires representation of the surrounding features and their effects on the building design, thus
comprehensive computational descriptions are needed to achieve further extension of information technologies in architectural design.
Virtual building and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are being increasingly used in architectural design practice. These methods consider
building as a common database of information, allowing for comprehensive representation, analysis, and information processing.
Web-based application, which utilizes the knowledge-based model for decision making process in architectural design, was presented. The
application integrates several functions necessary for schematic design: site analysis, energy analysis, material selection, collaboration, and
exploration. The benefit of this approach is that this system assists designer in the process, and aids the decision-making process.

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The Impact Of Information Technology On Design Methods, Products And Practices
Assessing the impact of technological revolutions especially fast paced ones like those induced by information
technology is difficult, especially when we are still in the midst, if not at the very beginning of the revolution.
The new technology promises to have major impacts:
The trend towards a more distributed yet integrated process of architectural design; the automation of
construction technologies and buildings themselves; and the emergence of an alternative inhabitable spaced
Cyberspace.
Architectural design is an information-centric enterprise: it analyzes current states of being and devises plans for
new states of being that are deemed preferable to the current ones.
To do so, it gathers and processes information from many different sources, re-arranges the information, produces
new information, simulates its expected impacts and evaluates its desirability.
The information it produces is then used by traditional, here to fore information-poor, practices to construct and
realize the outcomes of the design phase, which are later used by information- rich habitation practices.
Hence, a technological revolution that impacts information processing has the potential to affect the core
processes and products of architecture, and have a revolutionary effect on the profession and the discipline of
architecture.
It can do so by transforming the current strictly hierarchical design process into a network of design,
manufacturing, marketing, and management organizations, where the responsibility for design operations is
distributed across multiple professions, organizations, and geographic locations.
It can do so by transforming the access to the information from a sequential process into an interleaved one,
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where decisions are made in an a-synchronous yet coordinated manner.
PREPAREDNESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR GLOBAL PRACTICE
Architectural Services In Global Trade In Professional Services

Extent and Pattern


Architectural services continue to follow expanding foreign construction project markets. It reflects
changing patterns in domestic economic conditions. More recently it has been influenced by government
free trade agreements which have resulted in domestic clients taking their architects with them as they
expand their businesses to foreign markets. This globalization process is dominated by architectural
firms based in developed countries.
A period of rapid change, commencing in the early 1980s, in the electronic technology employed in
the provision of architectural services is a very significant driving force in the globalization process.
A firms commitment to, and ability to support, the ongoing changes in technology plays an
increasing role in their retaining a competitive position in global practice.
Since the mid-1990s the gradual increase in the numbers of negotiated and signed mutual
recognition agreements among architectural regulatory and professional bodies is beginning to show
the first signs of facilitating increased global practice.
The development since1994 of the first accepted and approved global architectural professional
practice and education standards are serving to enhance and facilitate increased global practice and
registration.
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Evolution in Recent Years
Within many developed countries, there is a steady progression towards the establishment of larger
architectural firms.
In the process of expanding architectural practices into foreign markets, architects are responding to a
rapidly changing set of building and code standards related to environment, sustainability, and disability
access standards that are often far different than what exists in their home country.
Beginning in the early 1980s the computer assisted design (CAD) programs radically changed the manner in
which architects were educated and worked. Such computer programs no longer require the architect to
draw by hand the building design and the construction working drawings.
The complete design process can now be done electronically.
The building specifications can now also be prepared electronically. They played a significant role influencing
and facilitating global practice.
Today, emerging systems such as building information modeling (BIM) are now in the early stages of yet
another major transformation of how architects will be working in relation to clients, product
manufacturers and contractors, both domestically and internationally.
Such a system electronically links all of the building project participants in a unified computer system which
greatly advances instant communications, expedites decision making and reduces opportunities for project
errors and omissions.
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It results in more cost effective projects which are able to be delivered on schedule.
Driving Forces

There are five major driving forces that take architects into global/foreign markets.

First are the clients undertaking design and building projects seeking the services of foreign
architects who have established an internationally renowned design reputation or who are
seeking the services for specialized building types.
The second are business decisions by clients encouraged and facilitated by free trade
agreements who then wish to take their established domestic client relationships with them
into an international arena.
Third are public agencies commissioning domestic architects for projects in foreign countries.
Fourth are architects winning public and private design competitions in foreign countries.
Fifth is the downturn in the domestic economy which results in architects turning to more
successful national economies seeking project commissions in those countries.

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Deciding the Form of Foreign Practice
Any architects working outside their own country are required to make both a legal and a business decision with
regard to engaging the regulatory regime in the host country.
The contractual relationship defines their respective responsibilities and how the client fee will be
apportioned.
This apportionment varies from project to project depending on the scope of work negotiated between the
foreign and domestic architects.
Most commonly the foreign architect carries the project through the entire design development process.
The domestic architect commonly prepares the working drawings and specifications, assumes responsibility for
adhering to codes of ethics, signing and stamping all of the building documents and assuring adherence to all
applicable building codes and regulations.
The local architect is also knowledgeable in the countrys language, construction bidding procedures and
construction supervision methods.
This approach avoids the necessity of the foreign architect becoming registered in the host country.
It is a common form of international practice.
If the foreign architect is making a business decision to maintain an ongoing professional business presence and
practice in a foreign country in order to be the sole architect of record, then it is necessary to become legally
registered in that country under the prevailing laws and regulations.
There are increasing instances of architectural firms in one country buying a firm in another country to expand
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their international practice.
Authorities Issuing Professional Licenses for Architects
The condition varies from country to country. There is no universal standard or system. There are four basic systems:
a) licenses granted by the national professional body;
b) licenses granted by the national public regulatory body;
c) licenses granted by the state public regulatory body; and
d) licenses granted by a national government ministry.
In countries where the state issues the license, such as the United States, a national system has been created
among the state issuing authorities, wherein a certificate can be secured from a national coordinating body
that makes the process of securing licenses in multiple states more efficient and less burdensome.
Such certificates are now becoming recognized instruments for application between countries signing mutual
recognition agreements for licensure, e.g. Canada and the United States.
A recent and expanding requirement for the retention of a professional license to practice architecture is that of
meeting new requirements and standards for continuing professional development.
In order to ensure that their registered architects are keeping current with new developments, increasing
numbers of public regulatory bodies are now requiring architects applying to renew their existing license to
provide documentation that they have met established minimal continuing education requirements in subject
areas such as health, safety and public welfare.
This development will come to have an important bearing on foreign architects from countries not yet having
such a requirement applying to renew their licenses in countries that do have such a requirement.

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Regulatory Requirements for Architects Working in a Foreign Country

There is no universal standard of regulatory requirements for architects working in a foreign


country. However, with the advent of regional public directives, e.g. the European Union, and
the development of mutual recognition agreements, e.g. North American Free Trade
Agreement, there are some emerging commonly recognized and acknowledged requirements.
There are two common requirements among national regulatory bodies for an applicant to
qualify for the registration examination - a university degree in architecture and a defined
period of professional internship and/or experience.
The applicant is required to pay a fee to take the licensing examination and in most countries
to renew the license once granted.
Other country and state requirements may include language proficiency, a personal interview,
and jurisdictional specific further technical examination requirements, e.g. seismic
engineering, arctic construction standards, etc. Examinations and interviews may be applied
by regulatory bodies in a discriminatory manner if they are not conducted in a fully
transparent manner.

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PRE-REQUISITES FOR INDIAN ARCHITECTS TO WORK IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Securing a Professional License in Another Country: Selected Examples
Example 1: A Registered Foreign Architect Securing Permission to Execute a Project in the Peoples Republic of China
Foreign architects are not presently permitted to secure a license to practice architecture in China. They are required to work in collaboration
with either a recognized Chinese design institute or a private firm. Professional Practice
In order to practice as a foreign architect in China one must first submit the following to the Ministry of Construction for their review and
approval:
1) A professional resume documenting ones credentials;
2) Examples of prior project experience;
3) copies of diplomas from schools of architecture; and
4) Proof of registration in ones home country.
The submission process is typically done through the project client who assumes the responsibility and burden of shepherding the required
submittals through the ministerial review process at the metropolitan, provincial and/or national level. These submissions are all done at
the contract phase of the project, in order that the government recognizes a foreign architect as a legitimate design entity. This is separate
from professional licensure and is repeated for every project since there is not yet a centralized record data base to document that once
registered one is in fact a legitimate design entity.

Professional Licensure
Foreign architectural firms opening and maintaining an office in China can be registered in China as a Wholly Foreign Owned Entity (WFOE) to
perform work only as a design consultant for architectural and planning services. Such foreign firms cannot be the architect of record for a
project in China. As a recognized WFOE, such firms can officially stamp (chop) or sign letters of notice and contracts. They cannot officially sign
and stamp (chop) project working drawings. All design work is submitted to the client and to authorizing entities in conjunction with a local
architectural design institute, who along with a small number of emerging private architectural offices, are the only entities recognized by the
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Pre-requisites for Indian architects to work in other countries
Example 2: A Registered Foreign Architect Securing a License in Japan
The applicant applies to the Architectural Licensing Board within the national governments Ministry of Construction for a First Class
Architect/Engineer Licenser.
The professional license is issued only by the national government; there are no Prefecture issued licenses. There are three alternative routes to
securing this license.
1. First, the foreign applicant can register for and take the official examination, which is given once a year and only in Japanese.
2. Second, if the foreign applicant has:
a) a valid professional license in their home country;
b) significant practice experience; and
c) is a recognized architect of world renown, they may submit an application and sit for an interview.
3. Third, if the foreign applicant has:
a) held a valid professional license in their home country for a period of at least ten years; and
b) worked in Japan under the direct supervision of a licensed Japanese architect for a period of at least three years, they submit an
application. The application, in addition to affidavits documenting their education and professional work experience, includes: a)
official education transcripts; b) summary descriptions of course work;
c) a description of the contents of the registration examination already taken and passed together with a certified copy of the
applicants licensing exam results; and d) a dossier of work experience accompanied with signed letters from past employers.
Upon acceptance of these submitted materials, the applicant is invited to take a written essay examination. The examination is offered
once a year. The essay exam consists of three two-hour essay questions; the topics of which are unknown beforehand. The only reference
material allowed in the examination is a dictionary. The essays may be written in Japanese or in English. If in English, the applicant is
required to submit an authorized translation in Japanese within two weeks of the test. The applicant pays a one time fee of approximately
$600 and is issued a license. There is no renewal required and the architect may maintain the license for a lifetime.
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Example 3: A Registered Architect in the United Kingdom Seeking Registration in Another Member State of the European
Free Trade Area
The 1985 European Economic Community Architects Directive is the basis for mutual recognition of architectural
qualifications within the Member States of the European Union and Switzerland.
The Directive provides that a person who: a) is a national of a Member State; b) holds an approved qualification obtained in
the EU/EEA/Switzerland; c) if required by the host State, has completed a specified period of practical training experience;
and d) complies with any additional local requirements will be eligible for professional recognition and the right to hold the
title architect in another Member State. Recognition is not automatic and is subject to a formal application procedure
that includes the submission of required supporting documentation and payment of the relevant fees in each Member
State. In most States, recognition is conferred by means of statutory registration. The terms of the Directive apply only to
individuals; it does not provide for the mutual recognition of architectural firms.
For an architect in the United Kingdom licensed by the Architectural Registration Board (ARB) seeking registration in
another European Economic Area Member State or Switzerland, the following procedure is followed: A request is made to
the designated national Competent Authority for the necessary application forms and information on applicable fees and
other conditions. The normal application consists of: a) a certificate of nationality or passport; b) original or certified copy of
degree, diploma or other evidence of qualification; c) certification by the UK ARB that the applicants qualification is
accredited under the terms of the Directive; d) if required by the host Member State, certification by the UK ARB of the
applicants practical training experience; and e) additional evidence, if required, e.g. certification of disciplinary record with
the UK ARB. Certified translations must accompany any documents submitted in a language other than that of the host
State. Some Member States may require evidence of: a) good character and repute; b) no previous bankruptcy; and c)
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current professional indemnity insurance.
Example 5: A Registered Architect in India Seeking Registration in the United States
The national coordinating registration body within the United States, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), has two
paths for foreign architects seeking registration in the United States where there is no existing Mutual Recognition Agreement: a) under the
provisions of the "Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect"; or b) under the provisions of the "Foreign Architect". India does not qualify for such a
determination since Indian national law governing the registration of architects requires that an architect registered in India must be a resident
of India. Such a legal requirement is viewed by NCARB as a barrier to free trade in architectural services.

Under the Foreign Architect path, the applicant would have to follow and meet the requirements:
1. Submission of an NCARB Council Record which records the basic information concerning the applicants current status,
professional background and existing national registration.
2. Education - The applicant would be expected to hold a university professional degree in architecture. They would be required to
have this post-secondary education evaluated by the U.S. National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) to determine its
equivalency to the NAAB university standards for schools of architecture. Should the applicant hold a degree from a U.S. NAAB
accredited school of architecture this condition would be met.
3. Professional Training - The applicant would be expected to document that they had engaged in the equivalent amount of
professional internship training experience as that required of U.S. applicants. If the applicant can document that they have served for
4. A minimum of five years as a principle in an architectural practice, no additional professional training experience is required.
5. Examination - Having met the two previous conditions, the applicant would then take and pass the standard, computer
administered Architect Registration Examination.
If India were to qualify for the Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect provisions, the applicant would have to document: a) holding a
university professional degree in architecture; b) holding a valid current national registration to practice architecture; c) submitting a
dossier demonstrating seven years of experience in the practice of architecture in positions of responsible control; d) no record of
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Emerging Issues Related to Working Abroad
Off shoring and outsourcing has been made possible by the advances in international communications and the availability
of standardized architectural computer programs on a global basis. The outsourced locations are presently determined by:
a) a common language; b) a professionally educated labor force; and c) an established and stable base of the rule of law.
It commonly permits architects doing the outsourcing to: a) work on an expedited schedule due to international time
differences; b) in a time of rapidly expanding commissions to find qualified architects when they are not readily available in
their home country; c) avail themselves of qualified foreign professional services without having to increase the size of their
domestic staff; d) have the necessary work done on a lower cost basis than would be possible in their home country; e)
establish a business relationship with foreign architects who have often been educated and practiced abroad before
returning to their home country; and d) establish and/or expand a foreign basis for future international commissions. At
present the work outsourced is generally confined to the development of architectural working drawings and the
preparation of presentation models and renderings.
The foreign outsourcing architect enters into such an arrangement when it is determined that it there is an economic
reason for doing so, e.g. it may allow their domestic client fee proposal to be more competitive and/or allow for the
architect to provide more design development services to the client rather than having those costs devoted to the
preparation of detailed working drawings. Outsourcing of architectural services does not and should not be a barrier to
entry for architects from developing into developed countries. In a diverse and well managed outsourcing services contract,
the service providers should be a position to gain ever-increasing professional experience that would be to their benefit
should they seek licensure in the partner contract country. The 2006 AIA Firm Survey indicated that 8 percent of American
firms have sent domestic work offshore. Another study has projected that by 2009 20 percent of American firms will send
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work offshore.
REGULATORY ARCHITECTURAL REGIMES IN ORIGIN COUNTRIES
Depending on the country the foreign architect may face difficulties in: a) securing a business visa; b) meeting custom regulations that restrict or inhibit
bringing architectural documents, materials and models into the country (although this situation has been largely changed by the development of the
Internet); c) establishing a business presence; d) restrictive practices on the movement of business earnings out of the country; and e) discriminatory
tax policies and regulations.
Recommended Regulatory Standards
The 1999 UIA Accord identifies the recommended basic elements of a domestic regulatory standard for architects. The recommended standards
include and define the following specific elements:
1. The practice of architecture;
2. Regulating the conduct of registered architects;
3. Legal authorization for the registration body;
4. Rules of conduct for the registration body;
5. Registration qualifications;
6. A qualified educational degree;
7. Post-degree professional training;
8. The architectural examination;
9. A post-examination personal interview;
10. Acceptable moral character;
11. Reciprocity with other registration bodies;
12. The process and procedure for a non-resident seeking to practice;
13. The process and procedure for a non-resident seeking a commission;
14. The procedures for entrants into architectural competitions;
15. Accepted forms of professional practice;
16. Accepted corporate structures of professional practice;
17. The conditions governing the creation and registration of a firm name;
18. Conditions governing the engagement of an architect during the construction project; and
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19. How unregistered individuals are precluded from practicing architecture
ENTRY OF FOREIGN ARCHITECTS IN INDIA (VIEWS FOR AND AGAINST)
Foreign Architects in India
The profession and practise of architecture in India has undergone a complete transformation in this decade. The last eight years have been
a boom time, not seen since the heady days of Post Indipendance India.
The booming economy and the burgeoning middle class has prompted developers to bring in foreign architects with foreign fees
to design everything from airports to residential and office towers and bungalows and resorts.
Foreign architects bring in the tried and tested processes and function precision to bring about a complete turnaround in the way
projects are designed and built. They pair up with Indian firms who have the expertise on the ground to get things done and built.
Foreign architects for the most part are bringing in foreign solutions and design principles which may not all work in India, but the
public does not think a second before lapping it all up. We are literally bringing New York, Chicago, Tokyo or Shanghai to Bombay, Delhi,
Calcutta, Madras and countless other towns and cities.
Only time will tell if this is successful in the long term. India is not the only place in the world where this is happening. China is way ahead of
us in transplanting urban fabric from the West into their cities.
" Time was when there was only the occasional eruption of concrete. Today, Indias skyline is a work in progress. But while the towering new
skyscrapers, sprawling IT parks, glitzy airports and swanky townships reflect desi aspirations, the blueprint, more often than not, is foreign.
But does India really need foreign architects or is it just about getting a brand on the brochure? Most builders agree its as much about star
power as it is about international quality. After all, well-heeled buyers respond to designers with international reputations as much as they
respond to a luxury label like Gucci or Prada. When people purchase an expensive apartment, a famous architect is extra validation theyre
making a good choice,
The selection of an international architect or planner is driven by the unique needs of the project. For instance, the 325-acre Mahindra World
City project is one of the largest such developments under implementation and to that extent the width and depth of on-ground
implementation experience is currently available only with international firms who have conceived and implemented such projects in different
parts of the world,
Its a win-win for Indian architects as well. Working with foreign firms gives us exposure to international standards. There is a lot to learn
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from their use of detailing and modern materials,
Whether its slum housing or a swanky township, India is essential to the design inputs. Education and social interaction
are both important to Indians so our designs will reflect these needs. So residential units would have schools nearby and
public spaces for people to interact, he says. Besides projects like the Jet Airways headquarters in Mumbai, SOM is also
working in Tier-II cities like Ahmedabad and Nagpur.

Be it the Indian ethos or the vagaries of its climate, Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott keeps it in mind when he is on the
drawing board. Ott, who has designed a techno park for Tata Consultancy Services at Siruseri, Chennai, in association
with countryman Carlos Ponce de Leon, says, I am constantly studying the history and traditions of India, hoping to
integrate some of its characteristics in my buildings. And though my work is definitely contemporary, the clues from the
past are integrated in a modern vocabulary.

Ott is building on the work that earlier foreign architects have done in India. Apart from Lutyens and Le Corbusier,
several other international architects have showcased their designs in India. Ahmedabads Indian Institute of
Management reflects Louis Kahns trademark style of veering towards monolithic masses resembling ancient
ruins. Christopher Charles Benninger designed the Mahindra United World College of India, near Pune. British-born
Laurie Baker planned the Fishermens Village in Poonthura in Kerala, while American Joseph Stein gave shape to Delhis
India International Centre.

Now, a new generation of foreign architects has designs on India. And their glittering computer-generated images look
set to redefine the countrys skyline. "
14-09-2015 Sem 9 Batch 2001-2016 Section B 30
SECTION 15 FOREIGN ARCHITECTS
Recognition of architectural qualifications granted by authorities in foreign countries -

(1) The Central Government may, after consultation with the Council, direct, by notification in the Official Gazette, that an
architectural qualification granted by any university or other institution in any country outside India in respect of which
a scheme of reciprocity for the recognition of architectural qualification is not in force, shall be a recognised qualification for
the purposes of this Act or, shall be so only when granted after a specified date or before a specified date :
Provided that until the first Council is constituted the Central Government shall, before issuing any notification as aforesaid,
consult the expert committee set up under the proviso to sub-section (2) of section 14.
(2) The Council may enter into negotiations with the authority in any State or country outside India, which by the law of
such State or country is entrusted with the maintenance of a register of architects, for settling of a scheme of reciprocity for
the recognition of architectural qualifications, and in pursuance of any such scheme, the central Government may, by
notification in the Official Gazette, direct that such architectural qualification as the Council has decided should be
recognised, shall be deemed to be a recognised qualification for the purposes of this Act, any such notification may also
direct that such architectural qualification shall be so recognised only when granted after a specified date or before a
specified date.
COA (Council of Architecture) Has left opportunities for reciprocity between different architectural councils, however, no
such agreement has been made yet.

14-09-2015 Sem 9 Batch 2001-2016 Section B 31


14-09-2015 Sem 9 Batch 2001-2016 Section B 32
Information Technology and its impact on architectural practice.
Preparedness and infrastructure requirements for global practice
Pre-requisites for Indian architects to work in other countries
Entry of foreign architects in India (views for and against)

IMPACT OF FOREIGN ARCHITECTS ON PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

INFRASTRUCTURE & PREREQUISITES FOR PRACTICE IN ABROAD

IN UNITED KINGDOM

MIDDLE EAST

UNITED STATES

AUSTRALIA

14-09-2015 Sem 9 Batch 2001-2016 Section B 33

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