Commonwealth association of architects (CAA)

1 Update June 2022
2 Introduction
3 Governance
4 Validation
5 Activities
6 External links
7 Related articles on Designing Buildings

[edit] Update June 2022

On completion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM2022) in Kigali, Rwanda, Heads of Government have adopted a Declaration to prioritise a greater focus on sustainable urbanisation to address the impacts of rapid urbanisation and climate change in the Commonwealth, to ensure liveable cities, towns and villages for all Commonwealth citizens.

Recognising that Commonwealth countries are projected to account for nearly 50% of the projected growth in the world’s urban population to 2050, and that cities are responsible for over 70% of global carbon emissions, the Declaration acknowledges the need for integrated strategies to deliver safe and sustainable urbanisation and to support cities to mobilise resources to develop scalable programmes to address key challenges while reducing risk and vulnerability.

The Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, remarked during the closing Press Conference that “These Declarations provide the guiding framework for the work of the Commonwealth over the coming period”.

Commonwealth partners: the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum welcomed the Declaration noting that this reinforces the Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth which was developed through a Commonwealth-wide consultative process in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda and The Prince’s Foundation and published in 2021.

The Call to Action is, in part, a product of the Declared Actions arising from the 10th UN-Habitat World Urban Forum which took place in Abu Dhabi in 2020 and Commonwealth partners will be travelling to Katowice in Poland this week for the 11th World Urban Forum, at which they will be working to consider the ways in which the Call to Action, and the Declaration, can both be used to inform the development of collaborative programmes of practical action and knowledge sharing.

During the course of the week, leaders from 20 national architecture, engineering, and planning associations from Africa and beyond came together to sign a collaboration commitment (The Kigali Commitment) in support of the Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth.

The partners to the Call to Action look forward to supporting the Government of Rwanda during its term as Commonwealth Chair in Office and to ensuring that the momentum and support for a greater focus on sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth achieved at the CHOGM is reflected in practical actions towards a more sustainable urban future for all.

Update by P.Oborn Sr. Vice President - CAA

For further information see external links below

[edit] Introduction

The Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) is a membership organisation for professional bodies representing architects in Commonwealth countries. It was formed in 1965 and currently (2022) has 35 members, listed below.

Antigua Barbuda Institute of Architects
Royal Australian Institute of Architects
Institute of Bahamian Architects
Institute of Architects Bangladesh
Barbados Institute of Architects
Architects Association of Botswana
Cyprus Civil Engineers & Architects Association
Fiji Association of Architects
Ghana Institute of Architects
Guyana Institute of Architects
Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Jamaica Institute of Architects
Architectural Association of Kenya
Lesotho Architects Engineers & Surveyors Association
Malawi Institute of Architects
Kamra Tal-Periti
Namibia Institute of Architects
New Zealand Institute of Architects
Nigerian Institute of Architects
Institute of Architects Pakistan
Papua New Guinea Institute of Architects.
Rwanda Institute of Architects.
Sierra Leone Institute of Architects
Singapore Institute of Architects
South African Institute of Architects
Sri Lanka Institute of Architects
St Kitts and Nevis Institute of Architects
St. Lucia Association of Architects
St. Vincent & The Grenadines Institute Of Architects
Architectural Association of Tanzania
Trinidad And Tobago Institute Of Architects
Uganda Society of Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
Zambia Institute of Architects
Zimbabwe Institute of Architects

CAA and its members subscribe to a set of core values, in particular, developmental support to the smaller and younger members. As a Commonwealth network, it considers itself increasingly valued as a means of accelerating improvement in the world’s living conditions and ensuring a sustainable future for the planet. The built environment has a key part to play and CAA works to ensure the maximum participation of the architectural profession at all levels. The CCA highlights the need for and benefits of international connections, through networks in a globalised world that faces pan-global issues.

[edit] Governance

The CAA is a UK registered charity governed by a General Assembly of Member delegations which meet at least once every three years, with each member having one vote irrespective of size. The membership is grouped into 5 regions (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania).

The Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the Charity complies with the requirements of the UK Charity Commission in particular sound financial management and that activity remains within constitutional mandate. The Trustees also make an annual report including independently examined accounts to the Charity Commission.

A Council comprising; President; Immediate Past President; Honorary Secretary/Treasurer; 5 regional Vice Presidents; Chairs of Communication, Education and Practice Committees manages the association.

[edit] Validation

Since 1968 one of the activities of the CAA has been to run a validation system for architecture education across 68 schools in 12 countries. It regularly publishes “a List of Schools of Architecture whose qualifications it considered, after inspection, to be a sufficient standard to recommend to National Authorities that they be accepted for recognition as meeting the academic requirements appropriate for registration, accreditation, or acceptance as an architect.”

In 2000, following a complete revision of the validation system in consultation with member institutes, CAA published ‘Qualifications in Architecture Recommended for Recognition by CAA: Procedures and Criteria’ referred to as ‘The Red Book’. This was reviewed and reissued in 2008 as ‘The Green Book’.

In 2012 the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) ceased to recognise CAA accreditation of Commonwealth architecture schools after the CAA refused to grant what is considered as sufficient RIBA representation on its accreditation panels to inspect schools first-hand.

[edit] Activities

The CAA carries out triennial General Assemblies, Council, and regional meetings, as well as seminars and workshops concerning aspects of sustainable practice, it also supports members and schools by endorsing and promoting their events.

In 2015 the CAA marked the 50th Anniversary of its founding in 1965, with an International Conference and a General Assembly in London, hosted by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

In 2021 the CAA published a survey of the built environment professions in the Commonwealth. The key findings of the survey revealed a critical lack of capacity in many of the Commonwealth countries which are rapidly urbanising and are among the most vulnerable, a lack of educational and institutional capacity to grow the professions fast enough, and an increasing recognition of weakness in built environment policy (ie planning policy and building code) in many Commonwealth countries in terms of standards, implementation, and enforcement.

The planning for climate change and rapid urbanisation survey of the built environment professions in the Commonwealth can be downloaded via this link: https://commonwealthsustainablecities.org/survey/

Related to this, also in 2021, the CAA released a Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation across the Commonwealth. It was developed jointly by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA), the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, the Rwandan Ministry of Local Government and The Prince’s Foundation, with support from other Commonwealth organisations, governmental, professional and technical partners. The call focuses on 3 main areas:

A greater focus on enabling sustainable urbanisation in Commonwealth policymaking.
A Commonwealth dialogue to define and implement a new way of working across our respective networks towards multi-level governance and sustainable urbanisation
A commitment by member states to a new Commonwealth Initiative of practical action to support sustainable cities and human settlements across the Commonwealth to respond to the Call to Action and to play their full role in achieving the SDGs. This will be driven by Commonwealth cities and human settlements, and delivered by relevant Commonwealth partners and other governmental, professional and technical partners.

[edit] External links

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 20-25 June 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda

The response to climate change and rapid urbanisation, call to action on sustainable urbanisation across the Commonwealth can be downloaded via this link: https://commonwealthsustainablecities.org/calltoaction/

This work was supported by a number of events to ‘Build Better Data to Support Sustainable Urbanisation in the Commonwealth’. The work was carried out in collaboration with the International Growth Centre, Ordnance Survey and Nesta Challenges. Further information can be found via the following weblink: https://commonwealthsustainablecities.org/events/buildingbetterdata/

The Call to Action and its supporting activities is aimed at Heads of Government and will be taken to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting due to be held in Kigali in 2022.

Much of the text above has been based on information published by the CAA.

Please visit http://www.comarchitect.org/ directly for more information.