Last edited 06 Nov 2020

The Architects Act

The Architects Act 1997 is an Act of Parliament that consolidates the originating and amending Acts relating to the registration of architects.

Although buildings in the UK are commonly designed by people who are not architects, the term ‘architect’ itself is protected by the act. Section 20 of the Architects Act states that 'A person shall not practise or carry on business under any name style or title containing the word ‘architect’ unless he is a person registered under this Act'.

It is a criminal offence for anyone to offer services as an architect if they are not on the register of the Architects Registration Board (ARB).

The act, which came into force in July 1997, consolidated the Architects (Registration) Act 1931 (which had required the Register of Architects to be established), and the changes enacted in Part III of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.

It also provided that:

An office of Registrar should maintain the register and carry out the instructions of ARB.
The ARB would be made up of 8 government-appointed lay members and 7 architects elected by registered architects.
The Board of Architectural Education would be abolished.

The act was amended in 2011 to recognise European qualifications, enabling migrants from the European Economic Area or Switzerland to register as architects in the UK.

On 7 January 2019, a revised version of the Architects Act 1997 came into force reflecting the possibility of the UK leaving the EU.

In November 2020, the government announced a consultationon changes to the Act to make competence assesssment compulsory. For more information see: ‎Architects' building safety competence consultation.