Supporting architects

Free CPD webinars

The Board offers a CPD webinar series free of charge. In 2021 we delivered 32 hours of free webinars attended by a total 3,716 architects. Register for CPD webinars on the Board’s website here

Investigation of illegal representation as an architect

The Board daily investigates reports of persons or entities illegally representing themselves or others as architects. This includes monitoring of classified advertising, social media and websites to check compliance with Section 9 and 10 of the Architects Act 2003.

Free client architect agreement

The Board’s Short Form Architect Client Contract here is a valuable resource for architects and their clients.  It is available for architects and their clients to use free of charge. As at 30 June 2021 there had been more than 4,600 downloads from the Board’s website.

Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship

The Board offers the Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship for NSW architects, graduates and students to undertake a course of study, research or other activity contributing to expanded knowledge and practice in NSW.

In 2021-2022 the Board has digitised the unique and valuable collection of BHTS reports, encapsulating 70 years of travel-based research and scholarship undertaken by NSW architects, graduates, and architecture students. All reports in the archive have been collated, abstracts and keywords have been prepared, and a fully functional catalogue and search tool have been developed (date, author, subject, keyword). The Board anticipates that the digitised archive will provide a significant, enduring, and ever-expanding source of material for future scholars in the field of architecture.

Ground-breaking research

The Board is a partner investigator in the ground-breaking research project Architectural Work Cultures: professional identity, education and wellbeing. This studies the work-related wellbeing of architects and architecture students with funding from the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects scheme.  It will produce two toolkits in support of cultural change across education, workplace and institutional settings. The Board anticipates that the resources generated by this project will fundamentally support the architecture profession into the future – encouraging old work cultures to be replaced by those with a new focus on occupational wellbeing. We expect flow-on impacts from this transformation that will benefit consumers of architecture and the quality of the built environment more broadly.

Interagency connection

The Registrar actively participates in interagency meetings with government and architect membership bodies that contribute to the interests of the wider NSW architecture profession.  In 2021-2022 this has included

-       Meeting monthly with the NSW Chapter President of the Australian Institute of Architects and quarterly with the NSW/ACT President of the Association of Consulting Architects

-       Involvement in the development of regulatory reforms impacting architects including the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 and Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021

-       Membership of Expert Panels established by the NSW Building Commissioner on Regulation and Legislation, Continuing Professional Development, and Research.

Information to consumers

The Board provides information to consumers about the qualifications and competence of architects and promotes a better understanding of architectural issues in the community. Board initiatives include the annual Sydney Architecture Festival, the ‘Working with your Architect’ resources, programs delivered in primary and secondary schools, and the Multidisciplinary Australian Danish Exchange (MADE by the Sydney Opera House) supporting interdisciplinary collaboration and deeper understanding of international practices across architecture, design and engineering disciplines.

Note: The NSW Architects Registration Board is a small, self-funded government agency of five staff. It operates without Government funding and relies solely on the income received from fees levied on NSW architects and architect corporations and firms.