The Association of Commonwealth Societies of Architects in the Caribbean (ACSAC)

proinvest | objectives | issues | output

Lack of Recognition
1. Lack of recognition by Governments and investors of the primary role of Architects at all stages of the construction process; project managers, developers and contractors have begun to guide the procurement process and their objectives are not always consistent with broader societal and public interests.
2. Public perception does not fully comprehend the benefit of good design; seeing design as an add-on or peripheral to the technique of construction.
3. There is a need for public awareness of the value of architecture and the profession.
4. Lack of lobbying strength of national architectural Institutes and associations in some Caribbean countries in influencing change in current practices in the construction industry due to their small size.
Architects’ informed views on design oriented solutions for many environmental problems in the Caribbean are not effectively communicated or received.
A procurement process that does not promote the importance of design
1. Current procurement processes for buildings have fundamentally changed over the past thirty years and in many instances have relegated the role of the architect and favoured large organisations or process-engineering or management led approaches to procurement. The decline in the quality of the environment as a result is evident.
2. The short-term thinking that has generated this emphasis has impacted severely on the environment compromising aspects of design, design management, durability, function and planning, all areas where the architect has specific competencies.
3. Current professional service and construction procurement practices have been influenced by a wide range of economic, political and social forces. Inappropriate and confusing procurement methodologies are being adopted by regional Caribbean governments and commissioning agencies. This shift has resulted in the promotion of the erroneous notion that design can be obtained through lower costs and shorter time as opposed to measured quality.
4. Construction documentation adopts many forms throughout the Caribbean leading to disparate practice and inconsistency. There is a strong case for standardisation - or at least parity of construction documentation - such as standard forms of contract, forms of agreement with clients conditions of engagement, common fee structure. Such documents and regular updating is critical for setting standards for performance in the construction sector.
5. The lack of a registration in some countries impacts on standards and quality of construction.
  1. Where there is a lack of a registration process for architects in some countries, there is no control over the profession and thus performance of architects.
  2. Persons without the appropriate qualifications, it is widespread practice in the Caribbean that unqualified individuals provide “architectural services.
  3. Foreign architects are increasingly hired without a local counterpart, increasing the risks of little or insufficient consideration of cultural issues, particularly in those Caribbean countries where there are gaps in planning legislation, where they are not enforced, and where there are no National Trust Acts to protect existing heritage buildings; in addition, specific national building codes and regulations may be overlooked; local architects are also denied the opportunity to gain the exposure and experience on diverse projects and a major opportunity for bi-lateral technology and skills transfer is lost.
Joint venture arrangements should be encouraged on large-scale projects where there may be justification for foreign specialisation and where the UIA Accord on Practice in Host Nation is adopted and observed.
There is a need to ensure the highest levels of skills, competence and integrity in the profession
1. Institutes regionally have not responded to the global trend of enforcing continuing professional development (C.P.D.) as part of the process of maintaining professional designations.
2. Whilst continuing professional development is costly it has been demonstrated that it can be implemented effectively and economically through a regional organisation.