We have had a string of product reps calling lately offering "lunch and learns" for us to satisfy the requirement of the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners (TBAE) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). All registered architects are required to complete a total of 18 hours of instruction on a variety of topics in every renewal period. Eight (8) Continuing Education Units (CEU's) for the TBAE and an additional ten (10) hours for membership in the AIA.
All 8 CEU's required by the TBAE must include the study of subjects related to your profession and be pertinent to the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
§ At least one of the eight hours must be related to sustainable or energy-efficient design
§ At least one of the eight hours must be related to barrier-free design.
§ At least five of the eight hours must be structured activities, (classroom/classroom equivalent)
§ A maximum of three hours may be self-directed.
AIA members are required to earn 18 learning units annually of which 8 are health, safety, and welfare. Each state where architectural registration is being maintained has similar requirements. The best part is that most accept the AIA transcripts as proof of completion.
I cannot speak for everyone in our office, but I look forward to all of the vendors. They feed us literally and figuratively with information of their trade, their products and services. Many of them responded to our request for information and others use the cold call method. The time they ask of us, is our lunch hour and they serve us lunch. They are required to provide us with 1 hour of information without plugging their product. They are then allowed to present their company and products at the end of the hour as long as you allow. What could be better than that?
It is difficult to find vendors that qualify to present information on accessibility, health, safety, and welfare. These requirements are amply met through seminars organized by the Houston AIA.
It is a system that works like Lobbyists on Capital Hill...or maybe not as crass!
Know that your Architect is staying current with the products that serve our industry.
Posted by: Paul E. Martin, AIA
No comments:
Post a Comment