ASEAN Architect Council Strengthens Mobility and Specialization at 45th Meeting

Yogyakarta, Indonesia — 16 May 2023

The ASEAN Architect Council (AAC) advanced its agenda on regional professional mobility, education collaboration, and specialisation during its 45th Meeting held on 16 May 2023 at the Marriott Hotel Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The hybrid meeting, conducted back-to-back with the 104th CCS Meeting, brought together representatives from all ASEAN Member States to address registration updates, mutual recognition amendments, education initiatives, and ongoing pilot projects.

Active ASEAN Architect Numbers Reach 603

The Council approved ten new ASEAN Architect (AA) registrations, including applicants from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Additionally, five architects from Singapore renewed their registration. Following these updates, the total number of active ASEAN Architects rose to 603.

Delegates reaffirmed the focus on reporting cumulative and active numbers of AAs per member state while opting not to track percentages relative to each country’s total number of professional architects. The emphasis remains on promoting cross-border mobility through the Registered Foreign Architect (RFA) framework.

Enhancing Mobility Through Administrative Amendments

The Council reviewed the status of RFA documents, noting no major changes since the previous meeting. The Philippines informed delegates of updates to its domestic policies, replacing the term 'Special Temporary Permit' with 'Temporary Permit' for AAs and 'Special Permit' for Filipino nationals who have changed citizenship.

The AAC welcomed the CCS decision that reducing the experience requirement for AA registration would not require formal amendments to the MRA on Architectural Services, allowing the change to be implemented administratively. Member States were requested to submit confirmation letters to the AAC Chair to formalise the adoption of the new criteria.

32nd AAEC Meeting Promotes Academic Collaboration and Standardisation

The 32nd ASEAN Architect Education Committee (AAEC) meeting focused on standardising education and exploring academic collaboration opportunities among AMS. Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Malaysia provided updates on their education information matrices, while Indonesia proposed joint research initiatives as part of future exchange programmes.

AAEC also emphasised the importance of developing a common template for architectural specialisation taxonomy, with Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines tasked with preparing a draft for the next AAEC meeting.

Advancing Professional Specialisation Across ASEAN

Updates were presented from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, and Malaysia on the AAC Survey on Architectural Practice. The Council requested Cambodia to clarify distinctions between registered and professional architects at the next meeting.

The Philippines showcased its Career Progression and Specialization Program for Architecture (CPSP-CATS), outlining a five-phase framework covering committee formation, technical working groups, specialization frameworks, establishment of specialty societies, and full implementation. The AAC commended the initiative as a model for other AMS.

Brunei Advances Pilot Competition; Makassar Congress Preparations Underway

The Council reviewed Brunei Darussalam’s updates on the Architecture Pilot Competition in collaboration with the Brunei Climate Change Secretariat. The initiative remains in the feasibility stage but may transition to implementation. AMS were requested to submit their domestic competition rules to support the development of ASEAN-wide guidelines.

Indonesia provided updates on the upcoming ASEAN Architect Congress, scheduled for 26–29 July 2023 in Makassar. AMS were encouraged to participate and nominate speakers for the congress.