Who is an Architect?

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An architect is a person who designs buildings and advises in their construction. Indian law recognises an architect when their name and other personal details have been provided in the Register of Architects maintained by the Council of Architecture.  Once their name is listed in the Register of Architects, they are allowed to pursue his profession. Thus, a name entry in this register works as a proof of a qualified architect. There are certain ways to get a name registered, depending on the foreign or Indian qualification one may possess.¹

• For Indian qualification, a Bachelor Degree of Architecture awarded by Indian Universities, National Diploma in Architecture, Degree of Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.) awarded by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Membership of the Indian Institute of Architects, etc., will be considered as a qualification.²
• For foreign qualifications recognized by the Indian government, different degrees from various countries such as UK, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, etc., are accepted. The list can be accessed here.
• An Indian citizen who has no qualification certificate can get registered if they have been engaged in the profession for at least five years, after which Central government can consider their application for registration.³
• A person can also get registered if they possess any other recognised qualification under the legal rules which may be made by the Central government under the Architects Act.⁴

1. Article 25(a), Architects Act, 1972[↩]
2. Schedule, Architects Act, https://www.coa.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=121&lid=135[↩]
3. Article 25(b), Architects Act, 1972[↩]
4. Article 25(c), Architects Act, 1972[↩]