ABSTRACT
The view from Ireland, certainly from the government's perspective, is that the architect remains pivotal to building design and construction, the fulcrum around which everything is managed, controlled and delivered. Despite competition laws, the Irish government naturally assumed architects would be most appropriate to act as Assigned Certifier for building projects. Similar to the UK's 2015 Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, legislation sought to focus responsibility on those who are the designer; and who have control over the pre-construction phase. Amazingly, architects' self-exclusion from the Assigned Certifier role (excluding domestic opt-outs) stands at 55 per cent in 2018. The challenge, it seems, is not the usual one of fees or attacks from other professions. While perception of the architect's ability to do things remains strong, if the profession continually shies away from responsibility, clients will increasingly question the architect's capacity, and desire, to do more than merely represent things.
