HKIA Circular: 77/2023
ARB Circular: ARB/15/2023
1 October 2023
HKIA/ARB Non-Local Architectural Professionals Admission 2024
Non-Local Architectural Professionals (NLAP), after going through an assessment jointly held by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) and the Architects Registration Board HKSAR (ARB), may be admitted as a Member of the Institute which, in accordance with the Architects Registration Ordinance, will be readily accepted as a Registered Architect by ARB.
HKIA and ARB are inviting eligible NLAP to apply for the Non-Local Architectural Professionals (NLAP) Admission 2024.
Eligibility
NLAP must hold a valid professional registration to practise architecture, as administered by a national registration body of architects recognised by HKIA/ARB, with adequate relevant local professional experience.
The list of national registration bodies currently recognised by HKIA/ARB is as follows :
|
Country |
Registration Board |
|
Australia |
Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) |
|
Canada |
By provincial registration |
|
People Republic of China |
National Administration Board of Architectural Registration (NABAR) 中華人民共和國一級註冊建築師 |
|
New Zealand |
Architects Education and Registration Board, New Zealand (AERB) |
|
United Kingdom |
Architects Registration Board (ARB) |
|
USA |
National Council of Architects Registration Boards (NCARB) |
Professional qualifications other than the list above will be considered case by case based on the applicant’s individual merits.
NLAP with not less than 15 years of practical experiences (Group A)
NLAP Group A candidates with not less than 15 years of post-professional registration practical experience (both local and overseas experiences are counted as the experience) are required
- to submit a professional profile, and
- to pass the Professional Interview (Professional Assessment Paper 9)
NLAP with not less than 2 years of practical experiences (Group B)
NLAP Group B candidates with not less than 2 years of recognised post-professional registration local practical experiences are required
- to pass Papers 1 and 2 of the Professional Assessment (candidates should follow the 8-year validity rule for Professional Assessment Papers 1 and 2);
- to submit a professional profile; and
- to pass the Professional Interview (Professional Assessment Paper 9)
No logbook and nominations of advisers and office supervisors are required for NLAP.
The professional profile should be a summary of the applicant’s local practical experience, with supporting documents, narratives, drawings, photos, etc. in A3 or A4 format.
For details of eligibility for NLAP, please refer to Section 3 and Appendix E of the latest HKIA/ARB Professional Assessment Handbook.
Relevant practical experience with:
-
a local architectural practice; or
-
an HKSAR government department / quasi-governmental organisation dedicated to providing architectural services.
(For the avoidance of doubt, working as a project manager or client’s representative in supervising another architect’s work shall not be regarded as relevant local practical experience recognised by HKIA/ARB.)
Such practical experience shall be under the guidance of an HKIA Member or Fellow, who is a full-time member of the same architectural practice; or
In lieu of the above, 2 years of continuous full-time teaching of architecture in an HKIA/ARB accredited/ recognised architectural programme in a local university may be counted as equivalent to 2 years of local practical experience for NLAP Group B applications, subject to specific recommendation by the head of the relevant department/teaching unit.
The practical experience is counted up to the last day of the month preceding the respective Paper assessment day. The application form shall be duly endorsed by three HKIA Fellows as nominators.
Application procedure
Application Deadline: 30 November 2023
If you find yourself eligible and interested in applying for NLAP Admission, please complete the HKIA membership application form and payment slip and return them to the HKIA/ARB Premises or send to joinhkia@hkia.org.hk on or before 5:30pm of 30 November 2023 (Thursday) with your professional profile and substantiating documents required as stated in membership admission guidelines on page 6 of the enclosed application form.
Vetting and confirmation on qualification from issuing authorities may be lengthy on some occasions. Therefore, applicants are reminded to provide all relevant and complete documentation; otherwise they may risk not being processed in time for NLAP Admission 2024.
Eligible candidates for enrolling in NLAP Admission 2024 will receive written notification from HKIA/ARB in June 2024.
All candidates will be automatically registered for the Professional Assessment Lecture Series 2024 to be held in July – September 2024 (for Papers 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8) and January – February 2024 (Papers 3, 4 and 5), though attendance of the lectures is non-compulsory. Video recordings (if available) will be provided if applicants miss the lectures.
ALL NLAP Group B candidates who have not passed Papers 1 and 2 previously will also be registered for the Professional Assessment Paper 1 and 2 to be held in November 2024.
Both
- NLAP Group A candidates, and
- NLAP Group B candidates who have passed both Papers 1 and 2
are eligible to sit for NLAP Professional Interview (Paper 9 of Professional Assessment) in March 2025 with dates to be confirmed.
Package fee
The package fee for NLAP is HK$15,000. Kindly note that HK$5,000 is non-refundable under any circumstances.
The NLAP package fee already includes the fee for a complete series of Professional Assessment lectures of the particular Professional Assessment year, Professional Interview and where applicable, Professional Assessment Papers 1 & 2. However, a relevant fee will be charged for retaking one or both written papers, or the Professional Interview after the first attempt.
Should you have any questions, please contact HKIA/ARB Secretariat Jenny Lai at 3155 0424 or Cindy Yue at 3155 0428.
Yours sincerely,
Watson Chan
Registrar
Encl. Membership Application Form
Annex A – Template of Professional Profile