South African Council for the Architectural Profession partners with ACE

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The South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE).

The two organizations are committed by the MoU to work together towards an agreement that will enable sharing of skills and knowledge; engaging in joint critical dialogue and discussions on critical issues that touch on the sustainability and growth of the profession; putting in place and developing international standards, benchmarks and norms and the promotion architectural excellence among other aspects of mutual interest.

It promotes and enhance consistent professional qualifications criteria and designs the national syllabi based on international standards, such as the UNESCO/UIA Charter for Architectural Profession and the Canberra Accord (CA), as well as international dialogue on issues facing practice.

According to Yashaen Luckan , the SACAP president  who signed the MoU with ACE president Luciano Lazzari in April during the ACE General Assembly in Berlin, the ongoing rapid changes in world climates, economies and societies has placed the architectural field in a position of self-critique, self-reflection and fresh opportunities.

These challenges call for intense collaboration, broad participation and a better world view in order to develop meaningful and resourceful responses.

SACAP was inaugurated in the late 2000 and whose mandate is mainly controlling the education standards in higher leaning institutions, through visiting boards, for the purposes of ensuring those in the architectural profession are registered. It safeguards the interests of the public by identifying different category of registered person with the architectural work they are capable of and competent to perform as well as administering a code of conduct.

The Architects Council of Europe (ACE) is a voluntary and non-profit organization that represents those in the profession of architecture at the European level. It draws its members from regulatory and professional bodies all over Europe. Through these regulatory and professional bodies, the ACE represents and protects the interests of architects.

In a speech he offered in Berlin, SACAP president Luckan said the orgainisation’s mission is to grow, develop, transform and grow the architectural profession through collaborative partnership in pursuit of excellence in the profession.

He expressed optimism that the cooperation prescribed in the MoU will go a long way in consolidating and cementing efforts and actions towards addressing concerns that are of mutual interest touching on architectural profession, architectural education, professional standards, research and regulation, environmental issues, professional mobility and development as well as political influence.