About Architects'Alliance

ARCHITECTS'ALLIANCE IS PRESENTLY AN UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATION
A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WITH A COMMON PURPOSE

The Architects' Alliance Committee is composed of twelve unpaid, elected Officers. These include:

Chairperson: Margaret Kirwan, tel: (067) 32252
Honorary Secretary: Michael Cummins, 63, St Mary’s Rd, Midleton, Co. Cork, tel/fax: (021) 4613222
Treasurer: Liam Hazel in Skibbereen, Co. Cork
Assistant Treasurer: Adrian Turner, in Athlone, Co. Westmeath
Spokesperson: Brian Montaut, 4 Mount Pleasant Villas, Bray, Co. Wicklow, tel: (01) 2860497

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Architects' Alliance was formed at the start of 2009 in response to Part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007. The founders were Leonard Barrett (Midleton), Liam Hazel (Skibbereen), Brian Montaut (Bray) and Adrian Turner (Athlone). The Alliance represents established architects who are disenfranchised by the Act. Our present Aims are:

( 1 ) To safeguard the livelihoods of our members in private practice.

( 2 ) To preserve the status of our salaried members.

Four open meetings were held during the year 2009 which yielded 155 prospective members from across the State. Similar meetings are scheduled in 2010. The implementation of registration as per The Building Control Act 2007 reveals that our hard-won livelihoods are to be sacrificed in favour of the interests of RIAI Ltd. Under the Act, the sham of enhancing consumer protection has been coupled with an over-elaborated implementation of the E.U. Directive 2005/36/EC. The case against Part 3 is readily made and readily conceded, but changing the Act depends upon a show of strength.

Architects' Alliance was successful in its formal complaint over RIAI Ltd's misleading and damaging radio advertising campaign. Although the protection afforded to RIAI Ltd by the Building Control Act 2007 is unusual and robust, our task is to challenge its dominance. The battle to preserve the hard-won status of Alliance members is also a fight for the preservation of consumer choice.

Architects' Alliance is an unincorporated association charged with protecting the interests of self-trained and other architects in Ireland. According to RTÉ (Morning Ireland 13/11/2009), one third of practitioners in the State are believed to be "un-licensed". We presently speak for 170 of those businesses from across the State. All full members have been established for over 10 years, most for over 20 years and a few for more than 30 years.