Author: Jon Bell

Licensure in the Time of Coronavirus

Posted on by Jon Bell

By Avik Guha, AIA, Project Manager at Roth Sheppard Architects and Jered Minter, AIA, Campus Architect at the University of Colorado Denver, Office of Institutional Planning

Although not the topic we expected to be covering, please read on for an update from the NCARB/AIA Colorado Architect Licensing Advisors. 2020 is a transition year, with both outgoing Avik K Guha, AIA, NCARB, CDT and incoming Jered Minter, AIA both active in the role together.

We send our sympathies to all who are directly impacted by the virus, and everyone in the architecture community dealing with the economic effects and unusual workflow for our collaborative industry.

For Avik, it has been especially disappointing as he received an Architectural Education Foundation travel scholarship in 2019 and is canceling 70+ reservations for a trip planned to start on April 16, 2020. The trip included a loop around the world through five continents; you can follow him on Instagram (@thearchitecttraveler) and at https://architecttraveler.com/ when his travels resume in 2021. His office, Roth Sheppard Architects, has all staff working from home with their full computer workstations. The firm stays in touch with weekly scheduling meetings and happy hours where all employees have face-to-face interaction via video chat.

Jered has been adapting to working at home also. He and his wife are able to work full-time and spend a large part of their day on the phone/online. They are doing well while blending work and family life but there are real challenges. Their two-year-old daughter is home and so their work schedules no longer follow a typical workflow. They both find themselves working nights and weekends to find balance in work/family life. The good news is their daughter is working hard to learn Revit so she can pick up Jered’s redlines!

For our Colorado candidates who are testing, please see the below on NCARB’s modified policies on testing and timelines. Here’s what you need to know as of now:

  • Effective from March 12 and continuing through the end of April, all ARE appointments can be rescheduled at no cost to you. This window is subject to extension.
  • A 90-day rolling clock extension was applied retroactively to all valid passing scores as of March 1. All extensions were granted via NCARB’s candidate management system on March 24. Visit https://www.ncarb.org/pass-the-are/start/rolling-clock for more on the ARE rolling clock.
  • Prometric has temporarily closed all test centers in the United States and Canada for 30 days, beginning on March 18. This date is subject to extension.
  • If you already had a division scheduled between March 18 and March 31, NCARB should have applied a seat credit within 72 hours of your appointment, allowing you to reschedule at no additional cost to you. In the case of issues, contact NCARB customer service at the link below.
  • On March 31, all appointments between April 1 and April 15 were automatically canceled. NCARB will apply a seat credit to your appointment, allowing you to reschedule at no additional cost to you. In case of issues, contact NCARB customer service at the link below.
  • If you have an appointment scheduled before the end of April, NCARB encourages candidates to login to their NCARB Record and reschedule existing appointments for late-May at the earliest. If you had/have an existing appointment with Prometric and do not reschedule on your own, you will receive instructions directly from Prometric to assist you in rescheduling your appointment at no additional cost once it is safe to resume testing.
  • When testing begins again, candidates may be permitted to wear medical masks and gloves while testing, but these items will be subject to visual inspection upon entry to the test center.

To stay up to date on changes and for more clarification and FAQ’s on Coronavirus impacts on licensure, please visit:

https://www.ncarb.org/press/prometric-are-rescheduling-update and

https://www.ncarb.org/press/2020-coronavirus-update

You can contact NCARB customer service at: https://www.ncarb.org/contact or call 202-879-0520

In general there are no changes to the education and experience components of licensure in regards to NCARB policies. For those who may face difficulties in obtaining ‘A hours’ in a licensed Architecture setting, please visit https://www.ncarb.org/gain-axp-experience/experience-requirements/setting-o to learn about ways to complete Other ‘O hours’.

With more time indoors, it may be a good time for candidates to prepare for exams to knock them out once testing resumes. Even with everything going on right now, it is possible to stay on track for your path to licensure!

For those who are unfamiliar, the Architect Licensing Advisor is a state-level joint NCARB and AIA Colorado role that lasts three years. The Advisor provides presentations to university classes and AIAS groups about licensure, collaborates with DORA for presentations at AIA Colorado, and provides personalized guidance for licensure questions and cases at axp@aiacolorado.org. Please feel free to reach out if you have a licensure or Colorado/DORA specific licensure question!

The Diversity Pipeline: Don’t Mind the Gap, Change the Gap

Posted on by Jon Bell

Amy Dvorak, Assoc. AIA

Seventy-five percent. That is the staggering number of AIA members in Colorado who identify as white according to the most recent AIA Colorado Membership Report—and another 70 percent who are male. As a profession whose focus is client service and shaping our built environment, what work is being done to ensure diverse representation within the communities we serve?

The education and pipeline task force of the AIA Colorado Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee set out to identify just that. The committee convened stakeholders in academia, nonprofits, and human resources to assess Colorado’s pipeline to practice. So, how do we measure up? Read on for four takeaways from the discussion and ways you can contribute toward creating—and sustaining—a more equitable practice.
 

  1. There are many considerations when it comes to diversity. 

Gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability are just a few characteristics that lead to more diverse perspectives in the workplace. Yet so does life circumstance. In addition to increasing the number of diverse youth entering the profession, we must also consider “those off-ramped from profession,” said Sarah Goldblatt, AIA, who is a member of the AIA Colorado Equity, Diversity, and Inclusiveness (EDI) Committee. “We want to bolster the profession and bring back women and men who have left for various life reasons.”
It’s why many companies like RTD are going beyond compensation to recruit diverse candidates. “The focus has changed to things like work/life balance and what we are doing for the community,” said Andrew Gale, Senior Human Resources Manager, RTD. To adapt, the company focuses on flexibility, not just pay, and works to include photos of women and minorities in nontraditional roles in their recruiting material. “It is important for people to see themselves in these roles,” he said.

  1. Colorado leaders are working hard to carve their own paths to inclusion.

In Jefferson County, teacher Kathy Nightengale launched a PBL, or project-based learning program. She pairs students in Kindergarten with those in sixth grade to tackle solutions. For a recent project, students were tasked with designing a house based on the story of Goldilocks, which involved drafting, material sourcing, roof design, and more. “I see a lot of validation in being able to teach that way instead of just a lecture, where the students aren’t thinking for themselves,” she said. “PBL opens doors for these opportunities. We’re hoping that once they get to college, they’re so ingrained, they want to continue regardless of finances even if they’re struggling.”
Downtown, the University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning partners with the ACE Mentor Program, a 25-year-old, free program for high school students. Professionals in the built environment mentor students weekly from the Denver metro area to Manitou Springs, Fort Collins, and beyond to learn about architecture, engineering, and construction through hands-on activities, office tours, videos, and field trips. “Students may not understand the profession, so this is an opportunity to learn about careers,” said Leo Darnell, who serves as the University’s Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Extended Studies. By hosting the program on campus, it allows them, “to consider programs as opportunities,” he said.


Across the street at Community College of Denver, nontraditional students can find even more resources. The school offers flexible options, including certificates in areas like Sustainable Design and Digital Design Media, advantageous for those changing focus or returning to the workforce. The programs also offers a two-year AAS program, a more affordable pathway to a four-year professional degree. In the program, 65 percent of students identify as minority.


On the nonprofit side, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado created a foundation that funds $40,000 of scholarships to AEC students. They also administer the Colorado High School Bridge Building Competition, introducing students to engineering. In addition, the Denver Architecture Foundation (DAF) has been operating its Cleworth Architectural Legacy (CAL) Project for 20 years. The program pairs students with architects, engineers, and design professionals, striving for half to be Tier 1 schools. “We find that when we’re able to do that, the program is really effective with that population,” said DAF Executive Director Pauline Herrera Serianni. “Teachers want it year after year.” Unfortunately, there is not enough capacity to meet the demand.

  1. There is a gap between resources and needs.

Among all mentoring programs discussed, the lack of resources was unanimous. Nightengale cites it as her top problem at Edgewater Elementary School, where she teaches in Jefferson County. “Getting mentors is a huge challenge,” she said, as is, “getting community involved and in the school and having a liaison between community organizations.” The universities also struggle with recruiting mentors, particularly diverse professionals who can identify with the students. “We want to bring in more professionals to teach as adjuncts,” said Mark Broyles, AIA, Assistant Professor and Chair, Architectural Technology at Community College of Denver. “But we want adjuncts to reflect more diversity—more role models—not another old white guy. We want our community to reflect the diversity we see in students.”


In addition, socioeconomic realties stunt success in mentoring programs. “When they live in Edgewater City, they don’t get exposure,” said Nightengale. “They can’t afford it. But they don’t have to work at Target or King Soopers. Being able to mentor, we can show them they can be an architect or engineer and get out of roles they have been pegged into.” In addition, high school students who are expected to contribute financially to the household may have limited time to partake. The issue is even more prevalent come college with “students financially disadvantaged and working 40 hours a week,” said Broyles. “Helping students stay in class and focus on programs is a chronic issue.”

Julia Alvarez, CEO of Point b(e) Strategies, who works with DAF, agreed. “How are we preventing drop out?” she asked. “In communities of color and marginalized communities, retention is huge.”
And this is where the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusiveness Committee is starting to change the gap.

  1. There is not just hope, but a plan.

Beginning with this data, the EDI Committee is developing a centralized repository linking students to resources. “Our main purpose is to create a platform to make resources stronger and make them systematic,” said Margarita Gonzalez, Assoc. AIA, who sits on the EDI Committee. “We believe that in the state of Colorado, we will be stronger, more diverse, and more equitable.” Echoed Marisa Pooley of AIA Colorado, “Many in this room are already doing work in this space and initiatives are working well. The goal is not to replicate these things. Now is time to explore what is in community and who is doing great work and amplify and partner with that.”


But this tool is just a small start to a much larger problem of connecting students to opportunities. As Darnell put it, “the people at the table are pretty informed, yet are uninformed about half the programs we discussed.” And its success will take a village. “The most valuable resource shared is our people,” said Broyles, “particularly people interested in EDI. Figuring out how to manage and utilize and direct those resources to help populations is an opportunity.”


The onus to not just populate, but also to utilize the data the EDI Committee collects will fall to us all … mentors, educators, students, counselors, and architects. “Many families are living in cars,” said Nightengale. “The goal is to teach students you don’t have to do this—but you have to work for it.”


Interested in helping? If you know of resources or administer a program, please submit and help us build our database. Submit.


Diversity Pipeline Roundtable Discussion Participants
Education / Nonprofit / Practice

  • Kathy Nightengale, Jefferson County Schools
  • Pauline Herrera Serianni, Denver Architecture Foundation
  • Leo Darnell, University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning
  • Julia Alvarez, Point b(e) Strategies
  • Heidi M. Gordon, American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado
  • Mark Broyles, AIA, Community College of Denver
  • Andrew Gale, Regional Transportation District

AIA Colorado Staff

  • Marisa Pooley, APR,  AIA Colorado

AIA Colorado Equity, Diversity, and Inclusiveness Committee

  • Ignacio Correa-Ortiz, AIA, Regional Transportation District
  • Sarah Goldblatt, Assoc. AIA,
  • Margarita Gonzalez, Assoc. AIA, O & G Properties
  • Amy Dvorak, Assoc. AIA

Tips for finding the right civic engagement opportunity

Posted on by Jon Bell

Architects engage with our communities every day through the work we do. Clients, contractors, building occupants, local governments, and neighborhood residents are just some of the some of the groups we interact with, educate, and inform.

These skills that we bring to all our projects also create opportunities to be leaders in our communities beyond the practice of architecture. There are numerous ways that members of the architecture profession can really make a difference, no matter what stage of our careers.

Whatever your motivation is, there are both personal and professional benefits to local civic engagement. It can be a networking opportunity to meet potential clients. You can build better relationships with local governments and elected officials. You can develop leadership skills to bring back to your professional life. You can gain better insight on the issues that matter to residents. You can help develop more sophisticated public policy and city ordinances. You can get involved simply to make your neighborhood a better place.

So what should AIA Colorado members go out and do? How can we be most effective? Here’s are some suggestions on how to find the right opportunity for you!

  1. First and foremost, find something based on your personal interests. Civic engagement can be more than community service or supporting a charity. It’s about using your expertise in a way that positively impacts the community.
  2. Figure out a realistic time commitment. We’re all already busy at work and at home. Don’t burn yourself out. Sure, it would be great if there were an architect member on every city council, but be realistic about your commitment. If all you have is one evening a month to attend your neighborhood association meeting, they’re still better off for having an architect involved.
  3. Stick to your time commitment. Easier said than done sometimes, but make a conscious effort to follow through. Your efforts and ideas will go a lot farther as someone who’s regularly engaged.
  4. Be active, not just present. Speak up when you’ve got something to contribute. Earn trust. Lead when there’s an opportunity.
  5. Move on to something new when the time is right. This goes back to point number two, but you’re not making a lifelong commitment to a single effort.

2018 Legislative Session Report

Posted on by Jon Bell

Since January, we have been hard at work advocating on behalf of architects at the State Capitol. Now that the 2018 legislative session has ended, we’ve pulled together a summary of the decisions that could impact you as an architect.

Bill topics are organized by the categories used in our Directory of Public Policies and Positions.

Let’s begin with a few salient background details: Our governor, John Hickenlooper (D), is in his last year in office. The House has a strong Democrat majority, and the Senate has a slim Republican majority. 2018 is also an election year. This means every seat in the House (65 total) and half the seats in the Senate (17 of 35) will have an election in November.

With different parties in control of the House and Senate, bills sponsored by only Democrats will fail in the Senate, and bills sponsored only by Republicans fail in the House. Being an election year, there are more grand-standing bills than usual, and both parties scuttled bills introduced by legislators in competitive races. Only 444 of the 721 bills we saw this year made it to the Governor’s desk.

Thank you to all our Government Affairs Committee and Legislative Subcommittee for all the work you put in during session. If you know anyone listed below, take a moment to thank them for their efforts reviewing and evaluating every one of the 721 bills (a new record!) introduced this year:

2018 Legislative Subcommittee Roster:

  • Anthony Ries, AIA; 2018 GAC chair
  • TJ. Carvis, AIA
  • Brandon Gossard, Assoc. AIA
  • Curtis Scharfenaker, AIA
  • Scott Shea, AIA
  • Jerry Johnson, Hon. AIA/CO; Lobbyist
  • Nikolaus Remus, AIA; AIA Colorado staff

Many of the bills listed below were passed in the final days of the session and, where noted, have not yet been signed by the Governor. It’s not uncommon for bill signing ceremonies to be scheduled in the weeks following the session end, and we do not anticipate any of the bills below getting vetoed.

Supported by AIA Colorado: Tax Credits for Historic Preservation Projects

We would like to recognize Liz Hallas, AIA for representing architects at the bill’s first committee hearing. This bill is important because it extends existing tax credits for historic property revitalization projects through 2029. Residential historic properties now also have more access to the tax credits. This will increase the number of historic preservation projects in the state, which directly supports our members involved in these projects. Communities across Colorado also benefit when iconic buildings in need of repair get the renovations they deserve and an increased lifespan.

|

Other Bills of Interest Monitored by AIA Colorado

Architectural Licensing and Regulation of Practice

There are efforts in legislatures across the country to reduce the number of licensed professionals and occupations regulated by state governments. These bills don’t specifically target the architecture profession, and generally state that licenses directly related to public health, safety and welfare should not be de-regulated. However, the AIA is seeing exactly the same language used in most of the bills introduced.

Architects in other (typically conservative) states don’t have the same level of license protection we have here in Colorado, so we’re watching this category of bills closely. Two licensure-related bills were introduced in the Senate this year, but both failed in committee hearings in the House.

  • PASSED (pending Governor’s signature): HB18-1418 Use of Criminal Convictions in Employment

It will now be easier for individuals with criminal convictions to obtain a license in Colorado, provided their convictions are unrelated to the license or profession being pursued. DORA still has numerous criteria at their disposal to evaluate the relevance of a prior conviction, but can no longer deny a license based solely on the vague notion of “good moral character” as was previously used in statute.

Licensed professionals in Colorado now have better defined procedures for mediation proceedings when a state agency are facing revocation of their license for alleged misconduct.

  • FAILED: HB18-1038 Land Surveyors Continuing Education Requirement

This would have added continuing education requirements for licensed land surveyors. We opted not to take a position on this bill since it did not directly affect architects, but we were concerned about the “continued competency” language used in the bill with respect to continuing education. If there isn’t a system in-place to measure “continued competency,” then its use results in a vague requirement that is difficult for both DORA and the licensed professionals affected to comply with. In previous years, architects have successfully fought against the phrase “continued competency” being used in our section of statute. Ultimately, the Senate was not convinced that land surveyors needed continuing education at all and the bill failed.

  • FAILED: SB18-193 Limit State Agency Occupational Regulations

This bill had two specific purposes. The first was to make DORA and related state agencies review every current licensed occupation/profession to determine if they are utilizing the “least restrictive regulation” possible, then de-regulate those that don’t qualify under the new criteria. The second purpose would have allowed individuals to file lawsuits against DORA if they thought an occupation or profession was being over-regulated.

  • FAILED: SB18-236 Least Restrictive Regulation Professions and Occupations

This bill would have made it more difficult for new occupations or professions to start to become regulated in the state. This bill had a similar list of “least restrictive regulation” options to SB18-193.

Liability and Tort

There was a sense of fatigue at the capitol this year on the subject of construction defect reform, after the effort required to pass last year’s HOA lawsuit reform bill. As a result, legislators opted to focus on other subjects this year instead of further attempts to reduce construction defect lawsuits.

  • FAILED: HB18-1261 Colorado Arbitration Fairness Act and HB18-1262 Arbitration Services Provider Transparency Act

These would have added more transparency to the arbitrator selection process for architects using (or subject to) arbitration clauses in contracts. Both passed in the House but failed in committee hearings in the Senate.

Sustainability and Resilience

The 2018 legislative session saw a number of bills in this category introduced by Democrats this year, but few made it through the Republican-controlled Senate. There were still a few success stories that promote sustainability and energy efficiency in the built environment though.

These bills make it allowable to use reclaimed water for toilet flushing and to water edible crops. Due to a series of complex water-use laws and agreements in Colorado, use of reclaimed water for any purpose is a challenge. Architects working with a focus on sustainability will want to talk to your clients and engineers about how you can incorporate reclaimed water

An income tax credit is now available to homeowners who retrofit their home with improved accessibility or aging-in-place accommodations. If you work on these projects, we recommend you bring up this option with your clients to determine if they may qualify for the credit.

  • PASSED (pending Governor’s Signature): HB18-1394 Update Colorado Disaster Emergency Act

The Colorado Disaster Emergency Act is being updated after a multi-year effort to identify inefficiencies. Much of the bill is unrelated to the architecture profession, but the bill also directs the Colorado Resiliency Office to maintain a “Resiliency and Community Recovery” program. Since resiliency in our communities is becoming a priority for AIA National, we’re looking at ways to get more involved in these efforts already in place here in Colorado.

  • PASSED (pending Governor’s Signature): SB18-003 Colorado Energy Office

The Colorado Energy Office’s function has been expanded to oversee and promote responsible use of all energy/electricity generation methods in Colorado, not just renewable energy sources. While this expansion was opposed by Democrats last year, it was a necessary compromise with the Senate to continue funding the office.

Rural communities facing a significant negative economic event can now receive assistance from the state to limit the impact on jobs within the community. While this will not result directly in new construction projects, we applaud this effort to preserve communities that have a higher risk of losing their stability after a significant economic event.

  • PASSED: SB18-009 Allow Electric Utility Customers Install Energy Storage Equipment

Good news for architects working on projects with on-site electricity generation. Individuals are now allowed to install energy storage equipment on their personal property thanks to this bill. Rules and regulations will be developed by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

Governmental Regulation of the Built Environment and Funding Appropriations

Building codes and safety standards don’t see a lot of action at the state capitol, but there was one bill of note on the subject of excavation standards for buried utility lines. Also listed here are the various bills pass this year allocating money for state-owned capital construction projects.

Additional marijuana tax revenue is being dedicated to the BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) program. In addition to the current $40 million put into the program, 90% total of the actual tax revenue above beyond that amount will still be allocated specifically to capital construction projects.

Moving forward, schools applying for BEST grant assistance must include a plan for future use or disposition of existing facilities that will now longer continue their current use if the grant is received.

This bill adds protections to land classified residential use, even after the land undergoes improvements or  existing residential structures are removed, that might trigger a review of its use classification. The protections are time-limited, with the intent the owner will immediately redevelop the land for a use allowable under its previous classification.

While this may not affect architects directly, the state now has better define rules on how quickly money must be allocated to a specific capital construction project (typically three years). This means that when the state decides to invest in a project, the project will begin in a reasonable timeframe.

For architects or your clients that have pursued a “low income housing” tax credit, this bill changes the name to a “affordable housing” tax credit. This bill also extends these credits through the end of 2024.

  • PASSED (pending Governor’s signature): SB18-167 Enforce Requirements 811 Locate Underground Facilities

Rules for locating and excavating around buried utility lines (“underground facilities” per statute language) have been significantly updated. You may remember a similar bill last year that would have put an undue burden on architects to assume liability for underground facility locations on project sites. A work group was assembled last summer, including architects and professional engineers, to propose changes to the bill that would protect excavators without creating liability for architects. Fortunately, the bill that passed this year no longer affects architects, and is now only applicable to projects that are primarily horizontal construction (roadways, etc.).

A dedicated maintenance fund will be created for the Governor’s mansion. This will not limit funding requests made through current processes.

A dedicated maintenance fund has been created for the controlled maintenance needs of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center.

© AIA Colorado 2026
Skip to content