Architecture Licensure Candidates Awarded Grant for Dedication to the Profession and their Communities
The Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects Emerging Professionals Committee (EPiC) is pleased to announce the 2021 class of Paula Maynes ARE Grant recipients. Since 2015, the grant has recognized outstanding architectural graduates pursuing licensure and their contributions to the architecture profession and their communities at large.
The grant celebrates the late Paula Maynes, AIA, whose legacy of mentorship and service to the profession left an indelible impact on the AIA community. Paula graduated from Carnegie Mellon’s architecture program and worked for several architectural firms before starting Maynes Associates Architects. She served two terms on the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors and two terms on the AIA PA Board of Directors. Paula was the President of AIA Pittsburgh in 2008, Secretary of the AIA Pennsylvania Board in 2012, and chaired the Government Affairs committee in 2010 and 2011.
This year, the grant recognizes three dedicated, passionate emerging professionals with funding to sit to test for three divisions of the ARE – a $705 testing fee. Get to know soon-to-be architects and 2021’s ARE Grant Recipients (picture above left to right): Nadeem Mahran, Associate AIA; Andrew Mitchell, Associate AIA; and Cassidy Roberts, Associate AIA. Their profiles offer a peek into their professional paths and commitment to service.
Becoming an Architect in Pennsylvania
The traditional path to becoming an architect in Pennsylvania is three-fold requiring education (Bachelor or Master of Architecture from a National Architectural Accrediting Board architecture program), 3,740 hours of experience (AXP – Architectural Experience Program), and a six-part examination (ARE – Architect Registration Examination). The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) found that in 2020, less than 3,000 individuals completed the path to licensure in 2020, a 29 percent decline caused by the pandemic’s closure of test centers and drop in AXP reporting. However, candidates completed the full path to licensure in 12.3 years, about five months sooner than in 2019. Nationally, the average to complete the AXP and ARE was 7.1 months.
In Pennsylvania, the average candidate took 7.6 years to complete the AXP and the ARE. According to the 2021 Edition of NCARB By the Numbers, as of 2020, Pennsylvania was home to 359 active ARE testers, 87 ARE completions, 834 licensure candidates reporting AXP hours, 135 AXP completions, and 4,279 licensed architects residing in the state.
Nationally, NCARB reported the number of architects licensed rose to 121,997 in 2020. A 5 percent increase in the number of U.S. architects in 2019 despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the initial licensure pipeline.