My Personal Take For Architecture
It is a challenging profession as an architect (currently I am still considered legally as graduate architect) as there are a vast pool of knowledge and experience to be accumulated. No doubt, without solid decades of practice, one can never be firm enough to handle every aspect as an architect. That is what I heard from my seniors and mentors who are practising in the industry. Yet, knowingly that this is not an easy path, I would always think that what can I do to get established as soon as possible so that I can be more independent and create a brand of my product. I have always been fascinated with green lifestyle whereby people could live in a space close to nature and able to live in comfort and happy surrounding. That is why I am into urban farming which I see as a tool to realize this vision to have comfortability in our tummy and also visually as we are nearer to nature, where the food comes from. Happiness comes by as a by-product when you feel satisfied with what you have and being thankful too. Through agriculture practice, one could really appreciate the hardship of getting the food to the plate. Imagine that you observe the seed that breaks out from the shell and matures into an edible plant. The time that passes through is a cost and that is where we start to appreciate how the food is being produced. Then, from the farm to the plate, there is also culinary involved where the way you cook also matters. All of it is part of life and it is enjoyment.
The Journey Of Getting The Certificate
For me, if I want to practice independently as an architect to serve the community, I will need the final certificate which is LAM Part III where I would need to produce a professional evaluation report to the board. Then, the board will deem whether I am qualified to sit for the oral exam. After passing the oral exam, I will then need to sit for the written exam which has two papers. All of them will happen within this year and ends around end of September. So hopefully, I could get through all of them and realize a small milestone.
The Syllabus/Our Responsibility
In order to get over the exam, I need to be prepared on the syllabus of the examination. Basically, the syllabus is what we are using during our practice to serve our clients as well as the community. Without knowing what our role is as an architect, it is irresponsible for us to practice which then will cause losses to the community. Despite there are always new updates about the acts, by-laws, rules and regulations, as a professional, there is a need for us to keep ourselves up to speed. Personally, I would say it is quite impossible to be well versed in all, but definitely being good in a few and collaborate together as a team is the best way to go in this era.
Just to get a glimpse on an overall syllabus that I need to cover before the examination is:
- Architect Act 1967 (Act 117) & Rules
- Architect Rules 1996 (Section 32)
- Architect (Scale of Minimum Fees) Rules 2010
- Uniform Building By-Law 1984
- Streets, Drainage and Building Act 1974
- PAM Standard Form of Contract
- PAM Standard Form of Sub-Contract
- Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Act 1966 (Act 118) & Regulations
- Fire Safety Guidelines
- National Land Code (Act 56 of 1965) & Regulations
- Strata Title Act 1985 (Act 318), Rules & Regulations
- Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) & Regulations
- Local authority & other statutory bodies guidelines
- Federal Territory Planning Act of 1982
- The Municipal Ordinance and By-Laws
- Town & Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172) & Orders & other Town Planning Legislations
- EIA, The Land Conservation Act, etc
- Arbitration Act 1952 and Arbitration Procedure
- Company Act 2016 (Act 177), Regulations & Rules
- CIDB Form of Contract
- JKR Form of Contract
Kind of overwhelming for me when I go through the full list but it is achievable when I get through this in a schedule and digest them thoroughly like how we deal with examinations since our primary school time. How reminiscent is that :P
My Hope
Being able to pass all of them is definitely my wish as I hope to pursue as an independent business entity rather than working under a company that is not mine. I am always fascinated by how I could build and grow my company into a state that is sustainable and able to move into a business owner and ultimately an investor. Well, this will keep me occupied for the rest of the year. Wish myself the best and I am going to update here from time to time on my progress as a record.