NY Licensed Architect / Registered Architect
Registered Architect is the term for an architect license in the United States. These mean the same thing. Each State issues an architect’s license. When one becomes a Registered Architect, they can add the abbreviation RA after their name or AIA if they choose to join the American Institute of Architects.
I am Jorge Fontan, a Registered Architect and Member of the American Institute of Architects in New York State. I am the owner of the Manhattan-based architecture firm Fontan Architecture. NYC is a difficult place to work, so if you are looking for an architect, I recommend getting a Registered Architect in NY who is familiar with working in NYC.
NY State Registered Architect
A Registered Architect, or RA, is a licensed architect. Individual States issue an architecture license in the United States. To practice architecture in another State, one would have to get a license in that State, which is simple once you have a license in at least one State.
American Institute of Architects
Not all Registered Architects choose to join the American Institute of Architects, more commonly known as the AIA. I am an AIA member and write my name as Jorge Fontan AIA. The AIA after my name indicates that I am a Registered Architect and an American Institute of Architects member. Although it is not required to be an AIA member to hold an Architecture License, many architects are AIA.
NYC DOB Registered Architect
The New York City Department of Buildings does not issue architecture licenses, but one can be registered with the NYC DOB to use their filling systems. Although it is not required in NYC, you can register and get an NYC DOB Identification as a Registered Architect. The NYC DOB issues these to Architects and Engineers or Design Professionals, as the NYC DOB calls us. For an architect to personally conduct business at the NYC DOB, they must register and get a DOB ID.
Aside from having a DOB ID to go to the actual Department of Buildings offices, you can have an account for filling online. These days we file almost everything online with the NYC Department of Buildings DOB NOW system.
NYS Architecture License Lookup
If you want to verify an Architect’s Registration, you need to go through the State. New York State has a site for looking up a Licensed Architect to see if they hold a valid license. Go to the NYS Architecture License Lookup to check a Licensed Architect in New York State.
Architecture Education
I thought I would include my background and college degrees. I have the following:
- Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University
- Bachelor of Architecture from the City College of New York
- Bachelor of Science from the City College of New York
If you would like to read more I have another post on How I Became an Architect.
Registered Architect NYC and NY State
If you would like to see more post on architect here are a few suggestions:
In this article, we reviewed some of the basics regarding NY Registered Architects and Affiliations. This post does not assume to cover every possible issue or condition but provides a general overview of the topic.
Thank you for reading our blog post on Apartment Renovation NYC.
I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a potential project, contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
