Sir, – The comments made by Phil Hogan in a Seanad debate in relation to the impacts of the new building regulations (“New building regulations will exclude non-professionals”, April 11th) are frankly disrespectful and misleading.
I am an architectural technologist with 30 years’ experience in the UK and Ireland. I qualified from a three-year course at DIT Bolton Street in 1982 and after 10 years in practice as a graduate architectural technologist I applied for chartered membership of the professional representative body in the UK, the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) and following an interview by an admission panel was admitted. Subsequently I was admitted as an architectural technologist member of the RIAI in 2007, having met their entry criteria and served as the architectural technologist member on RIAI Council between 2009 and 2011. The RIAI represents approximately 230 architectural technologist members.
When the consultations on building control amendments with the Department of the Environment were being conducted with stakeholders, and in spite of a plea by the RIAI architectural technologist committee to RIAI council to support the inclusion of their members, we were refused the institute’s support. The CIAT, which represents approximately 100 chartered members in the Ireland branch, was excluded from access to the stakeholder representation process by Department of the Environment officials.
To be informed now by Mr Hogan that in spite of being deemed to be qualified and competent by the CIAT and the RIAI I am now a “draftsman” and that “the new building regulations will make it more difficult for unqualified people to pass themselves off as construction professionals” is offensive and potentially catastrophic to the livelihoods of many architectural technologists. Where does this leave us and the many students who are at various stages on three-and four-year full-time courses? Yours, etc
BRIAN MAHER MSc
MCIAT MCABE,
Ballacolla Road,
Abbeyleix,
Co Laois