113 Architecture questions - What is an architect "authorised" to do?
What is an architect "authorised" to do?
Architects are state-authorised and sworn civil engineers in the field of architecture. As a civil engineer, you are authorised to work as a freelancer in all specialist areas that are part of the respective curriculum after completing a degree course in engineering or natural sciences or a degree course at a university of applied sciences.
This means that not every architect may have the same authorisations. Their authorisations depend on the curriculum they have completed and the content taught there. For example, an architect who graduated in 1980 will be able to work in different specialist areas than an architect who graduated in 2005.
Within the framework of the completed curriculum, architects are authorised to provide planning, auditing, monitoring, consulting, coordinating, mediating and fiduciary services. As the provision of planning services implies, architects are not authorised to provide executive services and are not subject to the Industrial Code but to the Civil Engineers Act.
In addition to projects in their specialist field, they are authorised to plan monumental buildings, theatres, festival halls, exhibition buildings, museum buildings, churches, schools and hospitals of the federal government, the federal states and municipalities, provided they are of artistic, cultural or social importance.
In addition to the above-mentioned services, architects are also authorised in particular to prepare expert opinions, to represent clients professionally before authorities and public bodies, to handle the organisational and commercial management of projects and to take on overall planning assignments.
In the case of general planning contracts, however, the prerequisite is that the majority of the activities involve the architect's authorisation.
In addition to representation before the authorities, in which the architect represents his clients in official approval procedures and provides them with advice, he is also authorised to take on building authority functions. In the Vienna Building Code, for example, in the course of the simplified building permit procedure in accordance with §70a, in which a civil engineer, and an architect is such a civil engineer, confirms compliance with the public building regulations instead of the building authority.
As civil engineers, architects are also authorised to issue public documents. However, these are exclusively certificates of evidence, not legally binding documents. This includes, for example, the notice of completion.
Architects are also authorised to act as non-official experts in administrative proceedings. It would not be necessary to use a court expert, as civil engineers, as natural persons with special expertise and above-average professional expertise in their specialist field, are regarded as experts. Unfortunately, however, this is not generally recognised by the public.
As you can see, architects can exercise their authorisation in a wide variety of activities. The basis of our authorisation is the curriculum, which in the case of architects is generalised and therefore very comprehensive. However, if the curriculum is reduced to a "design degree", the scope of our licence is at risk!
