Architects and Licensed Technologists OAA are authorized to practise architecture in the province of Ontario. They design and consult on anything related to spaces in our built environment. Their work can be at a micro scale (wayfinding, designing a bench in a park, or creating a building envelope detail for a home) or at the macro scale (leading a team on the design of a multi-use residential project or new museum or master-planning an entire community).
OAA licensed members are highly trained, with experience in a variety of functions. They serve a critical role as advisors that work as part of a team to ensure spaces meet the needs of their clients, the building’s eventual users, and larger society.
According to Ontario’s Architects Act, RSO 1990, c. A.26, the “practice of architecture” means:
(a) the preparation or provision of a design to govern the construction, enlargement, or alteration of a building,
(b) evaluating, advising on or reporting on the construction, enlargement, or alteration of a building, or
(c) a general review of the construction, enlargement, or alteration of a building.
However, practising architecture consists of much more than this. For projects of various scales, it also encompasses professional services including, but not limited to:
- planning, urban design, and land-use planning;
- creating preliminary studies, designs, models, drawings, specifications, and technical documentation;
- coordinating technical documentation prepared by others (consulting engineers, urban planners, landscape architects, and other specialist consultants) as appropriate and without limitation;
- administering contracts;
- consulting on economics, tendering approaches, and cost estimates;
- offering expert witness testimony; and
- offering project management and construction monitoring.
Some OAA licensed members work for (or own) a practice, while others are employed by a corporation or government, where they provide in-house expertise as well as act as client representatives for design/construction projects. In either scenario, Architects and Licensed Technologists OAA are problem-solvers who design solutions to issues, interpret building codes, and guide their clients to project delivery—all with the goal of “creating a safe and healthy built environment that performs at the highest levels and elevates the human spirit.”