Professional Practice in Canada: The Regulatory Environment
68 International Intern Architect and Undergraduate Students
RAIC Center for Architecture, Athabasca University, Online
Academic Expert: Alireza Shahbazin
In this role, I support students and internationally trained architects working in Canadian firms as they navigate the licensure pathway. The course addresses professional ethics, Canadian building codes, and civic and urban governance through applied assignments and student-led presentations.
This is a highly contextual, narrative-based course in which I encourage students to apply knowledge from the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects, the Code of Ethics, and environmental considerations to hypothetical, real, or imagined professional practice scenarios in Canada. Students engage in a range of design and research activities: they develop civic proposals for Canadian municipalities, often addressing issues such as homelessness and sustainability, while also preparing professional proposals for architectural firms operating in Canada and in international contexts. As part of this process, they design brochures and develop websites to communicate their ideas effectively.
Below, you can see selected examples of their proposals, and graphic work produced for the course.
This course is offered in collaboration with the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) as part of the licensure pathway for internationally trained architects in Canada.
Assignment 3: The Practice of Architecture and Canadian Civic Politics by Caroline Termignoni
Goal: To develop an understanding of how Canadian civic politics shapes projects, how projects are implemented and approved and how architects become engaged in leading these projects.
Assignment 3: Redevelopmentof a local parkin Montréal: Le Champ des Possibles by Manon Vandommele
Assignment 5: Design a homepage for your firm’s website by Dora Cicmir Vestic
Goal: To develop a vision for a hypothetical firm that demonstrates a clear commitment to ethical standards, and to prepare an outline for a public relations and marketing plan.
