{"id":25946,"date":"2026-05-27T15:56:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/?p=25946"},"modified":"2026-05-27T15:57:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:57:04","slug":"ul-hosts-lia-arb-seminar-for-architects-unveils-three-tier-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/ul-hosts-lia-arb-seminar-for-architects-unveils-three-tier-framework\/","title":{"rendered":"UL Hosts LIA, ARB Seminar For Architects, Unveils Three-Tier Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Capitol Hill, May 27, 2026 \u2013 <\/strong>The University of Liberia hosted a one-day seminar organized by the Liberian Institute of Architects (LIA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB), introducing a three-tier process designed to ensure that only qualified practitioners earn the title of architect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The seminar was held on the Capitol Hill campus, bringing together architects and industry practitioners, government officials, university administrators, faculty, staff, and students at the Capitol Hill Auditorium on Friday, May 15.
According to the organizers, the event also marked the official launch of the Architects Registration Program (ARP), with panelists from the Ministry of Public Works, LIA, Engineering Society of Liberia, National Commission on Higher Education, and the Ministry of Commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Three-step path to licensure
<\/strong>During a panel discussion, Mr. Sylvanus O\u2019Connor, Executive Board member of the Liberian Institute of Architects, said the ARP provides a structured pathway through the Architects Internship Program (AIP), the Professional Practice Training Program (PPTP), and the Pre-Architects Licensure Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He described the approach as an interactive process that pairs interns with employers who are able to provide access to the architecture industry.
In addition, Mr. O\u2019Connor urged aspiring architects to seek licensed mentors in both public and private offices to guide professional development. He said licensure eligibility would take two years for candidates with professional degrees, and three years for candidates with non-professional degrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cSo, basically, what it’s saying is that an intern needs to be attached to an entity that provides architectural services. And that entity must be licensed and registered. And so, therefore, the employer is your industry access guarantor,\u201d O\u2019Connor told attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Framework signals shift toward accountable development
<\/strong>Serving as the keynote speaker, Ms. Ellen Pratt-Harris said the ARP launch represents more than the introduction of a regulatory framework. Rather, she said, it reflects Liberia\u2019s movement toward a built environment that is structured, accountable, and forward-looking \u2013 a shift she called central to the country\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pratt-Harris spoke on the theme, \u201cReimagining the Built Environment: The Role of Architecture and Planning in Advancing National Development,\u201d and encouraged architects to look beyond building designs and urban layouts. Instead, she urged them to consider how cities function, how communities grow, and how architecture and planning can support Liberia\u2019s economic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Quoting the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Winner and environmental activist Wangari Maathai, Pratt-Harris said the way cities are planned and managed will shape the quality of life, economic growth, and opportunities for future generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pratt-Harris said cities are where economic activity concentrates, infrastructure investment yields the highest returns, and innovation, jobs, and services are created, and warned that when cities grow without planning, the results are congestion, informality, unsafe construction, and lost economic potential \u2013 citing Monrovia as an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


She encouraged emerging professionals to expand their ambition beyond major urban centers by planning and designing for rural towns and villages, including facilities such as schools and clinics, markets and storage sites, farm-to-market roads, water systems, and resilient housing across all counties.
Call for stronger housing and urban coordination<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To improve coordination in settlement planning, Pratt-Harris proposed the creation of a Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, saying it would consolidate functions currently distributed among multiple agencies into a single cabinet-level body to strengthen the national settlement strategy and link cities with secondary towns and rural communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Role of agencies and partners<\/strong>
Panelists also outlined the responsibilities of institutions involved in the ARP. The National Commission on Higher Education, for instance, will work with LIA and ARB to ensure that architectural programs meet professional degree standards and quality assurance requirements. The commission is expected to define and enforce curricula for professional degrees within the ARP\u2019s three-tier structure and validate credentials to confirm authenticity and compliance with national standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ministry of Public Works will help ensure that building permits are approved only for drawings stamped by LIA-registered architects. LIA, she said, is tasked with protecting the public from unqualified practice and ensuring that only registered architects in good standing use the title \u201cArchitect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ministry of Public Works is to affirm that only drawings stamped by LIA-registered architects will be approved for building permits.
Further, LIA is tasked to protect the public from unqualified practice and ensure that only registered architects, in good standing, use the title, \u201cArchitect.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Also, the Engineering Society of Liberia (ESoL) is tasked to foster an integrated approach between architects and engineers on major projects to improve efficiency and reduce \u201cmediocre development.\u201d Business registration and consumer protection fall under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, while the Association of Liberian Construction Contractors (ALCC) emphasizes the importance of professional architectural drawings in reducing construction errors, material waste, and costly on-site modifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Built environment, safety, and integrity emphasized<\/strong>
During the discussions, Engineer Benjamin G. Yiediboe, civil engineer and technical assistant in the Office of the Minister of Public Works, said the ARP launch signals Liberia\u2019s commitment to safety, regulation, and integrity in the built environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSo, I think this is a key start for the built environment. Because if you have a sector that is not regulated, it comes with consequences,\u201d said Yiediboe.
Prof. Nathaniel G. Gbessagee, deputy executive director for operations and technical, vocational, and special education at the National Commission on Higher Education, praised organizers for launching the program, saying it promotes genuine knowledge acquisition and quality outputs in architectural education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He said the ARP\u2019s three-step approach\u2014combining institutional standards and accreditation with an internship program, a professional practice training program, and a pre-architectural licensure program\u2014reflects a commitment to improving the quality of architectural education in Liberia and aligns with standards the commission seeks for quality degree-granting institutions.
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Capitol Hill, May 27, 2026 \u2013 The University of Liberia hosted a one-day seminar organized by the Liberian Institute of Architects (LIA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB), introducing a three-tier process designed to ensure that only qualified practitioners earn the title of architect. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"parleyww","author_link":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/author\/4ad98a01a3a2fd36\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25946"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25976,"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25946\/revisions\/25976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ul.edu.lr\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}