Citizen Space

The Code is supported with guidance for how architects can apply the Standards in more specific contexts and in relation to particular topics. Draft guidance is being published and consulted on in phases.

The first tranche of guidance covers the topics of Dealing with Complaints, Professional Indemnity Insurance and Terms of Engagement. Guidance for these topics was consulted on between 26 February and 09 April 2025 and is now published.

This second tranche of guidance covered topics of Managing Conflicts of Interest, Managing Finances, and Raising Concerns and Whistleblowing.

The consultation was open for six weeks between 19 June and 31 July 2025. During that time, we received 11 responses.

There were some useful drafting suggestions for how the guidance could be improved, including adding further information on when architects should report themselves to ARB (within the Raising Concerns guidance) and providing specific examples of how conflicts of interest should be manged. 

There were no fundamental objections to any of the content in the guidance.

The finalised guidance has been published and can be accessed here:

https://arb.org.uk/architect-information/architects-code-standards-of-conduct-and-practice/ 

We asked for views on proposed changes to international routes to registration.

The proposals included an overhaul of the Prescribed Exam, and changes to the UK Adaptation Assessment, which is undertaken by architects joining the UK Register through one of ARB’s international agreements.

The consultation ran from 3 October 2024 to 6 January 2025 and received 59 unique responses.

Our proposals to move to a competence-based assessment (88%) and for a single point of entry to the UK Register (80%) received the highest levels of support in our consultation.

Of all our proposals, support was lowest for our proposal to move to an accreditation approach (58%) rather than run the exams in-house. Respondents expressed concern that the cost of the assessment, exam or route must be affordable for candidates. Potential providers of the exam were also mindful of costs, and the question of whether there would be enough candidates and throughput for the model to be viable.

A more detailed summary and the full consultation analysis report is available here.

We will continue our plans to introduce a competence-based assessment in a modernised format, simpler eligibility requirements, and a single point of entry to the Register.

However, following consultation feedback and further market research, we intend to apply a contract model to outsource the assessments, rather than an accreditation model. This means that rather than providers developing assessments that we then approve, we will instead contract specific providers to run the assessment based on a service they’ll propose to meet our brief.

We still intend to introduce the new the Prescribed Exam and UK Adaptation Assessment in 2027, to align with our education reforms. A detailed implementation plan will be developed, with a further consultation scheduled for 2026. We hope to be able to introduce the new Competency Standards Group route for those with partial qualifications sooner, before the end of 2026.

As the statutory regulator of the architects’ profession, one of ARB’s functions is to set the standards of conduct and practice the profession must meet and take action when any architect falls below the required standards of conduct or competence. We set a Code of Conduct and Practice, and we have statutory obligations to keep the Code under review.

ARB published a new draft Code for consultation in September 2024. The proposed Code was based on six outcomes-focussed Standards, each of which is underlined with example behaviours. The Standards were intended to be underpinned by guidance, and a list of guidance topics was published as part of the consultation.

The consultation received a total of 441 responses.

More respondents agreed than disagreed with each of the proposed standards.

‘Honesty and integrity’ received the highest level of combined agreement (89%), and ‘Public interest’ received the lowest with 70%, which is still a strong majority. ‘Public interest’ also had the highest level of disagreement, but with only 16% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing.

More respondents agreed than disagreed with each of the proposed guidance topics.

‘Strongly agree’ was the most common response for each of the proposed topics. ‘Building safety’ and ‘Dealing with complaints and disputes’ received the highest level of agreement (80% and 79%), with building safety having a noticeably higher level of strong agreement (59%).

More information about how people responded to the consultation found in the full consultation analysis report.

The consultation revealed that there is strong support for our proposed Standards and guidance.

Some respondents suggested improvements to the Code’s language, helping us identify areas that need clarification. We are reviewing and considering all drafting suggestions, particularly those relating to definitions. We will also consider how we might use examples or case studies in the guidance to improve understanding.

Many of the suggestions we received were ideas that we cannot adopt, either because they are outside of our statutory remit (such as fees) or because we are not the appropriate body (such as pay or employment law). However, we will consider how we can incorporate some of the helpful or more detailed suggestions into the updated Code and the guidance we are currently developing.

We will consult on each guidance document before it is introduced, grouping them together for publication to reduce the number of consultations. At all times, we will be clear as to what guidance applies and its role, so that architects know what is expected of them, and know what standards they would be judged against should a disciplinary case come about.

We will publish the final version of the Code this summer, once the Board has considered the drafting improvements we are making in light of the consultation.

We are now also initially publishing draft versions of three of the guidance documents for consultation. This is the first of three consultations.The guidance we are consulting on initially are: 

• Dealing with complaints 

• Professional indemnity insurance 

• Terms of engagement 

You can participate in this new consultation here.