ARE Testing Update

Online Proctoring begins Monday, 12/14

Starting Monday, 12/14, exam candidates can take the ARE through the new online proctoring process.  This format allows candidates to take the exam at locations other than test centers, including home. This is a great option during the pandemic, particularly for our members in the AIA Southern Oregon section as their Prometric test center is closed at least through the end of the year. 

NCARB provided a webinar today, December 10, on the online proctored exam process and we expect a recording will be posted HERE in the next few days.  Joseph Sis, AIASO EPC chair comments about the webinar, “The NCARB webinar today was really informative as they focused almost entirely on questions from candidates and answered them in a live real-world, common-sense, manner. The questions here really dug into issues that will affect most remote testers, and even a few related to taking the test “old school” at the test center.”

Please be aware that for security reasons, there are restrictions on the space where candidates take the test, and the involvement of a live proctor watching remotely throughout the exam. This includes an enclosed space, clean desk, and empty bookshelves. While it is great that this option is available, the space requirements can’t be met by all candidates.  If you operate a firm, please consider how you can set aside space in the office for your staff to take the exam through the online proctoring process. 

NCARB has been preparing for the online proctoring process for a while now, and the closure of test centers accelerated things. This new option coincides with other changes to the ARE process regardless of where you take the exam. This includes the restriction on note pads and the replacement of digital whiteboards as the only tool to sketch and scratch out notes. Many candidates have struggled with the digital whiteboard and this has been a source of much angst. NCARB is committed to this requirement, and to providing more resources, including practice tools to help candidates to get comfortable with it.  Learn more about the practice tools HERE. 

You can learn more about the online proctoring process HERE, and more about the ARE process overall HERE.

Newly Licensed Architects

Passing the Architectural Registration Examination and becoming a licensed architect is a significant achievement. It signifies that an architect is skilled in and committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public, and is a significant personal milestone for those that become licensed. 

Congratulations to the following Oregon architects newly licensed between August 15 and November 16, 2020. 

Nathaniel Carden, AIA
Stacy Crain, AIA
Gerald Diedrich
Ashleigh Fischer, AIA
Michael Leigland, AIA
Heather Meyer, AIA
Andrew Milner,
Benjamin Nelson
Nicholas Sackos
Danae Sakuma
Michael Scott
Linghao Yin

We would love to do more to spotlight the newest Oregon licensees! Firms, if one or more of your staff has recently become licensed, we encourage you to share their story on social media and tag AIA Oregon, so we can spread the news! We are active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

AIAO Design Annual - Call for Submissions

2019 Design Annual - Click to View

Each year the AIA Eugene Section publishes the Design Annual. Following our consolidation into a single-state Chapter, this year we’re opening this publication to contributors from across Oregon.

The Design Annual serves two main purposes. It shines a light on Oregon design while also serving as a platform to publicly announce the winners of our state’s many design award programs. For 2020 it will showcase the winners of the Eugene, Salem, and Southern Oregon People’s Choice Awards along with the winners of this year’s Oregon Architecture Awards.

To further elevate the profession in the eyes of the public, we depend on our members to contribute design-related articles, 800 to 1200 words, that are of interest to a wide audience. These articles will cover a vast variety of subject material all under a common theme. This year’s theme is “Inclusive Spaces.”

Historically, the Design Annual has been published as an insert in Eugene’s Register-Guard newspaper. With the Design Annual shifting to a state-wide publication, this year’s edition will be published online. We aim to highly publicize this and direct a ton of traffic to it.

Please let Colin Dean (colin@rowellbrokaw.com) know if you’re interested in submitting an article. All submittals must be received by Friday, December 18th (end of day) for publication in mid-January.