China Random Fact Sheet

China Random Fact Sheet
From a report by NCARB observers . . .

• There are 5,000 certified architects in China.
• The demand for graduate architects is greater than the number who are currently receiving degrees.
• The National Administration Board of Architectural Registration (NABAR) was established in 1995, with Architect Wu Yiliang, then and now, as President.
• The accreditation of China's 62 schools of architecture is administered by an agency that is closely patterned on the North American National Architectural Accrediting Board's system.
• A five-year accredited degree (BArch) is required to sit for the "Architect Class 1" examination. This exam is patterned after the ARE.
• A Class 1 architect must complete three years of training in an architectural institute or firm prior to sitting for the exam. Called "Architectural Design Practice Training," this program is patterned after the U.S.'s IDP.
• China's Registered Architects Examination (RAE) is given once a year, in paper and pencil, in 30 provinces, "autonomous regions" and "direct municipalities" on the same four days and at the same time (there are no time zones in China).
• The RAE is patterned after the NCARB paper-and-pencil ARE.
• The passing of the exam establishes registration; however, certification to practice is granted only if the individual is working in a "certified institute."
• 80 hours of continuing education is required every two years to renew certification.
• Architects generally practice in an institute, which is usually connected to, or associated with, a university or government entity.
• As of January 1998, there were 20 private architectural firms practicing in China.
• Most major work is acquired through competition, very often in association with a foreign firm

• Association with a foreign firm follows two patterns: (1) The foreign firm does the design and the Chinese firm completes the project; (2) The Chinese firm works with the foreign firm from the acquisition of the project through completion as a consultant.

From a 1997 survey in The Economist . . .

• Forty-three percent of urban households have modern sewage systems.
• Electricity consumption is booming in Shanghai.
• The population of China equals that of the United States, Europe, and Russia combined.