the AIA was founded in 1857 in New York City in response to a confused definition of "Architect"

the present National Chapter is located in Washington, DC

the Atlanta Chapter was founded in 1906

it serves the public first, the profession second

"A" prefixes: Owner-Contractor documents

"B" prefixes: Owner-Architect documents

"C" prefixes: Architect-Consultant documents

AIA Code of Ethics: architects CAN advertise as long as they uphold the dignity and credibility of the profession

pursue the art and science of architecture without compromise

obey the spirit as well as the letter of the law

uphold dignity and credibility of the profession

consider the social and environmental impact of the work

respect the heritage of the past

promote appreciation of the built environment

support human rights

be candid and truthful in professional communications

serve clients in a thorough and competent manner

respect confidences of clients, employees, and employers

avoid conflicts of interest

give appropriate credit for professional contributions of employees

compete fairly and take full responsibility for agents. members may criticize other members

respect past accomplishments and contribute to their continued growth

develop and maintain knowledge of the art and science of architecture

building used for mass assembly (10 or more people) always requires a Seal

residences (no more than 2 stories) and farm buildings don't require a Seal

commercial buildings which exceed $100,000 require a Seal

amount of deductible

volumn of design work

prior history of claims

3 types of insurance: General Insurance, Errors and Omissions, and Workers' Compensation

PL and PD are categories within the General Insurance

the purchase of both PL and Workers' Comp. IS USUALLY NECESSARY and IS RECOMMENDED by the AIA, since they DO NOT insure identical risks

both PL and PD insure ont only a the Architect's office, but also at the construction site

E&O insurance is NOT required by all states and the AIA makes NO recommendations concerning the amount to purchase

AIA recommends that the cost of E&O insurance should be considered as overhead, NOT a direct project cost for each individual project

this is a very difficult situation for Owner to accept since they would generally prefer that insurance costs come from the Architect's profit or that they should only have to pay for insurance for their project

3 forms of legal structure:

sole proprietorship

partnership

corporation

in a sole proprietorship, there is NO stock ownership (no form of ownership protects the Architect from personal liability in cases of negligence)

there is NO "right of privity" -  in US law, third parties can, and do, sue

The following statement is true of which type of legal ownership of the architectural office:

"Individual members of the organization are equally responsible for the debts and negligence of other members."

Partnership

Law of "Mutual Agency"

The following statement is true of which type of legal ownership of the architectural office:

"Individual members of the organization are responsible for their own negligence, but are not responsible for the negligence of other members."

Corporation

legal system views a Corporation as a legal entity, not as individuals responsible for debt, liability, and services (however, you cannot escape personal responsibility for professional negligence)

 horizontal staffing:

projects move on a sort of "conveyor belt" through the office; takes lots of specialists who can handle a large number of projects; larger offices

vertical staffing:

generalists who whork on all aspects of the project; very

limited number of projects can be handled by this office; smaller offices

Cash Basis:

income is recorded as it is received (advantage for paying taxes-you only pay what you have; poor for financial control since it is difficult to determine whether or not a project is profitable since billing may occur every 30 days or so)

Accrual Basis:

records income as it is earned (poor for taxes-you pay on money you haven't yet received in many cases; good financial control (good day-to-day record of what has been earned)

the schematic phase of service DOES NOT include the preliminary selection of major building systems

Architect only has to demonstrate some very basic understanding of the scope and relationship of the project components at the Schematic Phase

OWNER is responsible for filing documents which are required to be approved by governmental authorities

Architect only has the responsibility to ASSIST the Owner in obtaining bids or negotiated proposals

1. The Contract Administration Services DOES NOT simply commence upon completion of the Contract Documents and automatically end upon occupation of the Project. (it starts on the day indicated in the Contract Documents)

2. The Contract Administration Services terminate at the issuance to the Owner of the final Certificate of Payment. Architect is entitled to a Change in Services when the Contract Admin Services extend 60 days after the date of Substantial Completion of the Work.

3. Contractor must consent to modifications in the Architect's authority before the Owner can contractually extend such authority. The underlined portions of sentences above are not in conflict, since the services in question terminate at the earlier of two times: Final completion (time for the final Certificate for Payment). Architect is entitled to a Change in Services (more money) should the service in question extend beyond 60 days after Substantial Completion - since the Architect's services under this phase effectively ends no later than 60 days after Substantial Completion.

privity

(right of privity)

A relation between parties that is held to be sufficiently close and direct to support a legal claim on behalf of or against another person with whom this relation exists.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/privity#ixzz1yOOb5kPk

The premise is that only parties to contracts should be able to sue to enforce their rights or claim damages as such