FOUNDATION OF THE SWISS REGISTERS OF THE PROFESSIONALS IN THE SUBJECTS OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
HISTORY
In Switzerland the titles acquired through study degrees are legally protected, however this protection does not extend to the generic label of “Architect”, “Engineer” or “Technician”. Therefore, carrying out the related professions does not require the fulfillment of any particular condition.
Aware of the necessity of minimum quality requirements for carrying out technical professions, SIA – the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects – created already in 1917 a commission for the protection of the titles, in order to achieve a legal ruling on the matter. Such an endeavour led only in 1939 to a parliamentary act, which however did not reach any effect due to the lack of a legal base. A legal assessment, carried out by Federal Judge Guex, suggested to the various professional associations to look for a solution through a mutual agreement. After this first step was successful, it would have been possible to undertake legal action to achieve the purpose. In the ’40s, an attempt down this path unfortunately failed.
Only in 1952 it was possible to set up the first Swiss Register of Engineers, Architects and Technicians named RIAT. Established on a simple agreement, relaying on unambiguous principles, the most important Swiss professional associations SIA, FAS, ATS and ASIC were able to implement and manage this first Register. In the following 15 years the RIAT grew considerably and in 1966 there were already 18,000 registered professionals. In 1961 the former Federal Councillor Hans Schaffner declared, in reply to a parliamentary question, that the professions of “Architect” and “Engineer” urgently needed a specific law.
On July 5th, 1966 the RIAT was transformed into the present Register of Engineers, Architects and Technicians REG, a foundation in the board of which delegates of the Federal Government, of the Cantons and of the Schools would have been from now on represented, as an implicit recognition of the public interest to the REG activities.
In the beginning of the ’90s, CSA – the Swiss Conference of Architects (FAS, FSAI, SIA), prepared jointly with REG a law project which should have given to Swiss Architects similar conditions of which foreign colleagues were already beneficiary. This initiative did not succeed due to the decision taken on November 23rd, 2004 by the Federal Council, who declared that the profession of Architect is without higher public interest and therefore there is no need of specific regulations. According to the highest executive authority in Switzerland, the various laws on construction care, on health and hygiene are deemed to be a sufficient legal base to guarantee the quality of the built environment.