A registered member of the Ghana Institute of Architects hereafter referred to as G.I.A is governed by the fore-going rules and regulations. The following clause indicate the general standard of conduct to which Registered Architects whether remunerated by fee or salary must adhere, failing which the Council may judge a reprimand, suspend, or expel him or her. Cases of professional conduct not specifically covered by these clauses may be dealt with by the Council having regards to the particular of the case.

1.0 RESPONSIBILITIES AND REMUNERATIONS

1.01 A registered Architect must not hold, assume or consciously accept a position in which his interest is in conflict with his professional duty.

1.02 A registered architect when acting as Architectural Consultant, Advisor or Assistant is to be remunerated solely by his professional fees payable by his client or by salary payable by his employer. He is debarred from any other source of remuneration in connection with the works and duties entrusted to him. It is the duty of a registered Architect to uphold and apply the scales of Professional charges adopted by the Ghana Institute of Architects.

2.0 BUSINESS
2.01 A registered Architect may be an Architectural Consultant, Adviser or Assistant to building contractors, decorates, manufactures, house and estates agents, estate development firms or companies, or firms or companies trading in materials used in, or whose activities are otherwise connected , with the building industry, as well as Director, Shareholder or Partner in any business registered to conduct business in the above mentioned disciplines, provided he is able to demonstrate that the combination would not prevent his compliance with the principles of this Code and the Regulations and Rules that apply to his circumstance.

2.02 A member shall not have or take as a partner or co-opt as director in his firm any person who is disqualified for registration by reason of the fact that his name has been removed from the Register of Architects under section 11.1 of the Byelaws or any person disqualified for membership of the G.I.A or another professional institution by the reason of expulsion under relevant disciplinary regulations, unless the G.I.A otherwise allows.

2.03 Where a registered Architect is engaged specifically as an architectural consultant or advisor, as described in Clause 3 (a) his name and affix may appear only on the note paper of the firm or company used in connection with his professional services.

2.04 Where a registered Architect is engaged as an architectural consultant, adviser or assistant , as described in Clause 3 (a), he shall not act in a professional capacity for third party to whom his principals owe a contractual duty, but if mutually agreed between all the parties he may act as an independent architect on the direct instructions of the said third party provided that he receives the payment of fees directly.

2.05 A registered Architect may be a director of any company including a Building Society and may invest in housing or land.

3.0 ADVERTISMENTS
A registered Architect must not advertise or offer his professional service to any person or body corporate by means of circulars or otherwise, or paid announcements in the press, except that:
3.01 he may apply to prospective employers for a salaried appointment,

3.02 he may advertise professional appointment, open or wanted, provided the advertisement is directed only to members of the profession concerned,

3.03 he may respond to an advertisement addressed to members of the profession inviting them to submit their names for inclusion in panel or list of names of architects, from which the advertiser may select an architect or architects for a particular project, provided that his response to such an advertisement does not contravene any other Clause of the Code of the Ghana Institute of Architects’ Regulations for the conduct of Architectural competitions from time to time in force,

3.04 he may insert in the architectural professional press notices of change of address not exceeding two times.

3.05 he may notify his correspondents by post once of any change of address.

4.00 A registered Architect may allow signed illustrations and descriptions of his work to be published in the Press, but he shall not:

4.01 give monetary considerations for such insertions,

4.02 allow such insertions to be used by the publishers for extorting advertisements from contribution.

5.00 A registered Architect may consent to the publication of a series of illustrations either in circular, brochure or book form, with or without description letterpress, of any building or buildings or building for which he has been responsible, provide that,

5.01 Clause 6 (b) of the code is complied with, and

5.02 There is no attempt to distribute the publications to potential clients.

6.00 A registered Architect may sign his buildings and may exhibit his name outside his office and on the building in the course of construction, alteration or extensions provided that it is done in an unostentatious manner and the lettering does not exceed 75mm in height.

7.0 SUPPLANTING OTHER ARCHITECTS

A registered Architect must not attempt to supplant another architect, nor must he compete with another architect by means of a reduction of fees or by other inducements.

8.00 A registered Architect, on being approached or instructed to proceed with professional work upon which another architect was previously engaged shall notify the fact to the Institute, and to the original architect and shall satisfy himself that there are no outstanding obligations between the client and original architect, before he/she proceeds to undertake such works. If the project is under construction, a joint meeting between the architects, the client and the builder should precede the change of hands.

9.0 CONFLICT OF OFFICAL AND PRIVATE INTERESTS

A registered Architect employed as a full –time salaried and official architect by a central or local government or by a statutory undertaking, and who is by reason of his office in a position to grant or influence the granting of any form of statutory or other approval, must not undertake private work notwithstanding any permission from his employed authority to do so, unless he is satisfied that his position and action in the matter will be free from any suspicious or suggestion of abuse.

10.0 DISPUTES

In all case of dispute between a building owner and a contractor, a registered Architect must act in an impartial manner. He must interpret the conditions of a contract with entire fairness as between the building owner and the contractor.

11.00 A registered Architect must not permit the insertion of any clause in tenders, bills of quantities, or other contract documents which provides for payment to be made in consideration, unless with the full knowledge and approval of the employer.

12.00 It is desirable that in a case where a registered Architect takes out the quantities for his buildings he should be paid directly by the employer and not through the contractor except with the previous consent of the employer.

13.0 ENGAGEMENT

A registered Architect shall not submit plans for any project without formal contract of engagement or letter of commission from the client, except in response to response to competitions authorized by the G.I.A.

14.0 COMPETITION

A registered Architect should not take part in an architectural competition, in respect of which a preliminary warning of the Ghana Institute of Architects has been issued;
And must not take part in a competition in respect of which the Council of the Ghana Institute has declared by resolution that members and students must not take part because the Conditions are not in accordance with the published Regulations of the Ghana Institute of Architects for Architectural Competitions: nor must he be associated in any way with the carrying out of a design selected as the result of a competition in respect of which the Council of the Ghana Institute of Architects shall have declared by a Resolution that members and students must not take part. A registered Architect asked to take part in limited competitions must notify the Honorary Secretary of the G.I.A. submitting particulars of the competitions.

NOTE: - A formal invitation to two or more architects to prepare designs in competition for the same project is deemed a limited competition. In the event of two or more architects being commissioned to prepare designs for the same project, and the normal fee on the estimated cost of the project being paid to each of the architects so commissioned, the project shall not be regarded as a competition contemplated by the G.I.A Regulations for the promotion and conduct of architectural competitions.

15.00 A member must not act as an Architect or joint Architect for a project, which is or has been the subject of a competition in which he is or has been engaged as assessor, or for which he has acted as one of the organisers.

16.00 An assessor in a competition must not act as its consulting Architect (unless he has been appointed as such before the inception of the competition) nor act in any other professional capacity in matters connected with the work which has been the subject of the competition, provided always that he may act as Arbitrator in any dispute.

17.00 If a member is officially approached by promoters of a competition with a view of his acting as Assessor, and eventually it is decided not to hold such contemplated competition, but to appoint an Architect to carry out the works, the Architect so originally approached in such advisory capacity shall be precluded from acting as or being appointed as project Architect.

18.0 COPYRIGHT

In accordance with provisions of the Copyright Act of all drawings and in the works executed from them, shall remain the property of the Architect unless otherwise agreed.
NOTE: -The word Member in the fore- going clauses shall mean a full Member or Probationer (Graduate) or student of the Ghana Institute of Architects.

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