Various statutory codes, regulations, statutes, laws, and guidelines affect design and construction of projects. In most jurisdictions, the architect and engineer are required by law to design to applicable building codes and regulations, which vary from one jurisdiction to another and can vary between codes. Some jurisdictions that do not have sophisticated codes usually follow recognized national or international codes, which should be agreed on at the onset of a project so that the client and architect understand the rules for design and construction. All codes are intended for the health, welfare, and safety of the public and occupants of buildings.
Affirmative-Action Program. The objective of equal employment opportunity and affirmative-action programs should be to ensure that individuals are recruited, hired, and promoted for all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, national
origin, sex, age, handicap, or veteran status. Employment decisions should be based solely on an individuals qualifications for the position for which the individual is considered.
Affirmative action means more than equal employment opportunity. It means making a concentrated effort to inform the community of the architects desire to foster equal employment opportunity. It also means making a special effort to attract individuals to the profession and to engage them in a program of professional development. Furthermore, architects should be committed to a meaningful minority business enterprise (MBE) and women business enterprise (WBE) participation program.
Initial contact with local MBE/WBE firms should be pursued for each applicable project to respond to this important requirement. Architects should be prepared to review this requirement with clients to achieve participation targets consistent with client goals and objectives.
