Architects Act 1991

2020 REVISED EDITION

This revised edition incorporates all amendments up to and including 1 December 2021 and comes into operation on 31 December 2021

An Act to establish the Board of Architects, to provide for the registration of architects, and to regulate the qualifications and practice of architects and the supply of architectural services in Singapore by corporations, partnerships and limited liability partnerships.

[28/2005]

[30 August 1991]

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title

1. This Act is the Architects Act 1991.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“allied professional” means —

(a)	a professional engineer who is registered under the Professional Engineers Act 1991; or
(b)	a land surveyor who is registered under the Land Surveyors Act 1991;

“architectural firm” means —

(a)	a partnership comprising wholly of registered architects, each of whom has in force a practising certificate; or
(b)	a sole proprietorship comprising a registered architect who has in force a practising certificate;

“architectural practice” means —

(a)	an architectural firm;
(b)	a limited corporation licensed under section 20(1);
(c)	an unlimited corporation licensed under section 20(2);
(d)	a partnership licensed under section 20(3); or
(e)	a limited liability partnership licensed under section 20(4);

“architectural services” includes selling or supplying for gain or reward any architectural plan, drawing, tracing or the like for use in the construction, enlargement or alteration of any building or part thereof;

“Board” means the Board of Architects established under section 4;

“builder”, “building” and “building works” have the meanings given by the Building Control Act 1989;

“building authority” means any person empowered under the provisions of the Building Control Act 1989 to approve plans of building works;

“certificate of registration” means a certificate of registration issued under section 17;

“Commissioner of Building Control” means any person empowered under the provisions of the Building Control Act 1989 to approve plans of building works;

“Disciplinary Committee” means a Disciplinary Committee appointed under section 31C;

“foreign architect” means any person who is authorised to practise as an architect in a country or territory outside Singapore under the law of that country or territory;

“foreign registration authority”, for any country or territory outside Singapore, means the person in that country or territory having the function conferred by the laws of that country or territory of registering persons in connection with the persons carrying on the practice of architecture in that country or territory;

“Investigation Committee” means an Investigation Committee appointed under section 30;

“Investigation Panel” means the Investigation Panel appointed under section 27;

“licence” means a licence to supply architectural services in Singapore granted under section 20;

“licensed”, in relation to a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership, means a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership which has in force a licence;

“limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by section 4(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;

“limited partnership” means a limited partnership registered under the Limited Partnerships Act 2008;

“manager” —

(a)	in relation to a corporation or partnership, means the principal executive officer of the corporation or partnership for the time being by whatever name called and whether or not he or she is a director or partner thereof; and
(b)	in relation to a limited liability partnership, has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;

“nominee”, in relation to any person, means a person who is accustomed or under an obligation (whether formal or informal) to act in accordance with the directions, instructions or wishes of another person, except that a person is not to be regarded as a nominee of another person by reason only that the person acts on advice given by that other person in a professional capacity;

“participating jurisdiction” means any country or territory outside Singapore in relation to which an arrangement under section 6A(2) is in force;

“partnership” includes a limited partnership;

“practising certificate” means —

(a)	in relation to a registered architect — an annual certificate issued under section 18 authorising him or her to engage in the practice of architecture in Singapore;
(b)	in relation to an allied professional who is a professional engineer registered under the Professional Engineers Act 1991 — a practising certificate issued under section 28 of that Act; and
(c)	in relation to an allied professional who is a land surveyor registered under the Land Surveyors Act 1991 — a practising certificate issued under section 15 of that Act;

“president” means the president of the Board;

“register of architects” means the register of architects kept and maintained by the Board under section 8(1)(a);

“register of licensees” means the annual register of licensed corporations, partnerships and limited liability partnerships kept by the Board under section 8(1)(e);

“register of practitioners” means the annual register of practitioners kept by the Board under section 8(1)(d);

“registered architect” means a person registered as an architect under section 15(1) or (2A);

“Registrar” means the Registrar of the Board, and includes any individual acting in that capacity;

“rules” means rules made by the Board under section 38;

“unlimited corporation” means a corporation formed on the principle of having no limit placed on the liability of its members.

[18/2003; 28/2005; 20/2017; 5/2018]

Act not to apply to Government, naval and landscape architects, etc.

3.—(1) Nothing in this Act applies to anything done or omitted to be done by the Government or a public officer under the authority of the Government.

(2) This Act does not apply to naval architects and landscape architects.

(3) This Act is not to be construed as requiring any public authority which supplies architectural services in Singapore under the provisions of any written law to obtain a licence.

(4) In subsection (3), “public authority” means any body established by or under any written law and exercising powers vested therein by written law for a public purpose.

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