Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 30 - Professions and Occupations › Part 201 - Mississippi State Board of Architecture › Chapter 4 - Professional Code of Conduct › Rule 30-201-4.4 - Full Disclosure

Current through June 25, 2024
4.4.1 An architect,
				making public statements on architectural questions, shall disclose when the
				architect is being compensated for making such statement.
Commentary - Architects frequently and appropriately
				  issue statements on questions affecting the environment and the architect's
				  community. As citizens and as members of a profession acutely concerned with
				  environmental change, they doubtlessly have an obligation to be heard on such
				  questions. Many architects may, however, be representing the interests of
				  potential developers when making statements on such issues. It is consistent
				  with the probity which the public expects from members of the architectural
				  profession that they not be allowed under the circumstances described in the
				  rule to disguise the fact that they are not speaking on the particular issue as
				  an independent professional but as a professional engaged to act behalf of a
				  client.
4.4.2 An
				architect shall accurately represent to a prospective or existing client or
				employer the architect's qualifications and the scope of the architect's
				responsibility in connection with work for which the architect is claiming
				credit.
A. it shall be the responsibility of
				each registered architect to clearly and appropriately state prior professional
				experience of the architect and/or the firm the architect is representing in
				presenting qualifications to prospective clients, both public and private. If
				an architect uses visual representations of prior projects or experience, all
				architects-of-record must be clearly identified. Architect-of-record means
				persons or entities whose seal appear on plans, specifications and/or contract
				documents.
B. an architect who has
				been an employee of another architectural practice may not claim unconditional
				credit for projects contracted for in the name of the previous employer. The
				architect shall indicate, next to the listing for each project, that individual
				experience gained in connection with the project was acquired as an employee,
				the time frame in which the project was performed, and identify the previous
				architectural firm. The architect shall also describe the nature and extent of
				the architect's participation in the project.
C. an architect who was formerly a principal
				in a firm may legitimately make additional claims provided the architect
				discloses the nature of ownership in the previous architectural firm (e.g.
				stockholder, director or officer) and identifies with specificity the
				architect's responsibilities for that project.
D. an architect who presents a project that
				has received awards recognition must comply with the requirements of Rule 4.4.2
				with regard to project presentation to the public and prospective clients.
E. projects which remain
				unconstructed and which are listed as credit shall be listed as "unbuilt" or a
				similar designation.
Commentary - Many important projects require a team
				  of architects to do the work. Regrettably, there has been some conflict in
				  recent years when individual members of that team have claimed greater credit
				  for the project than was appropriate to the actual work performed by them. It
				  should be noted that a young architect who develops experience working under a
				  more senior architect has every right to claim credit for the work which the
				  young architect actually performed. On the other hand, the public must be
				  protected from believing that the younger architect's role was greater than was
				  the fact. If a brochure represents an employee's involvement on a specific
				  project, while employed by another firm, the brochure provided shall include
				  the employee's specific responsibilities on the project and the architect of
				  record for the project.