Collapsed highrise not planned by architect?

CHENNAI: The Council of Architecture will decide the fate of B Suganya, an architect who claimed to have designed the 11-storey high-rise ‘Faith’ that collapsed, taking over 48 lives and injuring several others.

Speaking to Express, C R Raju, chairman of Indian Institute of Architecture (IIA), Tamil Nadu chapter, says the issue has been referred to the Council of Architecture and the response was awaited.

It is alleged that Suganya signed as a benami for someone else. All that Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) requires is two signatures — one from the structural engineer and another from the architect.

“May be she is not the real architect, as it looks like she is a fresher. But then she can’t lend her name to a project and help the person who designed the building go scot free,” says Manimaran, former chairman, IIA-TN Chapter.1


CHENNAI: Was the ill-fated 11-storey building that collapsed in Chennai on Saturday designed by a person who is not a qualified architect?

The Council of Architecture, the apex body of all architects in the country, has clarified that Vijay Bargotra, the person arrested by police as the architect of the building on Sunday, is not a member of the council. A press release issued by R K Oberoi, registrar of the council, said, "The Council of Architecture has verified its records and it is hereby brought to the notice of all concerned that Vijay Bargotra is not an architect and hence he should not be referred to as an architect".

Whether a non-architect can own an architect firm is the pertinent question. "Going by the spirit of the Architect Act, it is illegal for a non-architect to own an architecture firm," said C R Raju, chairman of the southern chapter of Council of Architecture. Many people misuse the title architect and mislead customers, sometimes even builders. It is a dangerous trend and needs to be checked, he said.

In Tamil Nadu, one need not be an architect to sign a building plan. Even civil engineers, who are registered with the Chennai Corporation as licensed surveyors, can sign a building plan.2

  • 1. source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Faith-lost-Council-To-Take-Call-On-Architect’s-Fudge/2014/07/03/article2311582.ece
  • 2. source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Collapsed-highrise-not-planned-by-architect/articleshow/37540585.cms