Can A Principal Engineer Stamp All Drawings

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At Your Business firm, Stamping and Signing Drawings

I am a registered architect and I have been working in an architectural firm since I was 16. I am now 39 and take been out of architecture school since 2003. Depending on how yous count my experience, I have between 15 to 21 years experience. I am an associate in my firm and I am a major source of bringing work into the house. I am too a project manager for my company, which is an AE firm, so I manage all disciplines.

I notice information technology difficult watching other "gray haired" architects stamp and sign my work. I have expressed a strong want to postage stamp drawings. Yes I know it brings on much liability. Nonetheless, I didn't get registered to accept someone else be the Architect of Record for my work. I get more and more irritated by the fact that other architects get to stamp my work, when they know little to nothing nearly my projects.

What I hear is your young and or newly registered. However, I am not your typical newly registered architect. I've been running projects for a long time and I bring in most of the projects I want to postage from clients I accept worked difficult to make happy. I perform my ain Technical Quality Command Checks and Constructability Reviews with other disciplines.

What are your thoughts? I feel its a power affair for some of the older architects and I don't see the same attitude towards the engineering disciplines in my firm.

Jun 5, 18 1:31 am

            Why are y'all working for someone else then? Start your own gig.          
why would you desire th liabilities?
I'thou thoroughly enjoying not stamping things. Not that I'd have a problem with doing and then... I just don't have to.
Same here.  I exercise a great deal of the same as the OP lists only with the length of the stature of limitation in my area, I don't desire to consume up liability 15 years downwards the road because some inferior wanker slid something past our Q&A check.            
I am bringing in the work that is helping feed the part. I am managing client relations and getting the deliverables out. I am making the design decisions on my projects and managing the subs, if we utilize subs. I manage the financials. Why not stamp the drawings? Yes there's liability just that's part of the profession that is architecture.            
I'd like to think that days and hours of no sleep, debt, blood, sweat and frustration through architecture school, exams and all my experiences thus far weren't just to put together a overnice set of documents for someone else to stamp. If that was the case, what's the signal in all the struggle? Was the point just taking dwelling a paycheck and beingness able to utilize the championship "Architect"?
See above, beginning your ain practice.              
Every bit others have said,  start your own do.  Or make peace with your electric current situation (which sounds similar my own,  which is awesome). I literally have no idea why you're lament.  Nobody cares about who'southward name is on the postage stamp.                
                Exercise you lot really think that stamping principals at large firms go over every detail in every drawing?              
It's unusual for a non-owner in a business firm to stamp and sign drawings - typically that merely happens if they're somehow the only person in the firm licensed in the project'southward state, or if information technology's a firm where the owners are not licensed architects (in a state that allows that).  Prior to going out on my own I just stamped drawings once - in a situation where I was the merely person in the firm with a license in the project's country, and the owner'due south application for reciprocity in that state had been held up unexpectedly.  It isn't something I'd recommend, as the liability follows the postage stamp, even after y'all don't work for that firm anymore and aren't covered by their insurance.
          
For a 39 year one-time who has completely mastered the entire profession of Architecture, I am surprised how you lack understanding on why a large AE business firm would not want their associates stamping shit.
You let people who take nowhere else to climb stamp drawings. They peaked and have nowhere else to go. You lot hold on to position of principal for dear life.
If you are a 'major source of bringing work' and so y'all should be more upset that you are still only an associate.
Or possibly your professional person accomplishments are yet to catch upwardly to your ego.
um... yeah, that last bespeak seems very appropriate.            
              wynne1architect@gmail.com            
Your ego is in the way of your success and your head is too for the lid y'all are wearing.
                Jun 5, 18  10:13 am							 ·              
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At present we've heard it all.  OP is happy bringing in work similar a partner only only being an acquaintance.  He'southward pissed at not having the liability of a partner even though only being an associate.  Possibly he should also ask for a cut in pay so he could suffer even more like a truthful Builder.  Hey, if he's got an Ivy degree he might be able to talk them into making him into an unpaid intern (while still bringing in piece of work and exposing himself to lawsuits).
              Jun 5, 18  x:45 am							 ·            
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Wow. Some of these comments got very negative / personal very fast. Estimate I struck a nerve with someone unintentionally. Please review my posts and note that I never stated that I mastered the entire Architectural Profession. That's simply adding things I never stated. In that location's a difference between conviction and arrogance. I sincerely came here to get feedback from other professionals in other firms and not comments that are personal or attacking.
I appreciate the feedback from those that didn't automatically assume that because I desire to stamp drawings and be architect of tape on projects that I have a problem with ego. I appreciate the comments from those above mentioning what'due south normal in other firms. Our firm is a big AE firm and so we are unlike at times from other Architecture firms.
                Jun five, eighteen  10:52 am							 ·              
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You lot are a Project Manager/Acquaintance. We are pretty knowledgeable on what that means. That's a groovy career accomplishment past your age. Congrats! Merely you don't take to oversell yourself on how you also practise all blueprint work, technical QC, are a major rainmaker for the firm, and an auditor. Unless y'all work on merely relatively small projects merely from one or 2 client sources, and is relatively insignificant compared to bigger projects in the role. And maybe that is exactly the example, because I can't picture any other scenario where your biggest complaint is that you don't get to play with ur postage stamp. Ur being silly at best, and potentially very under-qualified at worst.              
                  Jun v, 18  11:08 am										 ·                
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"All the same, I didn't get registered to have someone else be the Architect of Record for                                  my piece of work                . I get more and more irritated past the fact that other architects get to stamp                                  my work                "              
It's not your work until your proper noun is on the door and liability policy.  Until so, you lot're an employee.
                  Jun 5, 18  eleven:10 am										 ·                
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arrogant (adjective) making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud; a sense of superiority, self-importance, or entitlement; a type of farthermost or foolish pride in which someone feels much superior to another; proud in an unpleasant style and behaving as if you are better or more than important than other people
              Jun 5, 18  11:41 am							 ·            
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confidence - the state of feeling sure about the truth of something; certainty about treatment something, such as work, family, social events, or relationships; the feeling of being sure that something will happen or that something is true
              Jun five, 18  11:46 am							 ·            
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Before you stamp anything, call the firm's insurer to make them enlightened, and verify that information technology's acceptable to them.  This is especially important if it'due south a projection on which insurance certificates were issued as part of procuring that project, as the certificates may need to exist inverse to reflect that you're the architect of tape.
Frankly I concur with others that you should be happy you're not incurring the perpetual liability - peculiarly if you lot plan to get out on your own eventually.  Who wants the expense and responsibility of having to keep an insurance policy running on another firm'due south projection?
          
              Jun v, xviii  11:55 am							 ·            
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Kjdt and Bloopox
Thank you for meaningful comments and feedback. I appreciate your opinions.
Information technology'south dainty when comments can be made, even in disagreement, without  assuming I'1000 arrogant, went to an Ivy League school or that I can't use a dictionary. Quite certain things work improve when people stay positive.
                Jun 5, 18  12:45 pm							 ·              
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I'm positive you can't discern the departure between airs and conviction. Proficient luck!            
Yous tin can always postage stamp birthday cards that you requite to people.
Forgive my ego (insert sarcasm here) but I didn't sign up to be a "newspaper only architect." Thanks for all the communication.
and so outset your own prove.  What'due south so difficult to empathize?            
                      
the bigger event is how main architects take all of the credit for work they had picayune involvement in short of stamping a set of drawings and sitting in their ivory belfry.
              Forgive my ego (insert sarcasm here)            
You are forgiven, now go out of wherever it is you are and carry those clients to your new and personal function and stamp away to the sunset
That's the just point that matters. If you're bringing in enough clients to keep yourself busy and paid, then WTF are yous doing complaining about having to piece of work for other people?            
Let's recap so there is no confusion. Is there a single commenter who thinks stamping without beingness a partner is a expert idea?
I've stamped drawings every bit an intern earlier even finishing school. It wasn't my stamp though, and partner in charge was a lazy slob. Non an eager beaver like the original poster.            
just had a conversation about existence on the "principle track."  Perhaps you should take a similar one?
I stamp drawings all the time in the role and I'm not the possessor. The company has proper insurances in case annihilation would to happen. I adopt not to stamp personally
Cracking - as long equally you lot stay with that firm until the statute of tranquillity expires on each project.              
Its covered nether company insurance policy...              
                  Jun 6, 18  x:10 pm										 ·                
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Is it only covered as long as you stay at the visitor?              
                  Jun 7, eighteen  eleven:05 am										 ·                
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Usually it follows the house, so if the architect leaves the business firm and so he's no longer covered unless he buys his own insurance. Also if the firm goes out of business concern then there tin can be other bug besides insurance - like beingness subpoenaed every time i of the projects is in whatsoever way involved in a courtroom example. That's non always because of anything direct related to the work - it tin be because that firm submitted documents to the city once for that property and at present it's in a state dispute or something like that. If you lot're the AOR you're forever more a go-to, and that can be fourth dimension-consuming and a headache.
              
                  Jun 7, 18  12:28 pm										 ·                
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My understanding is when a claim is filed, information technology can only exist filed confronting the policy in place at the time of the drawing event.  In that location, I recollect, may exist some precedence to go against the insurance in place at the time of notification of an issue under sure circumstances.              
I postage stuff hither at my newish task unremarkably as a co-signer (engineer boss).  It'due south generally legal reports and repair drawings.  But that does reflect my personal opinions every bit an architect when it comes to standard of treat architects... it is why the engineer postage isn't as valid and why they need me to stamp it.  I'm covered under their insurance, will most assuredly be called into a legal proceeding :P.  I am also paid quite well in return (near 30% more than I was making as a senior PM)
At my own firm, I stamped everything going out the door.  It isn't entirely nearly liability or ego.  Information technology was my firm, and annihilation going out the door that reflects the business firm I needed to make sure met the standards and the image of what I retrieve the house should represent.  The drawing fix is i of those 'biggy' things that embodies what the firm is about and is widely distributed.  Certain.. A PM who wanted to stamp it, I'd permit.... but just after I also thoroughly reviewed information technology and said it was set for him/her to postage stamp.

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