SETTING UP ABROAD .sx REVIEWS :sx RIBA REPORTS .sx The RIBA has published the first three of its series of major reports on the architectural professions of continental countries .sx Ian Ritchie reviews the one on France , Nicholas Terry , Portugal and Alex Reid , Spain .sx Architectural Practice in Europe :sx France .sx Compiled by Davis Langdon and Everest for the RIBA .sx 1990 .sx 176pp .sx A4 paperback , pounds150 .sx ( members pounds95 ) .sx Architectural Practice in Europe :sx Portugal .sx Compiled by WS Atkins Management Consultants for the RIBA .sx 1991 .sx 128pp .sx A4 paperback , pounds165 ( members pounds125 ) .sx Architectural Practice in Europe :sx Spain .sx Compiled by WS Atkins Management Consultants for the RIBA .sx 1991 .sx 174pp .sx A4 paperback , pounds165 ( members pounds125 ) .sx These reports are the first of a planned series which aims to cover all the EC countries .sx The one on Germany will be published in May and a guide to Italy is expected before the end of the year .sx Each report covers approximately the same areas of interest :sx background :sx including geography and population , transport , the economy , government , education , the legal system , company law and the market for building construction .sx the building process :sx project participants , stages of the process , comparison of UK and local processes .sx aspects of the local system :sx planning , building control , quality assurance , building regulations , insurance and liability , standards , public procurement , and recent legislation .sx architectural practice :sx education , structure of the profession , architects' offices , comparison of the UK and local practice .sx other project participants :sx clients , technical architects , contractors , suppliers , surveyors , engineers , interior designers , landscape architects and town planners .sx opportunities and constraints :sx differences in practice , the market for architectural services , implications of the single market .sx appendices :sx standard forms , local words , fee scales , addresses , bibliography .sx The exact contents vary a little between volumes , of course , but from this list it is obvious that the coverage is meant to be comprehensive .sx None of the volumes has an index , which is a serious omission that should be remedied in later reports .sx The volumes are complementary to the CIRIA reports on the same countries , indeed they have been written by the same authors ; the RIBA reports are done from the point of view of the architect .sx The selling price is quite high - clearly the idea is to recoup most of the cost of doing the research as well as the cost of publishing a short print run .sx FRANCE This report represents a very thorough appraisal of the situation in France for UK architects intending to set up there .sx In the section on background , it would have been useful to have more direct comparisons with the UK .sx These would have helped one to appreciate more easily some of the fundamental differences between the two countries .sx The importance of local politics , notably the role of the mayor , appears under 'The Cultural Context' , when , in fact , this single page would have been better placed at the very beginning of the book .sx The cultural context could have been usefully elaborated further .sx For instance , it is important to understand the length of term for which a mayor is elected , and in particular the role of the mayor's political office and its director .sx Also the organisation of local government , and the administrative role of the general secretary of the council could be examined .sx Their importance in decision making should not be underestimated .sx The section on 'The Building Process' is difficult to understand when read as a single chapter .sx It is essential to read the entire book and then go back to this area .sx Public commissions are the most important area for architects to obtain work .sx But the description in this section of the public ma i-circ tre d'ouvrage ( client ) is a bit thin with reference to the ma i-circ tre d'ouvrage d e l e gu e ( client's representative) .sx The book does not explain how often public clients delegate to a professional public body to undertake the works for them , nor does it explain the consequences of this delegation with respect to the position of the architect .sx It would be useful to know which areas the client cannot legally delegate .sx There is no mention of the architect's role as ma i-circ tre de chantier , which is often the role adopted when the architect wishes to control the site .sx The section on the 'Mission' ( scope of the work ) of the architect could have been more informative in describing the basic attitude of French clients , generally , to the ability of the architect to undertake the complete role that we associate with the architect in the UK .sx A very important fact being that the MOP ( Ma i-circ trise d'Oeuvre Publique ) law of 1988 formally recognises that architects are not capable of doing the full working drawings .sx This is because , historically , architects did not produce any working drawings , and this has proved to be a psychological problem for UK architects working in France for two reasons .sx First , the fee is consequently lower , and second , the ability to control the quality is taken away from the architect .sx French clients do not believe they should pay twice for construction drawings , and in the past they have expected these from others , notably from contractors .sx The section on 'The Profession' covers all of the important issues , but does not read in a way that is easily accessible .sx Again , the whole book has to be appreciated first .sx One point to note is that no mention is made of the possibility of UK architects extending UK insurance through their professional indemnity policies , which can satisfy French insurance requirements .sx Because , as the book states , there is no standard form of contract in general use .sx Both architects and contractors rely to a large extent on avenants ( supplements to their contracts) .sx The chapter on architectural practice could have benefited from a clearer explanation of the various missions .sx It could also have mentioned the fact that the fee scales currently in force in France are based on building costs established in the early 1970s , which are , to date , not seen in France as being retroactive .sx This is another area which leads to lower fees being available for work in France , and the comparative table of the British and French fee scales included is misleading .sx It would have been useful to have a clear comparative fee table .sx There was also no mention of the fact that it is possible to operate from the UK as long as one is registered for TVA ( VAT ) in France .sx In order to make the book more accessible as a reference document , it would be better to use more tables and graphic comparisons .sx Equally , the key points , which are very good , at the front of the book , could have been explained in more detail .sx And they could be listed in an order related to the way the book is written , or listed at the end of each of the chapters .sx It was interesting to note that the lower fee scale was not seen as a key point .sx Nor was the architect's design control thought to be prejudiced because of the architect's limited role in producing working drawings .sx Despite these small criticisms the book represents very good value for any architect thinking seriously about working in France , or indeed already doing so .sx PORTUGAL This report was designed to provide RIBA members with the necessary information to practice confidently in Portugal .sx How well it does this can be assessed from the comments I received from Richard Clarke , a UK architect resident in Lisbon for many years , who reviewed the document for me .sx He said it would be very useful translated into Portuguese for local sale since it contained much information that was not published in Portugal , particularly on the background to European integration and the adoption of various European directives .sx The background section of the report has a number of items of interest on company taxation , employment law and the market for building construction .sx The report is at its weakest in the description of the design and building process from planning procedures to construction methodologies .sx The authors accept this by saying that since there is no formal regulation of the building process the details of design and project management are not discussed in depth because they depend upon individual designers' and contractors' own practice .sx However , the framework of the design and building process is outlined and it will be for individual practitioners to fill in the detail once they have made the commitment to work in Portugal .sx Bureaucracy is lethargic in Portugal , which makes obtaining planning permission slow and complex .sx This is even more so now that the EC directives are being introduced .sx The local municipalities ( camaras ) do not do a thorough check on submitted schemes , as is implied in the report .sx They work to the 'book' and the latest regulation , even when that is 50 years out of date , as it sometimes is .sx Architects accept the responsibility for the design and for its compliance with the latest regulations .sx A formal planning system is almost non-existent , there are no town planners and few structure plans .sx Planning submissions may either be rejected on bureaucratic grounds or may pass through the system without difficulty .sx Architects in the municipalities set down guidelines and requirements and because they have established them they object to a different viewpoint of rejected submissions and the uncertainty of obtaining planning approvals .sx The contracting process also has its drawbacks :sx few contracts meet programme dates , liquidated damages are not acceptable , fixed-price contracts go against the system , inflation clauses are regulated and delays are always the fault of others .sx Resolution of disputes by recourse to the legal system will break the resolve of even the strong willed .sx The uncertainties of the contracting process can have a great influence in regulating demand .sx Generally , contracting is very traditional and based on traditional detailing , so fast - track construction , or sophisticated frame-and-skin building techniques can lead to implementation problems , delays and extra cost .sx In Portugal the architectural profession is striving to improve its status and importance in the design and building process .sx The report highlights the weaker position of the Portuguese architect compared to his UK counterpart .sx Portugal is an earthquake zone and engineers have traditionally dominated because of the greater responsibility that they assume .sx It is only recently that the Portuguese Association of Architects has become a legitimate professional body , to represent the profession and improve its status .sx There has been an increase in the number of schools of architecture and , as the report points out , the requirement for professional practice before qualifying is limited .sx Most students work in architects' offices gaining practical experience during their education .sx Many architects work in both local government offices and private practice .sx Practices are generally small groups of architects or sole practitioners who sometimes come together to undertake major commissions .sx Large- to medium-size practices are rare .sx The key role the architect carries out is the obtaining of planning permission and this is highlighted in the lower level of fees charged in comparison to the UK levels of service .sx The report does not emphasise strongly enough that once the project is passed over to the contractor the architect's control is lost , rights of authorship can be overridden and the result is at best a close approximation of the architect's intentions .sx However , the influence of the EC and the support of other representative bodies , such as the RIBA , in other member states will help improve this position .sx Because it is written from the perspective of the UK , the report is a little hard on Portuguese architects who have been educated into the system .sx They would like to improve their image but there are severe drawbacks :sx technical journals and books are few , and reference libraries and trade literature are virtually non-existent , so there is an enormous gap that needs to be filled .sx How can an architect with no ultimate liability for the building process , as the report states , exist detached from the process of control and supervision ?sx Yet they do , and the quality of the work , when undertaken seriously , can match that of the international market .sx The section on opportunities and constraints gives a sketchy outline of the opportunities and concentrates particularly on the European dimension and the single market .sx