Roles & authorities
Architect of record
Also called: AOR
The architect of record is the licensed professional whose stamp is on the project's architectural documents and who stays responsible for that design through construction. They coordinate the design disciplines, answer questions about design intent, and review submittals and field conditions against the drawings. Their authority comes from the design contract and the architecture license laws of the state, so what the AOR decides and signs varies with the project and the jurisdiction.
Why it matters
Anything that touches architectural intent — a wall assembly built differently, a rated partition detailed wrong, a finish or opening substituted — goes back to the architect of record, not resolved by the crew. Their review keeps the building matching a designed intent rather than a field improvisation.
On many projects the AOR also performs construction-phase services: answering RFIs, reviewing submittals, and observing the work at intervals. What they're contracted to do defines how involved they are, not a fixed rule.
What proves it
A stamped revision, a signed RFI response, or a written field-change acceptance is the record that the AOR approved a deviation. Photos of the as-built condition tied to that approval close the loop, so a question about why something was built a certain way has a documented answer.
Checklists that put architect of record to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Engineer of record (EOR)The licensed engineer who stamps a design discipline and stays responsible for its intent through construction.
- MEP engineerThe engineer responsible for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing design and its coordination with the rest of the building.
- Design-builderA single entity that holds one contract with the owner for both the design and the construction of a project.
- Authority having jurisdiction (AHJ)The office or official empowered to enforce a code and approve materials, methods and completed work on a given project.
- Special inspectorA qualified inspector who verifies specific high-risk work — welds, bolting, concrete, anchors — beyond the routine building inspection.
- Third-party inspectionInspection performed by an independent agency retained for the project rather than by the installer or the building department.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.