Case 9: Searching for an architect should mean finding an architect

RSUA is committed to ensuring that when a member of the public searches for an architect in Northern Ireland, search engines direct them to qualified architects rather than to individuals or businesses that may claim to be architects but are not.

Our aim is to protect the public and maintain the good reputation of architects.

You can read more about this work here.

Case 9 – Richard Burnside Architecture

In March 2025, RSUA raised its concerns with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) that Ballymena-based firm Richard Burnside Architecture was misusing the title “architect”.

Following ARB intervention, the following changes were made with the welcome cooperation of the business:

1. Previously, when searching Google for “Richard Burnside Architecture”, the business was listed as “Architect in Northern Ireland”. This is no longer the case.
2. Previously, self-references to an “Architect” or “Architects” were keywords included in the metadata of several of the business’ webpages.¹ This is no longer the case.
3. The keywords “architect” or “architects”, while hidden on the business’ website, were still evident in search results on Google. This is no longer the case.

Screenshots – Before and After

Before:

After:

Before (e.g. the homepage):

After:

Before (e.g. the homepage):

After:

Ongoing Work – Role for Members

RSUA has eight other cases live with ARB currently. We will report on these in due course.

If you become aware of any instances of title misuse, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk

1. Metadata keywords are tags in a webpage’s code that help search engines understand its topic. Adding the word “architect” or “architects” could allow a business to appear higher in search results when people search for those terms. ↩︎