Addition of SLIA further strengthens the Commonwealth Association of Architects' network across the Caribbean and Americas region.
The Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) is delighted to welcome the Saint Lucia Institute of Architects (SLIA) as its newest member, further strengthening the organisation’s reach and influence across the Caribbean and Americas region.
Established in December 1996, SLIA is the premier professional body for architects in Saint Lucia, working to promote excellence in architecture, safeguard professional practice standards in the public interest, and encourage the study of the discipline across the island. SLIA’s accession to the CAA follows a period of renewal for the Institute, with a new executive, headed by President William Dussiel, at its Annual General Meeting earlier this year.
Founded in 1965, the CAA is a professional association of national architectural associations representing architects across Commonwealth nations, with the stated purpose of maximising the contribution of architects to the well-being of society. SLIA’s membership brings a vital new voice to that mission from the Caribbean, joining a growing community of institutes across the Caribbean and Americas region — among them the Guyana Institute of Architects (GIA), whose return to the CAA earlier this year the Association celebrated as a strengthening of ties across the same region.
Small island states such as Saint Lucia face distinct challenges and opportunities in shaping their built environment: balancing tourism-driven development and housing need against acute vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather. These are themes the CAA has addressed directly through its Continuing Professional Development programme, including sessions examining the urgent role of built environment professionals in delivering resilient, low-carbon infrastructure across diverse Commonwealth contexts. SLIA’s membership offers an opportunity to bring an Eastern Caribbean perspective to that ongoing dialogue, while giving its members access to the CAA’s wider programme of advocacy, education, and professional practice support.
The CAA looks forward to supporting SLIA in advancing the profession in Saint Lucia and to deepening collaboration across the Caribbean and Americas region as the Association builds towards its 60th Anniversary General Assembly in Aotearoa New Zealand this September.
Discover More about the St. Lucia Institute of Architects via their page here.