Architect
Architects design public and private buildings or structures. They are licensed professionals, specializing in the science and art of building design.
Architects design a building’s appearance, but they are also responsible to ensure the building is safe, functional, serve peoples’ needs, and cost effective.
Architects are involved in all the building phases of a project from the initial building design through the entire construction process. Architects must possess engineering, design, supervising, and persuasive communication skills since they spend a lot of time explaining their vision for a project to customers and contractors.
Architects and their clients talk about project goals, budgets, and requirements. Architects provide the following services before beginning a project: conduct environmental impact studies, determine a building site, perform cost analysis, conduct research to determine occupancy limits, and determine design standards. After these tasks have been completed, an architect prepares drawings and a report detailing his or her vision with the customer.
After a proposal has been agreed upon, architects prepare final detailed construction plans. These plans are accompanied by air conditioning, ventilating, heating, plumbing, and electrical system designs with the structural drawing sketched out. Plans also detail the building materials to be used. Architects must follow zoning laws, building codes, fire regulations, and disability accessibility laws. Architects now use computer aided design and drafting (CADD) and building information modeling (BIM) technology to design buildings rather than use a pencil to draw designs. Architects often have to change plans to accommodate customer demands.
Architects also help customers select contractors, negotiate contracts, and get bids. They can also monitor construction to make sure the plans are being followed properly, use appropriate materials, or perform quality control. After construction is completed, architects sometimes perform building management duties, determine if building is meeting customers’ needs, and implement necessary improvement such as improve the buildings’ energy efficiency.
Architects also spend a lot of their time coordinating and working with engineers, interior designers, urban planners, and landscape architects.
They design many buildings which include hospitals, factories, homes, apartments, churches, schools, urban centers, and university campuses, or in some cases, entire communities.
Architects sometimes specialize in specific buildings, pre-design services, or construction management.
Work environment. Architects work in comfortable offices, spending most their days designing plans and meeting with clients. They often travel to construction sites to review construction progress. Architects work 40 hour weeks, often working extra hours and weekends to meet deadlines.
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