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Architects design structures such as office buildings, businesses, stadiums, schools, malls, and homes. They might also design outdoor spaces. An architect will collect all information for a project to include site selection, environmental impact, zoning laws, building codes, and access to buildings for the disabled. They visit site locations to visualize their projects and prepare scaled drawings to submit to a client or employer as a design. They also estimate build costs, materials needed, and the projected time-frame to complete a build.
Watch a video to learn what an architect does.
How to Become an Architect
If you happen to be in high school, you’ll want to take as much science and math as possible. This career field is unique in that you must use science and math but you may find yourself sketching and/or modeling. Since you will be designing structures, courses in art are vital as this will help improve your sketches and sculptures. You would also use a computer and may learn Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (or BIM).
Most earn a bachelor’s degree in architecture and then gain experience through an internship. Some architects continue their education and earn their master’s degree in architecture. Architects are also required to pass the Architect Registration Exam which is developed by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). NCARB has a host of materials to help students study for the Architect Registration Exam (link opens in a new tab).
Job Description of an Architect
An architect is responsible for drawing up the detailed plans for a structure. For example, they develop the final construction plans which also includes electrical and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems. However, they may also provide designs for landscape requirements, plumbing, and communication systems. Because of this, they closely to follow the progress of the construction project to ensure schedules stay on-time, their design is implementation, and the required materials are used. They also are sure to check on the quality of work. Sometimes, an architect may help their client receive fair construction bids and get quality contractors.
They tools such as building information modeling (BIM) and/or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD). Hand-drawing skills are used mostly during the early design stages of a project. They usually spend their day working in an office, meeting with potential customers, coordinating with other engineer or architects, and designing drawings for projects. They can also be found at a construction site overseeing the progress of a project.
Free Career and Student Resources
The Association of Architecture Organization (AAO) offers educational opportunities through public programs, tours, exhibitions, and K-12 education. Alternatively, the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia offers a free course (in English) on EdX.org titled, Sustainability in Architecture: An Interdisciplinary Introduction.
Architect Career Video Translation
Hi I’m Tony Alonso, I’m the regional chief architect for the GSA (U.S. General Services Administration) capital region. My role is to review designs and approve design work. We do large new construction and renovation projects. My role here as an architect with the government is to manage the design and lead a a team of other architects, engineers also, historic preservationists, interior designers, all working on these projects and reviewing them. Buildings have a great impact on our environment and one-third of all greenhouse gases come from buildings.
One of our favorite things that we’ve been doing is using green roof technology on many of our projects. When it rains, what happens here is this area of green absorbs water and doesn’t allow it to run into the gutters and down into the street where it gets mixed up with the sewer system. It also keeps the roof cooler than a traditional roof and so it serves as a form of insulation to the building. Architecture is an art and a science. So mathematics is very important. Geometry for example, is fundamental to understanding and it’s a skill that all architects need to have.
Article Citations
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Architects.
- National Center for O*NET Development. 17-1011.00. O*NET OnLine.
- The career video is in the Public Domain and originally hosted on Kids.gov which is now USA.gov, an interagency product administered by USAGov, a division of the U.S. General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Service.