Life Of An Architect

Life of an ArchitectBy: Group 3

Before we discuss the life of an architect, what is an Architect?

An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings.

Architect is about learning

It takes years of practice to understand everything that goes into a building. Don't expect to know it all from the start.

Architecture is much more than just deciding what a building will look like. It has to be able to be built, and comply with building codes and zoning.

You have to know: Architecture, structural design, civil design, plumbing, HVAC(heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), electrical, and fire protection. Sure you hire specialists for some areas, but you still have to be able to "understand" the fundamentals of all disciplines.

Typical Day in the Life of an ArchitectImagine for a moment that youre an architect. If thats your dream career, its something youve probably done hundreds of times before. But what, exactly, does your day as an architect consist of? Lets go through an average day in your new life as an architect.

You work for a small architectural firm, and youre up at 7am to shower, dress, brush your teeth and grab a quick breakfast so you can get to the office by 8am. Theres a busy day ahead, and youve got to get an early start. They tell you theyll think about it and call you later.

You sit down at your desk and start doing some research on building codes and zoning laws for a new project youre starting in a nearby town. Each time your phone rings, your heart leaps, thinking its your clients from this morning, but each time its just another consultant or contractor or client, asking questions about costs and schedules.

You remember you have a proposal meeting with a client tomorrow and pull out the plans for their new apartment building you were working on. You spend the rest of your morning sketching and answering phone calls,

You have construction sites to visit. Your first site is a building whose framing is almost complete; you can happily check in with your clients and let them know that everything is on schedule. At the second site, however, you spot problems when you realize theyre doing the roof all wrong.

Your final site doesnt have anything on it yet, but you just got the reports back from the soil engineer and now you need to check it out for yourself to get an idea of how to plan the building. Once youve gathered all the information you need, its back to the office for you.

Youre in a meeting with another architect, going over the plans you finished this morning and discussing what youll say in the client meeting. Once thats been settled, you place a few phone calls (including those calls relating to your site visits) and manage to slip out the door just before six.

You arrive home to a lovely dinner with your family. The phone rings; its your client from this morning, calling to let you know that theyve decided to go through with the project at an increased cost. Thats a relief. You spend the rest of your evening relaxing at home and fall into bed, ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

Some architects sharing their life as an architect:

ArchitectHere in Nigeria architecture is very rewarding indeed. Am so proud to be architect all the time.Rabiu Manga

Life of upcoming architectAfter 10 years working in the industry, it can be easy for some to become so negative about working in architecture. Massive hours and low pay rates .But, If you're passion is design and architecture, and are prepared to find a suitable partner and start your own firm, the situation all of a sudden looks a lot brighter.-Richard

It depends on the person and the passionMy salary has always been at least 10% above median and never felt under appreciated or stimulated. I've worked on many prestigious projects of which some were published. On September 1st of 2012 I left the security of the corporate world and with only $500 in my pocket I started my own firm. As of now I have 4 projects going and 3 proposals to do this week. I took my 1st pay check last month, $900. A bit of a pay cut from an $85k annual salary but I can't imagine doing anything else and if I didn't have a family I'd do for nothing.Guest T.B. Mulligan, AIA