Top Job Thursday

Becoming an Architect
What is Architecture all about?

Architecture is the art, the science and the business of building.

Architects create homes, office towers, schools or churches. They are talented people with a flair for design, an awareness of social trends, keen business sense, solid engineering skills and an understanding of the law.

Today’s Architect may practise alone or be part of a firm. Some Architects are self-employed. Others may be on salary, as employees of government, real estate developers or large corporations.

“Clients” are those who use the services of Architects. A client may be a family, a school board, a company, a housing authority, a government department or a building contractor.

Why does Architecture matter?

There’s no place like home

The design or re-design of a home is one of the most fascinating and important things an Architect can do. Homes house the daily activities of families and individuals. Sometimes they offer privacy and shelter. Rural or urban, row house or apartment, the home may be used year-round or only for vacations.

Keeping the past alive

Old buildings add variety to city streets and remind us of our links to the past. Public interest in restoring old buildings is as strong as the economic pressure to re-use them. The result ? Architects are using modern techniques and ideas to renew historic buildings across Canada.

Inside the home and office

Respected Architects have designed chairs, tables, cabinets and fabrics--objects that lend comfort and pleasure to people’s homes and work spaces. When the desire to create something “organic” or whole, is strong, Architects design not only a building and the space around a building, they will also shape the space inside the building.

Mirrors of time

Great civilizations leave behind great architecture. Think of the pyramids of Egypt, the columns of Greece and Rome, the great cathedrals. Architecture reflects the religious, political and social values of the day. Today’s buildings express our society’s common purposes and will tell our story long after we are gone.

Where is Architecture going?

Big and sleek

In giant cities, the voices of commerce, finance, business and government call out for giant buildings. Big buildings can cause big problems, such as increased traffic flow. They also create a need for parking, water, sewer and fire-fighting access. Putting large buildings into a city involves balancing the technical, planning and aesthetic problems. Architects with special design skills are needed to tackle these big jobs.

What do Architects do?

It all starts with a commission or contract from a client. The commission may involve the design of a single building or a group of buildings and the spaces between them. The client may be a person, a board of directors, or a government department or a business.

Usually, the Architect leads a team of specialists including structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as others. Architects must also understand and deal with building codes and bylaws set out by municipal, provincial and federal governments.

The Architect keeps everyone on time and on budget. Technical knowledge, good people skills and no-nonsense business sense are all important to this task.

Bottom line: Architecture is a business. Being creative and designing something beautiful are only the first steps in making a vision come to life.
What does it take to be an Architect?

Ask yourself these questions:

* Do details matter to me?
* Can I analyze what I see?
* Am I a creative thinker?
* Do I truly value the things I see?
* Do I understand and get along with people?
* Do I think in a logical and orderly way?


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