25/03/2022
ctto:The Tactile Architect
HERE IS WHAT THE ARCHITECT'S JOB ACTUALLY INVOLVE
Architect is a legal professional title, not a job title, so it doesn’t capture the tremendous variety of roles an architect might fill. So when you’re asking what an architect does, you’ll typically get a generic answer like “designs buildings and ensures the health and safety of their users”. If you want a better description, you might need to ask about a particular job title:
-Designer
-Project Architect
-Project Manager
-Firm Principal/Partner (focus could be design team, construction, management, client acquisition)
-Sole Proprietor, Architect like business owner
There are many more, but these are your typical roles for licensed architects.
DESIGNER
The Designer does what you might expect - they design buildings. A lower-level employee might do the preliminary prep work when it comes to researching zoning ordinances, lot characteristics and restrictions, and general building codes. They might also setup parking layouts and preliminary site/floor plans. The Designer then takes these knowns and molds the building. They decide the style, the form, elevations, materials and details, usually working on the project during programming, schematic design, and design development. They may check in with the construction documents team to ensure the original design intent is followed in the construction details, but the bulk of their work is creative/aesthetic and happens in the early stages of a project. Everyone going into architecture likes to picture themselves as “The Designer”, but there are few true Design positions available. Most “Designers” are in fact lower-level employees, draftsmen and the like, who have a small role helping Project Architects in small parts of design. They’re called Designers because they cannot legally call themselves Architects and it sounds better.
PROJECT ARCHITECT
The Project Architect is responsible for developing and coordinating the Contract Documents - specifically, the construction drawings and specifications. They work with designers and draftsmen to create the manual for building the buildings, so they must have tremendous knowledge of building systems, materials, detailing, and codes. PAs work with Project Managers to ensure their work is done timely and on budget. They coordinate with consultants to resolve complex systems conflicts. They also work with principals to be sure the level of quality and craft of their documents is in-line with the desired outcome. A Project Architect might work on one large project at a time or a couple.
PROJECT MANAGER
The Project Manager handles the business end of a project. They create and track budgets, estimates, schedules, and workflow. Draftsmen, job captains, designers, and sometimes project coordinators work under their direction to complete the jobs on time and budget. PMs are also in charge of quality control and coordination - they review final documents for errors and to verify level of completion. They work directly with clients, principals, and project architects to ensure work runs smoothly. A PM usually manages a few projects simultaneously.
FIRM PRINCIPAL / PARTNER
The Principal/Partner helps oversee the top-level operations of an architecture firm. In larger firms, there are many branches that must be managed. Some partners are managing partners, meaning they oversee overall profitability of the company. Some are design partners, in control of guiding the creative direction. Some might manage the construction end, maintaining relationships with contractors and overseeing works under construction management. You also might find a Principal that functions as a PM or PA, but has proven their worth enough to be promoted into partnership. Maybe they pulled in a lot of work, maybe they followed a lineal path. In general, though, they have a financial stake in the company and are directly in charge, in part, of the success of failure of the overall business.
SOLE PROPRIAETOR
The Sole Proprietor/Owner that is a sole practitioner does it all because she has to. Many architects are out there running solo, often with an outsourced draftsman or two to get the drafting work done quickly. They design and manage both the creative process and the construction process, as well as are responsible for all marketing and client relations. It’s a stressful, long-hours type of hustle and a good majority retire the solo business for a more stable office job working for someone else. But if a sole practitioner is a success, landing enough work to hire employees, they typically spend their days as businessmen, running the firm operations while delegating everything else they can get off their plate. They may have enough time to check in on each department/individual weekly, but in order to succeed long-term they must have built a framework that disseminates their vision and goals throughout the business, creating a culture that continues to move in their preferred direction.
MY TAKE
The makeup of an architecture profession is highly dependent on the firm’s size and type of work they do. A large firm has all of these roles and more in multiples, while a small to midsize firm might combine many positions. The sole practitioner wears all hats.
So what does an architect do? That really depends on which one you’re asking. But yes, ultimately, architects are responsible for the design and development of safe, healthy, and beautiful buildings.
