What Does an Architect Do?
by Claire Gallagher To many people, what architects do is a mystery. Buildings simply appear. The general public has so little understanding of design vocabulary that buildings are incorporated into public life devoid of meaning. The divide between architecture and public understanding generates a host of problems: between architect and client, architecture school and student, community and planning board. It contributes to the rate of attrition in architecture schools, to logjams in offices, and to miscommunication among project teams. I am one of a handful of people who have devoted their careers in architecture to this issue. We are working to raise public awareness and appreciation of the built environment, and to make architecture more widely understood outside the profession. I write curricular materials for schools, offer classes for children and adults, conduct teacher’s workshops and programs, speak at conferences, and write on architectural issues with the goal of helping chi
Architects by definition are qualified and duly licensed to design buildings for the public. Their job is to protect the welfare and safety of the public at large while designing functional facilities that add to the surrounding environment. What do Architects do? Architects start by helping the client develop the appropriate program (owners needs of the building). Next the site the building is intended to be built on needs to be investigated to ensure the building can be built on the proposed site. The architect assist the owner in coordinating with a surveyor, geo-technical, government agencies and others. After the data is received the architect interprets the data that is received and assist the owner with gaining any final approvals such as a change in zoning. While the investigation is underway, the architect starts his preliminary design. Once the design is approved by the owner, the architect assembles his team. Due to the complexity of modern buildings, architects operate much
