Professional Architectural
Careers & Opportunities
By Ms. Jones
The Field of Architecture
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Architecture is the profession of designing
buildings, open areas and even whole
communities, with an eye to the aesthetics
of the end result
Duties of An Architect
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Construction Project
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Predesign services
Feasibility
 Environment impact
 Selecting the site
 Requirements the design must meet
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Final construction Plans
Appearance
 Details for construction
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Structural, electrical, mechanical, site and landscape
Employment Opportunities
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Private Architectural Firms
Public and Government Agencies
Community Design
Urban Planning
Building and Construction Firms
Community Development Corp
Architectural Office Practices
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Two Basic Models
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Departmental Specializations
Designers
 Spec Writers
 Structural experts
 Landscape designers
 Production drafts people
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Teamwork
Job Outlook
Classwork: What affects the architectural
industry?
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Architectural Drafting Warm-up
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Answer the following Questions:
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1. What are the two Office Models of an
Architectural Firm?
2. What are the duties of an architect?
Skills
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Communicate ideas visually to a client
Visual orientation and the ability to
conceptualize and understand spatial
relationships
Verbal and written communication skills
Work independently or part of a team
Creative
Computer literacy – spec writing, 2D&3D
drafting and financial management
Design Team
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Architect - a person trained in the planning, design and
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Structural Engineer -a field of engineering dealing with the
oversight of the construction of buildings that have as their principal
purpose human occupancy or use.
analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads.
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Electrical Engineer - a field of engineering that generally
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Mechanical Engineer - a discipline of engineering that
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Civil Engineer - a professional engineering discipline that deals with the
deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and
electromagnetism.
applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design,
manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems
design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built
environment, including works like bridges, roads, canals, dams, and buildings.
Warm-up
 Who are the members of the design
team and what role do they play?
Key Terms
 Architect
 Architects Duties
 Architectural Office
Models
 Design Team
 Design Role
Schematic Design
Brief
Design Process
Documentation
Role
 Tender
 Technical drawings
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Design Role
The architect hired by a client is responsible for
creating a design concept that meets the
requirements of that client and provides a facility
suitable to the required use.
 Program or brief, is an essential meeting between
the Architect and the owner/client to produce a
project that meets all the needs and desires of the
owner—it is a guide for the architect in creating the
design concept.
 Architects deal with local and federal jurisdictions
about regulations and building codes.
 local planning and zoning laws
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 setbacks, height limitations, parking requirements,
transparency requirements (windows), and land use.
 Some established jurisdictions require adherence to
design and historic preservation guidelines.
Design
Role
con’t…
 Basic design
 Schematic design – development of graphic solutions
to clients program
 Alternative conceptual design proposals
 Evaluate engineering systems needed for the project
 Prepare volume and area calculations and evaluate cost of
alternative design proposals
 Incorporate relevant code requirements
 Prepare presentation drawings and design models
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Financial considerations
 Building cost analysis
 Analyze and evaluate construction cost
 Prepare an analysis that meets the project requirements
and provides alternatives
 Use unit costs
 Quantity calculations (corner guards, windows..etc)
 Research Life-cycle cost for specifications
 Factor current inflation rate and other economic variables
Design Role con’t…
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Clientele relationships
 Program or Brief
 Get all the requirements for the project
 Review schematic design and cost analysis
 Within clients budget
 Cost estimates and source of financing
 Get feedback
 Adjust schematic design if needed
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Procedures of the design process
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Define or Identify the problem
Brainstorm
Research and Generate Ideas
Identify Criteria and specify Constraints
Explore possibilities
Select and Approach
Develop a design proposal
Make a model or prototype
Test AND Evaluate the design
Documentation Role
 Architects prepare the technical or "working"
documents (construction drawings and specifications),
 coordinate with and supplemented by the work
of a variety of disciplines [i.e., with varied
expertise like mechanical, plumbing, electrical, civil,
structural, etc.] engineers for the building services
and
 drawings are filed for obtaining permits
(development and building permits) that require
compliance with building, seismic, and relevant
federal and local regulations.
 construction drawings and specifications are
also used for pricing the work, and for
construction.
Construction Role
 Architects typically put projects to tender (bid) on
behalf of their clients,
 advise on the award of the project to a general
contractor,
 review the progress of the work during construction.
 They typically review subcontractor shop drawings
and other submittals,
 prepare and issue site instructions, and provide
construction contract administration and Certificates
for Payment to the contractor
 With very large, complex projects, an independent
construction manager is sometimes hired to assist in
design and to manage construction.
 In the United Kingdom and other countries, a
quantity surveyor is often part of the team to provide
cost consulting.
Review: Basic Stages of Design
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Initial Contact
Preliminary design studies
Initial working drawings
Final design considerations
Completion of working drawings
Permit procedures
Job supervision
Related Fields
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Illustrator
Model Maker
Specification Writer
Inspector
Construction Field Worker
Warm-up (group work 2-3)
 Imagine you work for a departmental
architectural firm. Describe each
departments involvement in the
design role, documentation role and
construction role. 20mins
Architectural Office Practices
 Two Basic Models
 Departmental Specializations
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Designers
Spec Writers
Structural experts
Landscape designers
Production drafts people
 Teamwork
Architectural Drawings
• Architectural Diagram –
– a drawing that uses geometric elements to abstractly
represent
• phenomena such as sound, light, heat, wind, and rain;
• building components such as walls, windows, doors and furniture;
and
• characteristics of human perception and behavior such as sight
lines, privacy and movement, as well as territorial boundaries of
space or rooms.
– A diagram is made of symbols and is about concepts.
• It is abstract and propositional: its elements and spatial relations
can be expressed as a set of statements.
• It explores, explains, demonstrates, or clarifies relationships among
parts of a whole or it illustrates how something works (a sequence
of events, movement, or a process).
• Its symbols may represent objects (e.g., a space or a piece of
furniture) or concepts (e.g., service area, a buffer zone, accessibility
or noise).
Architectural Drawings
• Architectural Sketch –
– A sketch, in contrast, is about spatial
form.
– It is executed with a finer resolution that
indicates attributes of shape.
– A sketch often comprises repetitive
overtraced lines made to explore precise
shape, rather than the intentionally
abstract shapes of a diagram
– it uses graphic modifiers such as tone
and hatching to convey additional
information.
Architectural Diagrams
• Symbols
Designers used conventional symbols and configurations for architectural
concepts in diagrams.
Types of Diagrams
(a)
(b)
a bubble diagram illustrates dimensions and adjacencies
among functions in a floor plan.
Floor Plans - a view from above
showing the arrangement of spaces
in building in the same way as a
map, but showing the arrangement
at a particular level of a building.
Site Plans- a specific type of plan,
showing the whole context of a
building or group of buildings
Classwork
• Graphic Vocabulary Worksheet
Warm-up: Complete last
weeks classwork
• Graphic Vocabulary Worksheet
Homework
• Using your graphic vocabulary draw a
diagram of a school courtyard
Architectural Sketches
• Simple Sketch
– Freehand drawing
• Plan or elevation sketch
– Scaled Sketch that may explore the
proportions of a building.
• Perspective sketch
– Scaled Sketch that provides 3D information
about a scene, specifying the shape of physical
elements and visual appearance from some
location
Other kinds of Drawings
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softline (freehand)
hardline (drafted)
schematic drawings,
working drawings, as well as
different projections (plans,
sections, elevations, elevation
oblique, axonometric [is a type of parallel projection, more
specifically a type of orthographic projection, used to create a pictorial drawing of an
object, where the object is rotated along one or more of its axes relative to the plane
of projection]
)
Working drawings
• A comprehensive set of drawings used in a building construction
project: logically subdivide into location, assembly and
component drawings.[17]
– Location drawings, also called general arrangement drawings, include
floor plans, sections and elevations: they show where the
construction elements are located.
– Assembly drawings show how the different parts are put together.
For example a wall detail will show the layers that make up the
construction, how they are fixed to structural elements, how to
finish the edges of openings, and how prefabricated components are
to be fitted.
– Component drawings enable self-contained elements e.g. windows
and doorsets, to be fabricated in a workshop, and delivered to site
complete and ready for installation. Larger components may include
roof trusses, cladding panels, cupboards and kitchens. Complete
rooms, especially hotel bedrooms and bathrooms, may be made as
prefabricated pods complete with internal decorations and fittings.
Working drawings con’t…
• Traditionally, working drawings would typically
combine plans, sections, elevations and some
details to provide a complete explanation of a
building on one sheet.
– That was possible because little detail was included, the
building techniques involved being common knowledge
amongst building professionals.
• Modern working drawings are much more detailed
and it is standard practice to isolate each view on
a separate sheet.
– Notes included on drawings are brief, referring to
standardized specification documents for more
information. Understanding the layout and construction
of a modern building involves studying an often-sizeable
set of drawings and documents.
Classwork
• In Writing:
Differentiate between the types of
working drawings, how they are
typically sequenced, who is
responsible for their execution, what
each drawing typically shows, and
explain the typical sequence in which
drawings are created.
The World of
Architecture