Architect

Mahony, Gaudi, Utzon, Gehry...You? From designing buildings, preparing sketches, estimating costs, writing specifications to conducting on-site construction inspections. Architects are integral to all of these processes. They use creativity and a practical understanding of structures and materials to develop concepts, plans, specifications and detailed drawings for buildings and other structures. They negotiate with builders and planning authorities, administer building contracts and inspect the work carried out.

Not quite the career you are looking for? Please try the related course profiles below:

There are 81% of Architects that have Bachelor Degrees, 7% have Advanced Diplomas or Diplomas, 5% have Postgraduate Degree's and 7% have no post school qualifications.

It is recommended that you gain the available qualifications to get the best possible chance of employment.

The University of South Australia offers a Bachelor of Architecture and the University of Adelaide offers a Bachelor of Design Studies and a Bachelor of Architecture.

Courses listed on the TAFE SA website under Building and Furnishing Trades and Furniture Design will provide you with the necessary education and training information for this and related careers. For further information on this and related educational information go to the TAFE SA website http://www.tafe.sa.edu.au.

If you're interested in becoming an architect, practise drawing and design and building things. Try replicating houses or buildings and making them more eye-catching. It may be useful to phone an architect to talk to them about their job. Read books from the library and the many architectural magazines you can find at the newsagent. Also surf the Net to learn as much as you can about this exciting but always-evolving occupation. As far as technical skills are concerned, computer skills are becoming increasingly important as most architects now work with computer-aided design programs. Architects also need good problem solving, organisational, supervisory and communication skills.

Architects may also be involved in project feasibility studies, strategic asset investigations, heritage studies, urban planning, interior design or landscape design.

South Australian employers have reported experiencing shortages for this occupation.

Construction

To be Updated.

Architects design anything from houses to small buildings to large-scale developments. To be an architect requires creativity, imagination and an understanding of materials and construction.

Architects and clients go through a series of steps to arrive at the desired space or building. The first phase informs the architect of the goals of the owner and the boundaries of the project. It includes the collecting and organising of the information and ideas that will drive the project. It is important that the client expresses their desires for the project, which in turn enables the architect to learn the functional requirements and the imagery and style desired by the client to start the process moving in the right direction. Architects will then go through a series of steps to bring the project into focus.

The first of these involves the listing of the spaces, their sizes, functions and the type of space that would best suit their use and is used to understand the spatial requirements of owners and users. For example, an owner may wish to have a home office and prefer for this to be centrally located within the home. Diagrams, these are a visual statement of ideas, follow and present a clear and logical order to plan the form of the building. Then, to give the owner a visual idea of what their concepts will become in 3-dimensional form, the architect does sketches and/or constructs models of the proposed buildings. Architects estimate construction costs throughout the design process. The owner can then add or subtract from the design to meet their budget. Reviewing the state and local communities conservation and zoning requirements, so the project will receive a building permit, is next.

Once this stage has been approved, architects can provide the owner with a series of drawings including floor plans, elevations, renderings and, in some circumstances, a model of the proposed building. Final adjustments are made and then, with the client's approval, the architect can complete the construction documents. Construction documents provide builders with a set of directions required to construct the building to the client and architect's specifications. Finally, construction drawings are drawn up for contractors. These are specific instructions for contractors and what is to be built. They indicate all the dimensions and materials of the building.

Architects often specialise in particular types of work, for example, domestic, low-rise commercial, high-rise commercial, industrial, conservation and heritage buildings. Architects need to keep up with changing trends in the construction industry and the community. They have considerable contact with the public. They must have an eye for design and flair. They must also be able to merge the creative and practical sides of architectural design and able to analyse problems logically. It is also essential that they have excellent drawing skills and good communication skills.

Architects and architectural teams often specialise in a particular area of design or construction from houses to hospitals, restoration to religious buildings, shopping centres to sustainable communities. Anything that can be built an architect can specialise in. However, architects aren't necessarily limited to their area of speciality as many start in one area and move to another or continually take on a variety of projects. Architects work primarily in offices but also spend time on building sites. They tend to work regular work hours but extra hours will need to be invested in order to meet project deadlines. Various employment avenues exist for architects such as, working for architectural firms, consultancies, government departments, residential developers or are themselves self-employed. With experience, architects may move into senior management positions or find work with government agencies. Those with their own consulting firms usually have extensive business experience. Demand for architects is currently strong, however, fluctuations in the economy effect the work available. Industry bodies forecast continued good opportunities for people dedicated to their craft.

For further information, contact:

The Architects Board of South Australia
GPO Box 1270 Adelaide SA 5001
Ph: (08) 8373 2766
Fax: (08) 8372 6677
Email: mrawlings@gtsa.com.au
Internet Address: http://www.archboardsa.org.au

The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (SA Chapter)
PO Box 3420 Rundle Mall SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8228 9100
Fax: (08) 8228 9199
Email: sa@raia.com.au
Internet Address: http://www.architecture.com.au

Big Plans
Internet Address: http://www.bigplans.com.au

The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (National Office)
PO Box 3373 Manuka ACT 2603
Ph: (02) 6273 1548
Fax: (02) 6273 1953
Email: national@raia.com.au
Internet Address: http://www.architecture.com.au

For those interested in the construction side of architecture, you may want to consider doing degrees in both architecture and engineering. Interior design courses may also be of value. Salaries begin around $45,000 per year. Those in senior management or with extensive experience can make $55,000 or more.

For further information about all TAFE SA Courses, phone 1800 882 661 or email tafeinfo@saugov.sa.gov.au