Licensed Profession Spotlight: Architecture

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Architects:

• Prepare information regarding design, structure specifications, materials, color, equipment, estimated costs, and construction time.
• Prepare scale drawings.
• Plan the layout of projects.
• Integrate the engineering element into unified design.
• Consult with clients to determine functional and spatial requirements of the proposed structure.
• Direct activities of workers engaged in preparing drawings and specification documents.
• Conduct periodic on-site observation of work during construction to monitor compliance with plans.
• Prepare operating and maintenance manuals, studies, and reports.
• Administer construction contracts.
• Represent clients in obtaining bids and awarding construction contracts.
• Prepare contract documents for building contractors.

SALARY:

The average national salary of an architect is $59,590.00/year.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Important Abilities:
1. Visualization
2. Deductive Reasoning
3. Written Expression
4. Fluency of Ideas
5. Oral Comprehension

Necessary Skills:
1. Coordination
2. Mathematics
3. Idea Generation
4. Active Listening
5. Reading Comprehension

STATE OF THE ART:

“Before any building is constructed, it exists in the mind’s eye of an architect.”

Architects plan and design buildings in which people work, worship, play, and conduct the countless other activities of their lives.

INSTITUTIONS OFFERING RELATED MAJORS:

Barnard College, Cornell University, Cooper Union, New York Institute of Technology, CUNY City College, Pratt Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo, Syracuse University.

PROFILE: Vladimir Charles

Mr. Charles was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, before moving with his parents to Brooklyn, NY. Soon after, the family left the USA for Paris, where they lived for the next 8 years. When Mr. Charles was 12, his family moved again to Gabon in western Africa, where they lived for 5 years. Needless to say, his childhood was quite eclectic. After graduating from high school in June of 1987, Mr. Charles moved to Miami, Florida where he got his initiation into architecture at Miami Dade Community College. After graduation he worked a year as an intern before moving back to Brooklyn to attend Pratt Institute, from which he graduated in 1995 with a five-year Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture. He then worked for a construction company to learn the hands-on approach to architecture, and then worked for a small architectural firm to gain the experience and confidence needed to attain success in this business. From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Charles worked for a variety of firms, enabling him to find himself as an individual as well as an architect. He found himself craving individual expression, however, and created Second Floor Studios in 2001, which he still runs today. Mr. Charles admits that owning and running his own business has been tough at times, but says also that he is more than happy to control his destiny in Architecture, as he has elsewhere in life.