What Architects Do

Architects plan and design houses, factories, office buildings, and other structures.

Work Environment

Architects spend much of their time in offices, where they develop plans, meet with clients, and consult with engineers and other architects. They also visit construction sites to prepare initial drawings and review the progress of projects to ensure that clients’ objectives are met. About 1 in 5 were self-employed in 2014.

How to Become an Architect

There are typically three main steps to becoming a licensed architect: completing a professional degree in architecture, gaining relevant experience through a paid internship, and passing the Architect Registration Examination.

Job Outlook

Employment of architects is projected to grow 7 percent from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Competition for jobs will be very strong because the number of applicants continues to outnumber available positions.

Growth & Trends

This occupation supported 107,400 jobs in 2012 and 112,600 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 4.8%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 17.3% in 2022 to 126,000 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 111,100, compared with an observed value of 112,600, 1.4% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are about on track with the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 7.3% in 2024 to 120,400 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 129,699 jobs for 2024, 7.7% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.

Architects Employment and Labor Information 2023

Architects Employment Brief:

Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.

Architects Job Description

Here is a Job Description an employer might post for potential Architects.

Architects Responsibilities and Duties:

• Design structures that incorporate environmentally friendly building practices or concepts, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
• Gather information related to projects' environmental sustainability or operational efficiency.
• Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.
• Inspect proposed building sites to determine suitability for construction.
• Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.
• Develop marketing materials, proposals, or presentations to generate new work opportunities.
• Perform predesign services, such as feasibility or environmental impact studies.
• Calculate potential energy savings by comparing estimated energy consumption of proposed design to baseline standards.
• Create three-dimensional or interactive representations of designs, using computer-assisted design software.
• Design or plan construction of green building projects to minimize adverse environmental impact or conserve energy.

Typical Daily Tasks of Architects:

• Working with Computers.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment.
• Thinking Creatively: Create graphical representations of structures or landscapes. Design structures or facilities. Design water conservation systems. Incorporate green features into the design of structures or facilities.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
• Getting Information: Investigate the environmental impact of projects.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Document technical design details. Prepare contracts, disclosures, or applications. Prepare procedural documents.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Discuss designs or plans with clients.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.

Architects Skills and Requirements:

• NavigationUsing scroll bars, a mouse, and dialog boxes to work within the computer's operating system. Being able to access and switch between applications and files of interest.
• Installation Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
• Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Management of Personnel Resources Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Active Listening Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Mathematics Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Operations Analysis Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
• Management of Financial Resources Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

Architects Education and Training:

Typical education for include: Bachelor's degree.

Architects, Except Landscape and Naval Salary, Wages, and Salary and Job Outlook

Architects, Except Landscape and Naval average pay is: $39.83 per hour according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employees who work in NAare the highest paid making $50.68, while Residential Building Construction make the least at $39.71 per hour.Here are the top city/metro areas with the highest paying salaries for a Architects, Except Landscape and Naval: