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A Typical Day The architect I shadowed is usually either in her office sketching designs, speaking to contractors, picking materials and finishes, or visiting job sites. However, what she enjoys the most is that every day is different. |
Top 3 Perks 1) Bringing vision into reality2) Job Autonomy3) Activities during the day vary so you never get bored |
Job Culture Drawing and sketching, taking notes, talking to trades and clients, configuring spaces, measuring spaces, using computer programs, buying materials, talking on the phone, indoors and outdoors |
My ExperienceI spent my day with Sandra Smith of Sandra F Smith Architects, an architect who has done numerous jobs of varying sizes over the years. She became interested in architecture in grade 11 and became an architect without an additional bachelor degree (you now need one to go to architecture school). We visited a condo in an upscale area that was just purchased and is being renovated for an older lady with a lot of antique furniture. The client used to live in a mansion and had tons of antique furniture, but is now downsizing. This job is a big challenge since the whole condo is being redesigned around the client’s furniture. Luckily for the client, Sandra is fully equipped to deal with these restrictions, as she is great at making floor plans and designing around specific needs. It should also be noted that in this job Sandra was also acting as an interior designer for the client, making recommendations on finishing materials such as tile, flooring and lighting selection. When we walked into the condo it was torn apart and definitely needed some work. Sandra took out all of her drawings (a full binder of them) and made sure the contractor was building and demolishing everything per her requests. Her drawings are actually pretty amazing. They include every single detail and lots of instructions for the contractor. Sandra then checked in with the contractor to make sure everything was moving along and done right. She took notes on the recent developments of the job, which she said she would email to her client. As the client’s representative she acts as both the designer of the space and a manager of the trades. It’s a lot to handle and organize so I imagine it would be hard for architects to work on many large projects at the same time. Although being an architect must be a hectic job it’s probably also very rewarding since you get to see your visions come to reality.
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Requirements 1) Bachelor degree2) Apprentice and gain architectural experience for 3-5 years or complete a masters of architecture3) Write an exam to become a licensed architect |
Skills Needed Listening, communication, people skills, visualization, creative, imaginative, math and computer skills, good design sense, drawing and sketching |
The Field - Technology is creating more exciting projects due to new materials so the field is advancing- It’s a hard field to enter- Most business is referral based or repeat business- Computers now can make drawing quicker but it is still very detailed work |