What You'll Do

  • Prepare information regarding design, structure specifications, materials, color, equipment, estimated costs, or construction time.
  • Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.
  • Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
  • Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.
  • Administer construction contracts.
  • Represent clients in obtaining bids or awarding construction contracts.
  • Prepare operating and maintenance manuals, studies, or reports.
  • Calculate potential energy savings by comparing estimated energy consumption of proposed design to baseline standards.
  • Design environmentally sound structural upgrades to existing buildings, such as natural lighting systems, green roofs, or rainwater collection systems.
  • Design or plan construction of green building projects to minimize adverse environmental impact or conserve energy.

Essential Skills

Reading Comprehension 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Operations Analysis 4.0/5
Active Listening 3.88/5
Writing 3.88/5
Monitoring 3.75/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.75/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.75/5
Active Learning 3.62/5
Mathematics 3.5/5
Coordination 3.5/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Cooperation, Analytical Thinking, Dependability, Initiative

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Visualization 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Written Expression 4.0/5
Fluency of Ideas 4.0/5
Originality 4.0/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.0/5

Technologies & Tools

1ST Pricing Window & Door Toolkit Adobe Acrobat Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 Amazon Redshift Amazon Web Services AWS software Apache Cassandra Apache Hadoop Apache Hive Apache Maven Apache Pig Applied Search Technology CADFind Artifice DesignWorkshop Autodesk 3ds Max Design Autodesk Architectural Studio Autodesk AutoCAD Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.8/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.57/5)
  • Analytical Thinking (High importance: 4.55/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.48/5)
  • Initiative (High importance: 4.43/5)

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Architect Building Architect Building Consultant Building Information Modeling Specialist (BIM Specialist) Commercial Green Building Architect Commercial Green Building Designer Commercial Green Retrofit Architect Design Architect Facilities Planner Facility Designer Green Building Architect Green Building Design Specialist Green Building Materials Designer Healthcare Project Architect Home Designer House Designer Interior Architect Licensed Architect Location Analyst Location Man Location Worker Planner Plumbing Designer Project Architect Real Estate Site Analyst Residential Designer Residential Green Building Designer Space Planner Specifications Writer Structural Architect Structural Designer