Lecture 1

ARCHITECT
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THE PROFESSION OF AN ARCHITECT

He looked at the granite. To be cut, he thought, and made into walls. He looked
at a tree. To be split and made into rafters. He looked at a streak of rust on the
stone and thought of iron ore under the ground. To be melted and to emerge as
girders against the sky. These rocks, he thought, are here for me; waiting for
the drill, the dynamite and my voice; waiting to be split, ripped, pounded,
reborn, waiting for the shape of my hands will give to them.

Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

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Have you ever asked yourself...

What is an “Architect?”
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People need buildings.

People live, work, play, congregate, learn, govern, consume,

in buildings.

People need buildings……..

and they need………

neighborhoods, complexes, towns, cities, parks, suburbs

To people, Architects build these things.

But is that what they really do?

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What is an “Architect?”
A common misconception:

An architect is……

“Someone who
makes blue-prints”
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What is an “Architect?”
The general public really doesn’t have a understanding as to
WHAT an Architect does, let alone WHO an Architect is.

To start with, Architecture is a profession.

By definition, a profession is:

pro·fes·sion Pronunciation [pruh-fesh-uhn]
–noun
1. a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science: the
profession of teaching.
2. any vocation or business.
3. the body of persons engaged in an occupation or calling: to be respected by the
medical profession.
4. the act of professing; avowal; a declaration, whether true or false: professions of
dedication.
5. the declaration of belief in or acceptance of religion or a faith: the profession of
Christianity.
6. a religion or faith professed.
7. the declaration made on entering into membership of a church or religious order.
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By definition, a profession is:

pro·fes·sion Pronunciation [pruh-fesh-uhn]
–noun
1. a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science: the
profession of teaching.
2. any vocation or business.
3. the body of persons engaged in an occupation or calling: to be respected by the
medical profession.
4. the act of professing; avowal; a declaration, whether true or false: professions of
dedication.
5. the declaration of belief in or acceptance of religion or a faith: the profession of
Christianity.
6. a religion or faith professed.
7. the declaration made on entering into membership of a church or religious order.

OK, so maybe numbers 4, 5, 6, & 7 don’t fit here, but you get
the picture.
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What is a profession?
Noted educator, Abraham Flexner, defined profession, as opposed
to other kinds of vocations, with six attributes:

1. involves a store of knowledge that is more than ordinarily complex;

2. is an intellectual enterprise;
3. applies theoretical and complex knowledge to the solution of
human and social problems;
4. strives to add to and improve the stock of knowledge;
5. passes its knowledge to novice generations, usually through
universities; and
6. tends to organize in peer formations that establish criteria for
admission, practice, and conduct.
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The profession of Architecture is much like that of the profession

of Law or Medicine……..

it serves the PEOPLE

An Architect provides a service to the people.

We design buildings.

And parks.
And towns, cities, metropolitans, complexes, environments.
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So now we’re back to……

What is an “Architect?”
The American College Dictionary says:

Architect, noun
1. One whose profession it is to design buildings and superintend
their construction.
2. The deviser, maker, or creator of anything.
.
From the Greek “architekton” – chief builder.
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I like this one better:

“Architects, professionals trained in the art and science of building

design and licensed to protect health, safety and welfare,
transform these needs into concepts and then develop the concepts
into building images that can be constructed by others”

Lee Waldrep, PhD; Becoming an Architect

But we’re still only scratching the surface.

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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Politician
Student
Researcher Seller
Designer Communicator
Writer
Estimator Planner
Financial Manager
Educator
Interpreter
Coordinator
Juggler
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Designer
Aesthetics – Artist & Sculptor
Practicality – Combining theory and building material/ technology
Function – spaces are organized for maximum use
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Communicator
verbal, visual, written, graphic, technical
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Planner
determining objectives & goals
establishing methods for achieving the objectives & goals
establishing priorities amongst the methods, objectives & goals
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Seller
sell to the client your services
sell to the client on your design
sell to the client to build it
sell, sell, sell…..
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Researcher
Building Materials
Design Codes
Project Requirements (Program, budget, Site Issues)
Design & Product Standards
Knowing the “right” questions to ask
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Building Materials
Design Codes
Project Requirements (Program, budget, Site Issues)
Design & Product Standards
Knowing the “right” questions to ask
Product Performance Information
Test Results
Contract Clauses
Construction Documents Interpreter
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Transferring information amongst the people

involved in the project.

Coordinator
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

proposals
contracts
specifications
letters
marketing Writer
drawing notes
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Estimator
time & cost for performing the Architectural Services
determining project construction costs
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Financial Manager
managing costs for project production
managing business finances
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Teaching others about things

Educator they don’t know about
Mentor
Faculty in architecture schools
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Student
“Life-long Learner”
Learning about new and revised things
Maintaining knowledge of the current “Standard of Practice”
Continuing Education required to maintain licensure
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Politician
knowing how to get people to do things they don’t want to do
providing encouragement to those unsure of themselves
knowing how to communicate w/out offending
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Ok, so lets talk about skills that an Architect has:

Keeping many things going at the same time

“Project Manager”
Juggler
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Some of you have some of these skills, and some of you will
acquire these skills.

Most important is how to use these skills to advance towards your

goals: academic, career, personal
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The profession of Architecture is widely supported and tightly

accounted for, regulated and governed.

Support comes in the form of the AIA……

American Institute of Architects
a 150 year old organization with the architects interests at heart
AIA is our voice
AIA serves the profession

the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has been the leading professional membership
association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners since 1857.
Through education, legislative and regulatory development, professional education, and
research, the AIA and its more than 83,000 members express their commitment to
excellence in design and livability in our nation’s buildings and communities.
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The profession of Architecture is widely supported and tightly

accounted for, regulated and governed.

Accounting in the accreditation of architecture education…. NAAB

National Architectural Accrediting Board
an agency that accredits curriculums for architecture schools
across the country
NAAB is our accountability
NAAB sets the standards for education
the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the sole agency authorized to
accredit professional degree programs in architecture in the United States. Since most US
state registration boards require any applicant for licensure to have graduated from a
NAAB-accredited program, obtaining such a degree is an essential aspect of preparing
for the professional practice of architecture. While graduation from a NAAB-accredited
program does not assure registration, the accrediting process is intended to verify that
each accredited program substantially meets those standards that, as a whole, comprise
an appropriate education for an architect.
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The profession of Architecture is widely supported and tightly

accounted for, regulated and governed.

Regulation in standards of licensing requirements…….NCARB

National Council Architectural Registration Boards

a facilitator for the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of

the general public

National Council Architectural Registration Boards requires a NAAB-accredited degree, successful

completion of the Intern Development Program (IDP) and successful completion of the Architect
Registration Examination (ARE). NCARB protects and enhances the validity of the Intern Develop
Program (IDP) and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). NCARB encourages all architects
to become Certificate holders. NCARB advocates for the elimination of impediments to reciprocity.
NCARB serves as the trusted international center of registration data and regulatory information.
NCARB values diversity of opinion and representation. NCARB promotes recognition of the
architect as the primary building professional qualified to protect the health, safety, and welfare of
the public, through the enhancement of the quality of the built environment and the richness of
space and form.
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The profession of Architecture is widely supported and tightly

accounted for, regulated and governed.

Governed by the agency that regulates the practice of

architecture in the state…….SBOA
State Board of Architects

Sets forth the code of ethics by which Architects practice

The State Board of Architects qualifies and licenses individuals seeking licensure and issues
permits to business entities through which architecture is practiced. The Board regulates
the practice of architecture under the provisions of Business Occupations and Professions
Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, Title 3 and the Code of Maryland Regulations,
Title 9, Subtitle 21. The Board investigates complaints against licensees and permit
holders, as well as complaints related to unlicensed practice. The Board may issue a
reprimand, suspend or revoke a license or permit, and / or impose a fine.
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“The architect is the PRIME PROFESSIONAL commissioned by the

Owner/Client and by the Government to plan and design the
building/structure and all its utilities and to coordinate the works of
all allied design professional involved in the project including all
inter-disciplinary and specialized works. He shall make certain that
these inputs comply with the requirements of the project and are
compatible with the architectural design concept’”

-2010 Standard Professional Practice (SPP)

RA 9266 ( The Architecture Act of 2004)
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“what is and who is an architect, and how and why is he?..... Well,
the word arch, in the sense that it’s in architecture, means like the
archbishop, means the top, the arch, the high one, the one above all
the others. Then tech of course you know the meaning of; that’s
technology, technique, tech like the Toltecs. Tech means the know-
how, means how to put things together. So the proper translation of
the word architect is the ‘master of the know-how’”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Speaking to the Taliesin Fellowship
November 30, 1958

excerpted from How to Work with an Architect

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
FUTURE ARCHITECTS!!!

YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE

“COOLEST” PROFESSION ON THE
PLANET!!!

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