Career As An Architect

What's It About

Architecture is the study which deals with planning and designing of building and structures. Architects are involved in designing a variety of structures such as houses, apartments and colonies, offices and industrial complexes, hospitals, hotels, airport terminals, stadiums, shopping and commercial complexes, schools, etc.

They provide professional services to individuals and organisations not only regarding new constructions but also for alterations and renovations. Further specialisation in the field can be in industrial design, urban design, landscape architecture, town planning, environmental planning, and transport planning, etc. Postgraduate courses in these areas are open to BArch degree/diploma holders

Clock Work

9.30 am: Reach office using the car pool

11 am: Discuss status of a project with colleagues

Noon: At the drawing board. Sketch out ideas

2 pm: On the computer; transfer paper sketches onto the computer

5 pm: Discuss outcome with seniors; re-do or finalise sketches

7 pm: Leave for home if work is complete

The Pay Off

Pay packages depend on the type of employment taken up. Private consultancy in architecture can fetch the highest returns. As a starter, you can expect a salary of Rs 20,000 and in two to three years, about Rs 40,000.

Skills

• Understanding people's needs is at the core of the work
• An aspirant should be a creative artist with an interest in designing
• Ability to sketch free-hand plan - though not of utmost importance - is beneficial while explaining intricate details of the structure to clients
• Imaginative outlook
• Awareness of social and environmental factors
• Apart from being technically sound, good mathematical ability is important as the work involves working out cost estimations
• Good communication skills; physical stamina to work on the desk as well as on sitea

How Do I Get There?

Anybody who has studied physics, maths and chemistry at the 10+2 level can apply for admission. BArch is a five-year programme. Most schools and colleges select students through a written test. On completion of the bachelor's programme, you can study architecture at the postgraduate level also.

Entrance test for BArch programmes: The Central Board of Secondary Education conducts a nationwide test - All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). Most colleges also accept the National Aptitude Test for Architecture (NATA) score

National Aptitude Test is conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA), Pune and the Academic Unit of the Council of Architecture (COA)

Institutes & URLs

• School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, www.spa.ac.in
• Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, CEPT University, Ahmedabad www.cept.ac.in
• Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon www.sushantschool.org
• Amity School of Architecture and Planning http://www.amity.edu/asap/default.asp
• The Bartlett (University College London, London) http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/index.php
• Cooper Union School of Architecture, United States of America http://archweb.cooper.edu
• Sci-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture), USA http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/programs/overview/index.html
• Cornell University, USA, http://www.aap.cornell.edu/arch/

Pros & Cons

• Allows you to stay young as every project is a new learning
• You can live your dreams through designs
• Get to travel a lot
• Profession does not really allow for flexibility or part-time work from home options
• Not a regular nine-to-five job; takes over life in its entirety
• Less paying than jobs in related fields

You may also like to read: The Work Of An Architect Is All-Consuming and Architecture: Designing Dream Habitats

 

Author: Vandana Ramnani (HT Horizons)

Date: 5th February, 2011

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