Report
Architecture Inquiry #6
Introduction:
As a Year 10 student it’s really important to start taking deliberate steps towards success in your future career. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to investigate what I need to do to become a successful architect. I’ve discovered that there’s a lot more to it than simply getting qualified. Yes, doing well in my classes at school is important and there are certain classes that I need to take, but there are also a lot of skills and traits that I need to develop both in the class and extracurricular. It is important to plan ahead in order to take the necessary steps toward a successful career.
What does architecture involve?
An architect is a person who does designs, structures and drawings for buildings. An architect’s job involves sitting down with a client and discussing different designs for a structure. As well as sitting with a client and discussing different structures, an architect might have to go to the work site. They do this to get a better understanding of the area that he has to plan a building. An architect’s job is not only to design and plan how a structure that they planned is built. They need to know exactly how much of these materials they need and the cost of these materials. Which type of materials are used, based on the project and the environment that it’s in.
Architects need to integrate their building into their environment.An architect’s job is not only a challenging career. It's currently got a good pay in New Zealand. However the pay might vary based on the area that you are in. For example Architects in Auckland have the highest pay in New Zealand currently. An architect’s pay can vary also from how much experience they have. An architect who has an experience of 5 years earns around $55,000 to $75,000 a year. However an architect with five or ten years experience can earn from $70,000 to $120,000 a year. A senior architect with ten years of experience on the job earns from $90,000 to $140 a year. If an architect is working on a really big project the pay can go up by a lot. This is because they have a lot of responsibility. They might have to design a library, school or public building.
What qualifications do I need:
To be a registered architect In New Zealand you need a Bachelor of Architectural studies and a Master in Architecture (professional).If you are a registered architect that means that you are part of the New Zealand Registered Architects Board. You would have done three to five years work experience post-graduation. The fee that you have to pay to take this course Bachelor of Architecture in Auckland university, over three years is $22,306. This course is three years of study.
A course that you could take to gain a Bachelor of Architectural studies is available at Auckland University. This qualification introduces you to fundamental aspects of architecture. Through studio courses, real world case studies and future-based speculation projects. Through these you will develop design and creativity practice skills. In this course you will have access to Softwares used in the industry. As well as fully equipped workshops helping you learn architecture. However if you want to become a practising architect you must take the course Master of Architecture (prof). To complete this course you have to do two years of study. If you get this qualification you will get professionally accredited. Registered by the New Zealand Registered Architects Board, the New Zealand institute of Architects and Commonwealth Association of Architects.
What skills and knowledge do I have to gain through those qualifications?
Through some of these qualifications you will learn how to be more creative, accurate with an eye for detail. Able to work under pressure, good at planning and organising. Strong problem solving skills and learn how to communicate with clients. If you take a Bachelor of Architectural studies in Auckland University during this course you will gain some essential skills. These are how to design through drawing and making, both hand and digital techniques. Another good skill that you will gain is knowledge on the history and theory of architecture. Sustainable designs and materiality. Another good skill that you will gain through this qualification is the ability to know the construction principles of architecture. You would learn this through an architecture workshop at Auckland University.
Another skill that you will learn through these courses, and which is a crucial part of architecture is the ability to use 3D and 3D renders. This is generally how everything is being presented these days. Through these studies they will teach you a lot about history and how things were built so you can understand how architecture evolved.
What are employers looking for when they hire people for this career?
My expert was a really important source of information for this because for seven years he was part of the employing process. He did this for an Architecture and Draftsman company. From his experience the first thing he said was “show me what you can do”. As in a sense of some working drawings that you have done at school or through Polytech. The main thing that an employer looks for is that you have a portfolio. Whether that would be in design or working drawings. Being able to show what you can do to demonstrate that you have that knowledge. The main thing that Troy liked to hear from who he was having an interview with, is that they had been on site and had been on the tools. Also that they kind of got an understanding how to dig a trench for a foundation. Putting up beams, structures and similar jobs.
Troy told me a joke that for tradies they call an architect “the bloody architect”. Designers make the designs for the house or building. Architects make working drawings that can be approved by the council. Which then falls on the tradies and builders to pull it off.
However Troy said that as an employer the most important thing that you need to have is to get a good chance of getting employed is to go try. Doing any job, even an electrician, plumber. Basically anything that could help you to get a deeper understanding of architecture. If you want to be more on the manual side of architecture mainly. In conclusion having all these different job experiences is a great thing. Which an employer wants to hear from you.
What are the 21st century skills/key competencies/ attributes characteristic qualities… that I need to be successful in my future career?
To be successful in any job you have to have the 21st century skills.
The 21st century skills are:
Critical thinking
Creativity
Collaboration
Information literacy
Media literacy
Technology literacy
Flexibility
Leadership
Initiative
Productivity
Social skills
How do I develop these (e.g extra curricular, part time job, service…)
As an architect the most important qualities that you need is communication. As an architect you need really good communication skills. An architect’s job involves sitting down with a client and discussing the design and structure. To Improve communication, in the school holidays you could go and work at Pak’n’Save etc… This is good because it keeps you busy and you can improve communication skills.
Another great skill that I am going to have to develop and nourish is the ability to be creative. A way that I can do this is taking art, or really anything that helps you be creative.
As an architect you will need to have Technology literacy. You need this because these days basically everything in architecture is done by CAD and other 3D designing softwares.
An architect needs social skills. I could develop these skills by simply joining a Hockey team. Hanging out with my friends or making new friends. This skill is essential because as an Architect you might need to go to the work site. Talk to the builders or just check on how the project is going. In conclusion if I want to become an architect I need to focus on developing these skills and qualities.
This is the list of the deliberate acts that an take me to be successful in getting a career as an architect:
Is there much demand for this job?
In New Zealand there is currently a strong demand for architects. This has remained stable for a couple of years now. Growth in the number of construction and infrastructure projects in New Zealand has created a strong demand for experienced architects. However an Architect’s career can be strongly affected by economic conditions. If there is a downturn in the economy this can lower the demand for architects. My expert confirmed that, yes, there is a high demand for architects in New Zealand. This is because there currently is a housing shortage. He personally thinks that it’s not going to end for a while. My expert said that this housing shortage is caused mainly by people coming back from other countries due to COVID. For now Troy reckons that this housing shortage is buoyant. Which will stay like that for a while. Which means that there is a lot of work for architects.
Numerical data:
Here is a graph that I looked at six different types of jobs available in New Zealand: Civil engineer, Information Technology Architect, Doctor (general practitioner), Athlete and Judge. This graph that I created shows the average pay for each of these jobs. In this graph it shows that the most paid job is a judge and the least paid job is an athlete. Then all the other jobs such as an architect, Information technology, architect and Civil engineer get around the same salary. However some of these higher ranking paid jobs such as a judge you need 11 years of studying and training to take on this career. An athlete only takes around 1 year and a half of studying and training. This shows that if you want a higher paid job you have to pay more years of university study. If you look at the long term side, a judge will make more money than an athlete. Even though a judge has to pay more years of study. But in the long term they will have the biggest income.
About my expert Troy Nexus:
For this inquiry one of the criteria was to have an interview with an expert via zoom. Or if you had the possibility, to go and stay for as much as you could in the workspace. I phoned Troy Nexus and asked him if he would be available to have a Zoom Interview. Troy said that he would be keen to help out. He was keen to answer some of my questions. After setting a meeting with Troy I called him and asked him some questions.I asked him questions that I could have only got from a person that has worked and is an Architect.
The thing that Inspired Troy to become an architect was the design side of it. His interest sparked when he was around 11-12. He used to play with lego, making cool houses and just building things that inspired him. He did this mainly because of the pleasure he got from the designs that he made. Troy, as I explained earlier, used to employ for a company called Creative space. His experience with architecture was: he did around 4 to 5 years of studying and 3 in the industry. Now Troy is currently an Architectural Designer, however before he became an Architectural designer, he worked as a draftsman which is similar to an Architect's job.
How is architecture going to look like in the future and how is it going to impact society?
Through history architecture has stood as a representation of society. Representing values, success and eventual downfall of civilization over time. There are a few different reasons on how architecture has to do with all these.
One of these reasons why architecture is important is because it creates an environment which people live in.
Architecture is not only a building environment, it’s also a part of people’s culture.
The shapes of buildings were originally created to fit the climate of the particular location and the materials available.
But now that the world is becoming more and more connecte. Buildings and overall styles are quickly changing. Looking towards the future of architecture, technology will have a big impact both on the job and society. Unfortunately this might change our relationship towards the environment.
Troy, my expert said that everything now is basically all CAD based. The thing is that there is a lot more 3D printing of houses. There is a big machine on the worksite which is starting to print houses. Troy personally thinks it is the future of building houses because you can get more organic shapes. These are a lot stronger because of the way that they are constructed. This links back to the skills that you need to be a successful architect.
Conclusion:
In conclusion it is important to plan forward for a career because this is key to having success. As a good career plan it is important to know the key skills, attributes and knowledge that you need to be successful. As an architect these can be improved and developed by even just having a positive attitude even at school, do projects with your classmates or be involved in a sports team, get a part time job over the school holidays for references and maybe a bit of money and get good work experience. Taking a course that would help you in your career and even just try to be a captain of a sports team. I am planning all this so in the future I will know what to do to get into my career and be successful.