r/Architects

Whenever I hear about longevity of buildings I always hear people talking about proper maintenance. What things are done to improve the longevity of buildings? I am in New York State right now so citing NYS building standards would be helpful.

Good day. Has anyone in here done any work on barndominium projects where you would have a metal building shell structure with a light framed living space framed on the inside of the shell structure. Perhaps even a two story living space that would take up about half the footprint of the PMB, and the remaining area oF PMB is used as unconditioned space like a work shop or for larki g. I’m thinking the light framed structure would need to be structurally separated from the PMB. Any thoughts or insights would be much appreciated.

hello everyone! I really need help with deciding what I should study next year. I can’t seem to figure out what suits me best, as nobody really explains the differences between what the study is like (incl. how draining it is, as architecture seems to be), what job opportunities you have, how much free time you have left and how much that affects your well-being…
I’d love to hear about your experiences as someone in this field (why you chose it, do you think it’s worth it, what makes it worth the effort…)! and if you have any other related jobs (except for engineering ;)), please share that too :)

Hi everyone,

I’m currently studying Agriculture and I’m seriously considering pursuing a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture because it combines many of the things I enjoy, like plants, ecology, design, and creating outdoor spaces.

However, I’ve also heard people say that it can be difficult to find work in this field, which has made me wonder what the reality is.

For those of you who work in landscape architecture (or know people who do):

Is it a good career overall?
How is the job market, especially in Europe?
Is it difficult to find a job after graduating?
Are you happy with your career choice?
If you could go back, would you choose it again?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who work outside the US, since I’m from Europe and would likely build my career here.
Thanks!

Hey guys!

I am a third B. Arch student at Syracuse University and I am starting to think about what I need to do to kick start my career after graduation.

I would love some tips on how to get internships, what to do to build a stellar LinkedIn account, portfolio etc.

If you're in the Syracuse region and have connections at any firms or know of firms that have an internship program, I would love to connect!

Any and all tips are welcome!

I have always been a terrible test taker and every time I’ve tried taking AREs I have a mental break down in the middle of the exam and I fail. I‘ve been working for a long time and only have my exams left to become licensed.

I don’t like talking to people at work about my study progress because it seems like everyone I talk to reads the amber books for a month on the weekends and is able to pass no problem, or English is their second language and they pass like it’s nothing. And after I take an exam, colleagues ask how I did I’m always so embarrassed to say I failed.

After many years of trying I gave up the pursuit of getting licensed. I also recently became a parent, so I’m not sure it’s worth it anymore. I’d rather spend time with my baby, not stressed over exams.

I work at a big firm and people get promoted without having a license, but it comes up every year in my review. I’m not really interested in starting my own practice, but I’m really frustrated that it’s so difficult for me, because I’m good at my job. Am I missing out on something by not getting licensed? Can anyone relate and give advice? Thanks!

Hello, my windows laptop broke down and all I have left now is my mac. However, I'm not comfortable with the toolset provided. In general, I will only do 2d drafting, so is the mac version somewhat similar? I cannot find the ribbon tabs and I don't know if I will have a hard time finding and using the functions in those tabs in the toolset provided for mac. I have no choice, so I need to use this mac, but I need others to share their experience using this version.

I'm really confused about my future and I genuinely need honest advice. I love architecture and it's the field I've always wanted to pursue. I even took a gap year and worked hard to prepare for the entrance test. However, my family believes architecture isn't worth it in Pakistan because of the slow career growth, low starting salaries, long working hours, and the fact that many architects eventually switch careers. They keep telling me that my friends in tech will earn much more while I'll struggle financially. I also keep seeing people online saying they quit architecture after 2–3 years because of the workload and pressure, and it's making me question my decision. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I'm scared of spending five years on a degree only to regret it later or find limited opportunities. I do hope to build my career abroad one day, InshaAllah, but I still want to know whether architecture is genuinely worth pursuing, especially considering my family's concerns. If you're an architect, architecture student, or someone with real experience in this field, I'd really appreciate your honest opinion. Please don't sugarcoat it—I genuinely want advice that will help me make the best decision for my future.

Edit :- I think I'll go with architecture but still want your opinions . I am wanting to do it from NUST ,whose degree is valuabla abroad also

In the residential world, structural engineers are almost never given recognition for their contributions. Their company names are not on site signs, instagram posts, magazine write-ups. I imagine it's because of the lack of visual creativity, people often view structural engineering as a commodity (it is to a degree). As a structural engineer that designs complex multimillion dollar additions, renovations and new builds, I often ask myself how can I make more of an impact on a project or get more recognition to help grow my brand.

Architects, landscape architects, interior designers, builders, and photographers all seem to look out for each other when it comes to marketing opportunities. Even after requesting, I still haven't managed to get my company's name into an article, onto a site sign, or into a social media post.

I want to know the hard truth, what do you think of structural engineers. I'm also open to DMs if you'd rather not post publicly

Licensed in CA, my contract does not involve prohibiting me from getting outside works.
That said, a friend of a friend needs work that I can easily provide and stamp. Assuming I'd use my own softwares and insurances, I didn't see this becoming a problem... till I thought, to make the initial cost in softwares and insurances worth it, I might have to start looking for clients and continue taking more work.
Thankfully the area of the client/potential clientele does not overlap with the areas that my company covers, but I can see this being iffy if I start promoting myself, or whatever.
Do any of you licensed architects in the US take on side projects or even run a side practice apart from your 9-5? If so, do you keep a low profile, or do you tend to go for it as long as it doesn't affect your "main" source of income?
Thanks.

I received an email from NCARB today regarding the proposed changes to the “alternatives to the examination requirement”. Did anyone else not really understand the update and its impact? If you understood it, can you help me? Tia.

Hi fellow architects.

I reached a point in my career where either I open my studio and find my own clients (ahahahah!) or... get some occasional jobs.

I'm currently following a construction site that makes me busy 2-3 days a week max, and while the good amount of free time was amazing at the beginning, I start to feel the toll of having nothing to do.

So... I start wondering, is it that hard to find occasional jobs to round up? drafting and such?
A quick research on the major websites shown and incredible number of remote jobs for [IT architect] and a staggering amount of zero for [construction architect].

The main reason for remote job is that I still need to go on site, in the Japanese countryside, but I'm free otherwise. I worked in the past remotely for UK companies, proving that it can be done, but I'm afraid the trend is long gone.

any suggestions?

https://preview.redd.it/qlxq96khaoah1.png?width=2142&format=png&auto=webp&s=00788b083da9e4d27b64879e3a55d655f4644a81

Are we just being trolled at this point?

As the title says.
As I understand it’s pretty difficult to find a part 1 job at the moment; for that reason would I be better off doing an integrated masters at a lower ranked uni to get to part 2 in 4 years straight, or just a Bachelors and then Masters at a higher ranked uni? How much do University rankings really matter when getting jobs in Architecture? And finally, is it better to go to a more local university because they’ll have more links to firms in my area than a University really far away and so I might have an easier time getting my first job close to me?

I’m really passionate about studying Architecture but finding it so so difficult to choose which University to do it at. Any advice you can give would really help me to narrow it down because I feel really lost with this at the moment and advice from someone in the industry would be great.

My current options are:
Sheffield BA
Oxford Brookes integrated MArch
UWE Bristol BA
Cardiff BA

I’m considering both Architecture and Landscape Architecture at this point as I’ve heard Landscape Architecture lets you be a bit more creative in your eventual job.

Thanks in advance!
Sincerely, a lost student

US, CA

Last year, I signed onto a really nice opportunity with an architecture firm. They're not perfect, but I've managed to take on a lot more responsibilities working on projects with either just myself or me and another person on production. I've been exposed to more than CD, and actually getting involved in the SD, DD, and some CA phases that I had no prior experience in before. Nowadays I don't really feel like a CAD monkey anymore.

But one thing I have noticed is that even though I've started working on projects by myself under a manager/architect without much supervision, I have become more aware of my own deficiencies.

I feel like on some projects I am assigned to, I struggle to assume "ownership" over projects. I guess what that means is that I am afraid to get ahead to it, and make decisions that I feel like can impact the design, workflow or speed of delivery.

When I am early on a project, I feel like I can take a lot of ownership. I have a relationship with the client (which has never happened to me outside of freelancing), I started making the physical files/drawings, and I try to apply my own personal standards so that the file is organized, annotations are legible or neat and that it is modeled practically. That way if somebody else were assigned to my project while I am assigned to another project that now has priority, I feel reassured that other person will not ruin what I set up.

One project that irked me, was when I had to work with a project with a site that had our previous projects in it, and I was frustrated because the site was modeled poorly and inaccurately, but because previous projects with this site model had been approved, I could not change it to become more accurate, or else my manager was afraid it would trigger planning comments. This made it more tedious to perform work accurately, especially towards the end of our deadline.

When I work on a project that somebody else set up, somebody else was Captain or manager of, and I am assigned to it and addressing planning comments that are telling me that the design needs to completely do over, because it isn't compliant, I kind of freeze and tend to work more slowly on these kinds of projects.

I guess like after years of working as a junior designer, I am used to a manager taking the lead and dictating everything on a project, and I am merely rely on that person to tell me what the next steps are. Now I am in a position where I need to know which direction the project should already be going, and this can be tough for me.

I feel extremely hesitant to incorporate planning feedback, because I don't completely know what the intent was that led to it not being compliant in the first place. If this was a freelance gig and I was working on a small project, I would probably just incorporate however was feasible and get it over with. But because I am working with other people and other people's work, I am afraid to override their original decisions.

Other times I have hesitated is because I might be dealing with something outside of my wheelhouse. For example, because we didn't hire a landscape architect on a project, I had to design an irrigation analysis and plan, and use a consultant's work from a previous project as a reference. And when I presented what I was able to understand from the drawings, my manager was pissed because it wasn't accurate (I don't have a license in anything).

I try my best to set up meetings with my managers. But sometimes I am even shy to do this, because they're constantly stretched thin, and often seem unapproachable due to stress.

TL;DR

I feel like I am extremely hesitant to work on projects sometimes, because I didn't start them, and I don't know how to address planning comments if they create dramatic changes to the design. I am afraid to make judgment calls and it's hard to get a hold of my managers.