What is required to become a successful architect

What is required to become a successful architect

 

     These days a number of people are trying to develop extra skills for their successful career life. In architecture area isn’t an exception. However, it seems that nobody – people who are not in architecture area - clearly knows what an architect does. In general, an architect is normally regarded as a sort of artistic person who can draw and make some nice free hand drawings without any problem. Regardless of what domain or scope they work in, there are several common set of skills are needed for successful architect.

 

First, an architect has an ability to see objects as a graphical shape. In other words we called visualization and formalization skills. Some people said "A picture is worth a thousand words". Every step of works needs presentation and this skill is essential for all graphics. It is also an excellent way to represent the architectural models and drawings at each level of abstractions.    

 

Second, an architect can enjoy to sketch or draw his own idea. So he can integrate framed solution to create a conceptual vision. We can say this conceptualization skills and it shows how to architects are thinking. Many architecture firms demand the interviewer’s conceptual sketches when they hire an architectural designer. Besides we can easily find good sketches on famous architects’ works book.

 

Third, an architect has an ability to analyze by using all tools including mathematical and scientific ways. He has to analyze the information that they have collected. The analysis consist of answering architectural questions “What are the key elements of the problem?”, “What are the relationships between them?”, “How do they combine together to provide value higher up?”

 

Fourth, an architect has communicating skills. This is probably the single most important aspects of an architect’s job. Fundamentally, architects are in the role of communicator. After he establishes a solution, he needs to communicate that solution between client and general contractor and his supervisor. Of course he has to communicate with his colleagues pretty well to cooperate his complicate works.

 

Fifth, and last but not least an architect has problem-solving skills. He is asked to solve specific problems and getting to the core of the problem is the first step. Of course, the requirements are often vague and limited. So architects have to understand how those requirements fit into the context and could figure out the problems finally.

 

In the end, we learned that there are several aspects for becoming a successful architect. I agree that this is not a complete list and could also be added other aspects. When I graduated a school of architecture, my classmates already prepared several license exams such as LEED – leadership in energy and environmental design. When I see their resumes and it was filled with all internship experiences to be ready to hire one of prominent firm. However the more important aspects are their real skills and make their real skills in their variety of projects.