Starting Out As An Independent Architect? Here’s What You Need to Know

Posted on Jul 4 2019 - 10:10am by Editorial Staff

An architect’s job can be a very satisfying one if you are a creative person with an eye for detail. After all, you get to create living spaces and workspaces or even places of leisure, depending on your expertise and preferences. This is an excellent line to choose right now given that millennials are keen to have all the modern amenities and innovative features in their home or workspace so that they enjoy greater comfort and experience better productivity too. If you are thinking of choosing this as your career, you are making a very smart move indeed.

One of the commonly overlooked aspects during business setup that can be very detrimental to you later is insurance. It is imperative for you to take effective, adequate professional liability insurance for your firm so that you can be safeguarded from all manner of legal liabilities arising out of your professional interactions. Architects professional liability insurance provides protection for architects in the event of causing a professional mistake which results in causing injury to someone or damage to their property. To understand more about professional liability insurance for architects, click here.

Education: You start by enrolling in a National Architectural Accrediting Board-accredited bachelor’s or master’s degree and completing it. Typically, the B. Arch (Bachelor of Architecture) program is a 5- year long course. You can also do similar courses in construction management or architectural studies. You can go on to pursue an M. Arch course after your bachelor’s degree is done too.

Internship: This is followed by the completion of an Intern Development Program or IDP that gives you your first hands-on exposure to the actual world of architectural design. This is a mandatory requirement for you to get your architect’s license and usually is a paid internship that lasts three years. The internship is administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). You will be working under experienced architects and learning the ropes during this period.

Exams: Following the completion of the IDP, you take the Architect Registration Exam (ARE). Once you clear this seven-part exam, you are eligible for your architect’s license. To keep your license active, you need to renew it, and to do so, you may need to periodically undergo training so that you stay up to date with changing norms and client preferences in the niche.

Set up your firm: Setting up your architect’s business needs more than just office space and office equipment. The smartest way to go about this is to find a mentor who can take you through the business establishment and also guide you on handling your first few clients. One of the most important things to invest in is a good team, even if it a very small one. Hire the right people, and you can share the workload of running the business with them without compromising on the quality you deliver to clients.

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Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.