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Architecture |
Topics Overview The work Job profile Requirement Growth And money Employment Resources |
Overview
It is alright to want to get into this profession inspired by the strong-willed and idealistic Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, but you would do well to keep in mind that the day-to-day tasks of an architect seldom consist musing over aesthetic theories and drawing skyscrapers.
Architects discuss ideas with clients, trying to create a workable design that will satisfy both the client and their own creative urges.
Architects also assist in conducting feasibility and environmental impact analyses and selecting construction sites. Final construction plans include drawings of the buildings less artistic internal structure: air-conditioning, heating, electrical systems and plumbing. Architects assume legal responsibility for their buildings, so they must also delve into building laws, fire regulations and other ordinances.
Architects don't work only on buildings, some also specialize in designing residential communities, urban centers and airport terminals.
Architects must be able to combine creative vision with quantitative and analytical skills and only the most talented get to see their dream designs made into full-scale buildings.
Within architecture there are several areas that one might specialize in.
Landscape Architecture
Landscape architecture is a very popular phenomenon in India now, particularly where gardens, parks, hotel and resort surroundings and residential gardens are coming up.
It has grown very fast in the past few years and now, there are institutes that provide training particularly for landscape architecture.
The main things taught at these institutes is
understanding landscape, perception, description and interpretation of landscape as the epitome of the environment and prevailing tradition and culture. Environmental awareness, small-scale site planning and principles of ecology mainly abstract design and elementary graphic techniques are also taught.Structural Architecture
Structural architecture is the designing and building of flyovers and bridges, etc. It mainly involves the
development of local infrastructure, residential and commercial sites, utility designs, transportation engineering, geographic information systems and mapping.Vaastu
This is something else that has become very popular over the past few years. It involves construction
based on traditional Indian concepts of the auspicious and the inauspicious.Feng Shui
Feng Shui is the Chinese equivalent of Vaastu and is the latest fad to hit architecture. It is
based on principles of environment developed by Chinese scholars circa 2000 BC.
Job Profile
Many architects join the profession with dreams of designing palatial mansions and space-age skyscrapers, but get demoralized when they are stuck with work that is tedious and uninspiring. However, it should not be eternal and soon enough, interesting assignments flow in.
Anyone entering the profession should also contend with the fact that they will
have to face stiff competition all their lives, particularly if they do well.This is a profession where a few big names rule and if you want to be a part of that list, you will have to work hard and keep working hard and keep abreast of developing design and requirements.
Besides the initial low pay, also be prepared for strange hours. You might have to sit at the drawing board half the night just so someone else can get started on something first thing in the morning, or worse, so someone can tear it all up first thing in the morning.
However, the good news is that you can get the dirty part of this profession done away with pretty early in life, because in India, one is still allowed to join firms without any formal training, provided one knows the basics of drawing and is capable of learning on the job.
Requirement
The most important thing an architect needs is the
ability to visualise and draw and be creative. Also, the ability to strike a balance between dream and reality, not just his own, but the clients’ as well. And though artistic ability should be good enough, unfortunately it isn’t. So, if dealing with people and communicating with them is not your forte, maybe you should do a rethink.One needs patience in considerable quantities because there will be a stretch in the beginning when you are working as an intern with some firm when you will assist in preparing architectural documents and computer-aided designs days on end.
There is also a fair bit of research to be done at this stage, studying building laws and materials, writing specifications for building materials, installation criteria, etc.
Once you have decided on architecture as a profession, train for it formally. If you don’t train, try working as an intern with a senior architect.
It is important to make a portfolio with your drawings, etc., so you can show people specimens of your work. Usually people are happy to get help, so utilize the opportunity to get a foothold and then move on to something better after you have learned the basics.
For a degree in architecture, you need to have at least 65 percent with science subjects in your 12th boards. However, diploma courses are available to humanities students.
Growth and Money
Most architects
begin working as interns at some firm (which there aren’t many of) or with senior, established architects looking out for juniors. Once they have learned the 'abc', they begin work on their own.However, make sure you have a sufficient amount of capital or a good designing contract before striking out on your own, because it impresses clients to see a well set-up office when they plan on hiring someone.
At least in the beginning, one cannot be in it for the money. Money might not be the greatest satisfaction from the job that you are doing, and unless the work itself satisfies you, you will have to deal with some misery.
Once you have made a name for yourself, money will pile in your backyard, but until then, derive all the pleasure from work, because that is all you will have for a while
Though interns may get paid peanuts, once one starts making some real contribution to the place or the architect that one is working for, one can make up to Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000.
However, once you are on your own and doing well, the sky is the limit. Some architects even make up to RS 5 crores on a project, but it depends on the size and complexity of the structure too.
Employment
If one is lucky, one might see an advertisement in the papers, but otherwise the only way is to sit with the phonebook and
call all architects and architectural firms and ask them to let you go work for them.There is little employment with the government for beginners
There are large projects that the government gives out to architects, but they usually go to establish architects, so unless you happen to be working for one of them, your chances of working on a government project are scant.
Resources
The J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai offers a
degree course in architecture, while SNDT University and the Raheja Institute offer diploma certificates.Students of architecture are trained in environmental awareness, human behaviour, problem-solving and visual skills, mainly drawing, painting, photography and the ability to explore and communicate ideas graphically.
Several diploma courses are available, though, where even students with arts background can take admission.
However, insiders say that one can get employment even without a formal degree.
Other institutes which offer graduate and postgraduate courses in Architecture include:
Appasaheb Birnale College of Architecture
Marathwada Mitra Mandals College of Architecture