In a new series, PlaceTech explores how different roles within the property industry are changing, and asks are they still relevant?
Manchester-based Just H Architects offer two different perspectives, one from Hamza Khan, a Part 1 architect assistant who is in his first year of work experience and looking through the lens coming out of education, and the other from Lekia Lebari-Orleans, who has been an architect for five years.
Khan: “During my Part 1 Architectural studies, I was taught the notion that the architect’s role is primarily as a designer. Someone who creates buildings and spaces which have aims to enhance the quality of life for its users. After working in practice, I have come to the realisation that the role of an architect is broader. Many of the projects I’ve worked on required a more managerial process. Not only were there aspects of design which were needed, but also co-ordinating, costing and quality assessing. Architects’ responsibilities are far greater than I first thought, and architectural education should look into teaching the future generation how to manage a project rather than just design.”
L-O: “As a qualified architect I believe most of the practical skills many people will require can be picked up along the way. I’ve worked with a lot of designers in various disciplines, over different levels of qualification and the key to most good teams is character and rapport. For young trainees curiosity and the ability to build rapport is important. The capacity to learn using a mix of confidence and initiative within company protocols have been key to seeing good trainees develop into good architects. I have felt that the more sheltered individuals who struggle to interact within a studio environment, for whatever reason, have suffered a lot more. An example of that sheltered individual was my younger self as a Part 1, when I first came to work for Just H (then Harrison Ince). My first few months were a struggle but once I broke through the barriers of my personal reserve and reluctance to ask questions at the risk of sounding incapable, I was ok. The same principle actually applies for more experienced architects and construction individuals, the sooner they were able to break those barriers, the quicker we can integrate into the team and expand our learning.”
What will their daily routine include in 2040?
K: “By 2040 I aim to establish myself as an architect, potentially having my own practice. Advancements in technology will certainly change the way we work and collaborate within the construction industry. I believe that communication and design technologies will become easier to work with. Architects will be able to work around the globe without having to leave their offices. Drones will become tools to conduct site surveys and produce measurements, remotely operated. Virtual and Augmented Reality will become main design tools.”
L-O: “2040 is not far off. By then it seems we may have commercial space travel, however, the daily routines in future will still heavily involve a key part of today’s routine, networking. The need to grow a network and draw in a pool of expertise as and when required is crucial. In the design environment, there seems to be a consultant for everything and building relationships to create a reliable wider design team pool is fast becoming crucial to the success of most projects. Networking does not just mean attending events and exchanging business cards. For example, one of our main tasks is to continually review the stock of consultants we use for projects and ask questions about reliability. Knowing that a consultant whom we work with is reliable saves a lot of time, cost and most importantly can be sold as a better joint venture proposition to a client. By 2040, that client may be in China and our collaborator in Germany. We may end up communicating differently but the principles will remain the same.”
Feature 3
K: “The introduction of Building Information Model (BIM) paved the way for subcategories and specialisms to evolve within the construction industry. These specialisms include CGI artists, BIM managers and graphic designers. These specialists provide services which include the detailed design of building elements that better connect the supply chain.”
L-O: “BIM is changing the environment. This is not just pertinent to the use of BIM software; 3D ArchiCAD, Revit etc. but more to do with the way we collaborate. In a BIM environment the client is becoming more involved in the design stage for example, where both build and running costs of a building is becoming important to the early stage design process. Coordination is key to this process and technology is the fundamental component to design control. In real time we model buildings accurately to site conditions to test the performance of a building, structurally, sustainably, and aesthetically amongst other criteria. To do so, we require input from a variety of disciplines and in the BIM world, this is knitted together either by a BIM manager or unofficially the architect.
“In a sense our role is evolving into more of a collective responsibility as these days a client can be left with a fully collaborated 3D model, compared to old-fashioned alienated design drawings from separate disciplines.”