The planning, engineering, and design skills from an architecture firm are what you need if you have plans of beginning any kind of building project. An architecture firm is comprised mostly of professional architects. Before you decide to hire the professional services of these firms, you have to know what you are getting yourself into. What are the duties of these professionals and firms, then? What kind of training should they go through? Here is everything you need to know about architecture firms and the architects working for them in terms of their education, training, and duties.
As mentioned above, architecture firms comprise licensed architects. For one to become a licensed professional, though, they have to first finish a four-year college architecture degree. Experience is obtained by the person through an internship. Moreover, they need to pass a licensing exam. When it comes to licensed architects, they have math and engineering aptitude, a well-developed design sense, good communication skills, and a good aesthetic eye. Strong organizational skills are also a plus for these professionals. There are different levels of certification and professionalism in this field such as senior, mid-level, and junior principals, partners, designers, and project managers of the firm.
In the process of building, it will be up to the licensed architect to draw the plans. Other experts will also be overseen by these architects during the process. The professional architect also makes ongoing dialog with their customers. Experts from the architecture firm that must draw aspects of the plan include mechanical, structural, and electrical engineers, landscaping experts, and plumbers. There will be a different set of drawings coming from each specialization. All of them should be approved by the state, county, or city where the construction takes place. For an approval to be granted, drawings must follow and be to scale of all the regional building regulations and codes. Inspectors will take charge in overlooking every stage of the building process so they can ensure that the structure is sound and safe. Once every portion of the plan is approved, the project will push through with the next steps.
Designing the outside and inside of any structure will take time and excellent communication with the owner. The drawings will begin after the size, style, and layout of your structure will be properly decided upon and discussed. As the process goes along, there will be alterations or refinements of the process. The architecture firm that you hire makes sure to meet all codes such as adherence to zoning regulations, adequate parking, and setbacks from the road. The codes that you must follow will depend a lot on the kind of project that you want to start if you will go for a commercial or residential building. In terms of strictness, commercial codes are stricter than residential ones because they will have it open to the public.