Career as Architect

Architecture, Careers | sindhuzen | December 8, 2009 4:23 pm

The greatest benefit of pursuing an architecture course is perhaps the scope an individual gets to exert his creative prowess while being resourceful and innovative. Moreover, a course in architecture also educates a candidate on town planning, construction management, landscape designing, naval architecture and interior designing, all of which hold bright prospects for a lucrative career. Moreover, the fact that the construction industry is touching new heights adequately explains its craze among today’s youth. Architecture, the science of building, is the visualisation of building blocks. It is the area of study which deals with the designing and planning of buildings and structures and the spaces between them. Architecture is a highly competitive and multi-disciplinary profession which involves a variety of tasks at work. This is a field which covers various fields including spatial design, aesthetics, safety management, material management etc. Architects are the licensed professionals trained in the art and science of building. Architects design buildings and other structures. In addition to considering the way these buildings and structures look, they also make sure they are functional, safe, economical and suit the needs of the people who use them They are involved in all the phases of the building construction i.e the functional, safety, economical and has to satisfy the needs of its occupants. They are responsible person for the planning, designing and supervision of construction works for houses, office buildings, skyscrapers, landscapes, and even entire cities. An Architect is a combination of artist, professional and businessperson. They ideates, sketches, makes blueprints of their designs and then sees them come to life as cottages, skyscrapers and even monuments. Apart from designing and construction, architects are trained in activities ranging from conceptual problem solving to project management. One can rise to a successful position in the field through talent and hard work. Success in this competitive profession is measured by the size of responsibility entrusted to an individual, an invitation to partnership in a firm or, ideally, a well-established private practice.

Course Details: The training period of an architect is five years. Architecture is taught through diploma or degree courses in the different colleges/schools of architecture throughout the country. Admission to the architecture courses is on the basis of an admission test to evaluate a candidate’s aptitude in physics, chemistry and mathematics as well proficiency in drawing. The minimum educational qualification to appear for this admission test is successful completion of plus two or equivalent level of education. Selection to the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) programme is based on performance in the admission test, merit at Class XII examinations, participation in co-curricular activities and interview. Most of the courses prefer applications in the age group of 16-21 years. Candidates with at least 55% marks (Science) in their 12th standard examination are eligible to apply for the course. They should also qualify any of the entrance examinations like All India Engineering Entrance Examination or AIEEE conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the National Aptitude Test in Architecture conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Architecture. Students with excellent drawing abilities, clarity of thought, creativity, strong aesthetic sense and social awareness are likely to get through. Subjects in the architecture course include history of architecture, practical mathematics, design and construction, town planning, economics, some sociology, environmental science, and professional practice. Computers are an important part of the training in architecture. The duration of the undergraduate architecture courses or B.Arch is 5 years. This course provides both theoretical and practical training and helps a candidate develop and sharpen his creative skills. Further specialization in this field can be in industrial design, urban design, landscape architecture, town planning/ urban planning, environmental planning, building engineering and management, transport planning, etc. These courses are open to B.Arch. degree/diploma holders. . Higher degrees like M.Arch and Ph.d can also be acquired thereafter.

Entrance Examinations for Architecture

AIEEE – for Architecture (click here for more details)
NATA – National Aptitude Test in Architecture
IIT-JEE
State Entrance Examinations

Premier Institutes offering such courses in India

North Zone

School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
IIT-Roorkee
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon
Vastu Kala Academy, School of Architecture & Interior Designing, New Delhi
Punjab University, Chandigarh College of Architecture
Lucknow University, Govt. College of Architecture, Lucknow
IPS Academy, School of Architecture, Indore

West Zone

School of Architecture CEPT, Ahmedabad
Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai
Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Architecture,Pune
Bharati Vidhyapeeth’s College Of Architecture,Navi Mumbai.
Dr.D.Y Patil College of Architecture, Navi Mumbai
University of Mumbai, Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai
Indian Education Society’s College of Architecture, Mumbai
Pune University, Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Architecture, Pune

South Zone

NIT, Trichy
Anna University, School of Architecture & Planning, Chennai
Goa University, College of Architecture
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, School of Planning & Architecture, Hyderabad
Kerala University, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthpuram

West Zone

Bengal Engineering College, Howrah

Scope in India and Abroad
Substantial increase in investments in the construction sector has been recorded year after year. As far as architects are concerned, there is a huge gap in the demand and supply. Annual requirement projections of architect’s stands over 10,000 which is expected to rise further and the training facilities available are still short. All these factors contribute in making this field a very competitive one with healthy career prospects. Employment opportunities for architects are available in government as well as private sectors. Some of the government organizations include Public Works Department, the Archaeological Department, Ministry of Defence, Departments of Railways, Post and Telegraphs, Public Sector Undertakings, National Building Organisation, Town and Country Planning Organization, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Housing and Urban Development Corporation, National Building Construction Corporation Ltd., City Development Authorities etc. Besides these organizations, various other institutes and agencies like State Departments, Housing Boards, Local Bodies responsible for construction works also recruit architects. Openings in the private sector exist with the Builders, Architecture Firms, Consultants etc. Architects with some experience can even set up their own business as Consultants and Contractors. Freshers can start as Junior Architects/ Assistant and earn Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000/- a month if pass out of good college.

Career as Architect

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