Module 1 - Architectural Related Careers

General Contractor

A commercial contractor who has the master contract with the owner to build. They hire subcontractors and manage their work to complete the project commissioned by the owner.

Subcontractors

A contractor who has a contract with a general contractor or home builder such as a plumber or an electrician.

City Planner

A government professional who determines building zoning areas, requirements and ordinances.

Building Inspector

A government professional who goes to the construction site and inspects the work to verify it meets all applicable codes.

Building Official

A government professional who oversees and manages the permit and inspection process for a city or county.

Plans Examiner

A government professional who reviews plans to ensure that all designs meet code before a building permit is issued.

Architectural Styles

A group of characteristics of the building shape, form, materials used, etc. in its design. This helps people discuss similar designed buildings by naming various styles. Styles are artistic in nature and follow similar names and conventions as music, art, etc.

Engineer

A licensed professional who designs and draws plans for civil, structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems in buildings.

Architect

A licensed professional who designs and draws plans for houses and buildings.

Landscape Architect

A licensed professional who designs outdoor spaces around and in between buildings.

Developer

A professional who buys property or buildings, improves them by having things designed and built, and then sells them for a profit.

3D Visualization Specialist

A professional who creates 3D computer models and produces still renderings (similar to photographs) and walk-through animations of designs before they are constructed.

Landscaper

A professional who designs and builds residential landscapes. A professional who builds commercial landscapes.

Home Designer

A professional who designs and draws plans for houses.

Urban Designer

A professional who designs cities, communities and similar large scale projects.

Kitchen & Bath Designer

A professional who designs new and remodels for kitchens and bathrooms.

Interior Designer

A professional who designs room layouts, selects finish colors and materials.

Planner

A professional who designs the location of multiple buildings on a site.

CAD/BIM Operator

A professional who drafts or models using CAD or BIM software.

CAD/BIM Manager

A professional who oversees, trains and manages all CAD/BIM operators and recommends the hardware and software to use.

Interior Decorator

A professional who selects furniture, wall hangings, window treatments and elements for interior spaces.

Home Builder

A residential general contractor.

Contract Documents

A term used for architectural drawings. They become the contract between an owner and the contractor to build what is drawn and described in the various drawings.

Built Environment

A term used to refer to all man-made elements that we live, work, play and recreate in.

AEC

Architecture, Engineering & Construction - refers to major disciplines in the industry.

Sustainability

As this relates to design and construction, it is that a building can sustain itself for materials, heating, cooling, etc., without needing to use off site materials and energy sources.

REVIT

Autodesk's BIM software for design and producing drawings used for architecture and related projects.

AutoCAD

Autodesk's CAD software used by many industries to draw and document designs.

BIM

Building Information Modeling. 3D computer models of architecture with information attached to the geometry so the system knows is has doors, walls, windows, etc.

CAD

Computer aided or assisted drafting.

Clash Detection

Running analysis on 3d computer models to see where various construction elements intersect and conflict with each other.