Architect-engineer: description of the profession, responsibilities and requirements

An architect is a specialist who works on projects of buildings, structures and territories. It is to the people of this profession that we owe a lot to the appearance of industrial and residential buildings, monuments and parks. Everything that needs to be built is somehow connected with the work of architects. We will try to dwell in more detail on the aspects of the activity of an architect-engineer.

Architectural engineering is a branch of architecture that is responsible for the structural analysis of a building or its design. The duties of an architect-engineer include planning the structure itself, as well as the materials used for its construction, taking into account their behavior in various climatic conditions.

The advantages of the profession include three features.

• Possibility professional self-realization, communication with talented people, specialists in their field.
• Demand... People have always built and will continue to build, the pace of construction of buildings in our country is growing from year to year, so in the coming decades there will be no shortage of proposals from potential customers.
• Employment opportunities abroad... An engineer-architect is an international specialty.If you have received a good education and gained solid experience, then you have every chance of applying for a job in other countries.

However, it was not without its drawbacks.

• Increased responsibility. The safety of the building and the comfort of staying in it largely depend on the quality of the design of engineering systems, therefore this specialist bears increased moral and even administrative responsibility.
• Long-term study... Modern architectural engineers study for almost as long as medical professionals. Only the first stage (bachelor's degree) takes 5 years, and in order to graduate from the university, you need to complete another 2 years of master's degree.
• A difficult path to the top. It is extremely problematic for a young specialist to get at least a decent order, all large objects are usually given to eminent designers, and young people have to earn a reputation for a long time.

The duties of an Architectural Engineer include the following:

• development of the concept of engineering communications of the structure, and later presenting it in the form of a layout;
• preparation of all necessary project documentation, its further coordination with supervising organizations;
• Active participation in search of the most rationalization solutions for each specific project, if necessary - its adjustments in accordance with the changed circumstances;
• supervision for the process of execution of the planned work, he necessarily leaves for construction and monitors compliance with the plan.

It is the architect-engineer who has to hand over the finished objects for further operation. When receiving an order, the architect first of all proceeds to drawing up a sketch and developing all the necessary layouts, after which he coordinates them with the customer. The work of an engineer does not end there - he must personally be present at all stages of construction and, if necessary, make measurements in order to control the accuracy of the project.

The work of an engineer-architect requires high professionalism, good knowledge of modern engineering technologies, as well as a creative approach in the implementation of each project.

The necessary personal and professional qualities for this specialty include:

• spatial thinking;
• result orientation;
• ability to work in a team;
• fantasy;
• a responsibility;
• good learning ability;
• sociability.

An engineer-architect must necessarily have a higher education, there is no place for self-taught in this direction of architecture. There are architectural universities in almost all cities of our country; these specialists are also trained in private academies.

During the training, future civil engineers study theoretical and practical subjects and acquire the following knowledge:

• possession of various methods of drawing up drawings and performing the necessary sketches;
• basic knowledge of geodetic and ecological features of the area;
• skills in working with cartographic data;
• the ability to create drawings and diagrams;
• knowledge of the characteristics of the behavior of various types of materials in different natural conditions;
• ability to work with databases;
• skills in working with standards (GOST, SNiP, etc.);
• practical experience in performing mathematical and analytical calculations.

A young architectural engineer does not receive much, a specialist who recently graduated from an educational institution often begins his career from low-paid positions in design institutes. but the most capable and motivated guys have a chance to become a leader and then a chief architect after a while. On average, the salary of these specialists in Russia is 25–35 thousand rubles, although the level of payment largely depends on the specific region.So, in Moscow this amount is received by novice specialists, and experienced architects earn 50-60 thousand rubles a month.

The remuneration of architects working in private business varies widely: they can “get by with a penny,” or they can get up to 100 thousand per project - it's all about professional experience. That is why architects first have to work for their own reputation, and only then it will work for him. In the CIS countries (Belarus and Kazakhstan), the level of payment is practically the same as in Russia, but countries with developed economies can offer specialists much more favorable conditions. So, in the USA an architect-engineer can apply for a salary of 6 thousand dollars, in England the payment in rubles is 400 thousand, in Germany and Italy this amount is close to 250 thousand rubles. Best Paid Architectural Engineer in Dubai, where a qualified specialist can count on earnings of 800 thousand rubles.