Architects – The Need and the Persona
Imagine being a sales manager for a Fortune 500 company and you’re sitting in one of those big board rooms where you are about to hear the state of the industry from the CEO. You made sure to apply a little extra deodorant before work that day in preparation for what happens next. The line graphs flash across the projector, and it looks like a flight of stairs, with all arrows trending upward. That’s kind of what the architectural industry has experienced over the past five years.
Ready for these numbers? Total revenue is expected to hit $47 billion in the U.S. this year, with just under 72,000 businesses and a 5% annual growth since 2014. And with jobs like these available, it proves that the industry is expected to only move forward.
The architectural industry is forced to continually evolve. Imagine if the materials used and process executed for the building of bridges prior to that of the Brooklyn Bridge were something architects still followed today. This would mean all bridges would consist of iron as the primary building material. Rust and corrosion anyone?
Evolution is the lifeline for architects. It allows them to find the next material or design that’s going to increase the strength and stability of whatever is being constructed. It’s a career that keeps those in it on their toes and continuously learning. Think a career in architecture could be for you?
You’re Analytical
If you live in a world where data isn’t important, then you own a volleyball named Wilson and have been spending some time channeling your inner Castaway. In 2019, analytics are involved in any and all industries so much so that Analytics is actually a specific field of study within architecture. One example of data being used in architecture was in the building of the Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University in China. The architects working on that project analyzed data related to the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak in order to design a hospital that could handle a large-scale medical emergency like that.
You’re Adaptable
This adjective can hold many meanings for those within the building industry. Being adaptable can refer to the actual location of work or the actual process of executing the work. An architect can design anything for any locale, and with that in mind, it’s essential to be knowledgeable of different places when in the design process. When it comes to executing the work, things can come up along the way where a plan might need to be changed mid-process. An architect needs to bob and weave when the situation welcomes it.
You’re Creative
Architects can be compared to artists in that they start with a blank slate and build a masterpiece. And it isn’t just about designing something to look good; it needs to be created with the goal of staying within the confines of safety regulations and making sure the design works mathematically. Imagine if you only have a 12-foot space and design something that fits a 15-foot opening, 2+2 does not equal 5. This might sound like the creativity needs to be harnessed, but it needs to fit within guidelines, and creative people are the best at doing just that.
You don’t have to pretend like George Costanza anymore because there are jobs out there within the industry, and based on the numbers leading off this blog post, there is a need and that need isn’t going anywhere.
