Architect-engineer: profession description, duties 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. All that needs to be built is somehow connected with the work of architects. We will try to dwell on aspects of the activities of the architect-engineer.

Architectural engineering is an area of ​​architecture that is responsible for the structural analysis of a structure or its design. The responsibilities of the 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.

• Opportunity professional fulfillment, communication with talented people, specialists in their field.
• Demand. People have always built and will build, the pace of construction of buildings in our country is increasing from year to year, so in the coming decades there will be no shortage of offers from potential customers.
• Employment Abroad. An engineer-architect is an international specialty.If you have received a good education and gained solid experience, then you have every chance to apply for a vacancy in other countries.

However, there were some shortcomings.

• 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, so this specialist has an increased moral and even administrative responsibility.
• Long study. Modern architectural engineers learn almost as much time as doctors do. Only the first stage (undergraduate) takes 5 years, and in order to graduate, you need to go through another 2 years of master's program.
• Hard way to the heights. 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 items:

• development of the concept of engineering communications 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 rationalizing solutions for each specific project, if necessary, its adjustment in accordance with the changed circumstances;
• supervision for the process of fulfilling the planned work, he must go to the construction site and exercise control over compliance with the plan.

It is an engineer-architect who has to hand over finished objects for further operation. Upon receiving the order, the architect first of all proceeds to draw up a sketch and develop all the necessary layouts, after which he agrees with the customer. The work of an engineer does not end there - he must be personally present at all stages of construction and, if necessary, take 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 to 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;
• responsibility;
• good learning ability;
• sociability.

An engineer-architect must have a higher education, self-taught in this direction of architecture does not belong. Almost all cities of our country have architectural universities; 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 environmental features of the area;
• skills in working with cartographic data;
• the ability to create drawings and diagrams;
• knowledge of the behavior of various types of materials in different environmental conditions;
• ability to work with databases;
• skills to work with standards (GOST, SNiP, etc.);
• practical experience in performing mathematical and analytical calculations.

A young engineer-architect does not receive much, a specialist who has recently graduated from an educational institution often begins his career with low-paying positions in design institutes. but the most capable and purposeful guys have a chance after a while to become the leading, and then the chief architect. The average 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 beginning specialists, and experienced architects earn 50-60 thousand rubles a month.

The remuneration of the work of architects working in private business varies widely: they can be “penniless,” or they can get up to 100 thousand for a 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 it. In the CIS countries (Belarus and Kazakhstan), the level of payment is almost the same as in Russia, but countries with developed economies can offer specialists much more favorable conditions. So, in the USA, an engineer-architect 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 Engineer Architect in Dubai, there a qualified specialist can count on earnings of 800 thousand rubles.