Archinect - News

NCARB Workforce Readiness Report outlines key skills suggestions for entry-level architects

2024-09-09T15:59:00-04:00

The latest NCARB Workforce Readiness Report for 2024 has outlined a list of imperatives called key knowledge, skills, and abilities (or KSAs) for students of architecture to gain prior to their entering the professional ranks over the next few years.

Leaning on the input of thousands of current entry-level professionals, the survey outlined the following areas as being most critical to the success of young designers working in the architectural field:

Target: Technical Proficiency

Learn as much and as many BIM design programs (2D and 3D) as you can. Demonstrating proficiency in industry-standard design software can lead to many different opportunities as students move away from the relatively more creative confines of academic coursework and into offices that may require them to focus on a specific project component or unfamiliar typology.
Develop an ease at deciphering and assembling technical drawings, construction documents, etc. in addition to their correct applications in AEC....

Foster + Partners chairs Trailblazer Group, the UK's first model maker apprenticeship program

2024-08-22T11:58:00-04:00

A brand new apprenticeship opportunity will grant aspiring workers in the UK's architecture industry the chance to learn professional model-making skills in an initiative chaired by Foster + Partners in collaboration with a group of other British universities and design firms. The three-year Trailblazer Group program is officially a Level 6 qualification (equivalent to a bachelor's degree).

Apprentices will earn a salary and other benefits while they learn. As the firm's announcement notes, this is meant to spur greater diversity in the profession. It coincides with the movement to reform pathways into architecture that has recently been taken up by RIBA and factored extensively in the body of fundamental overhauls proposed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) last year.

3 New Year's resolutions for the student, the professional, and the job seeker

2021-01-05T11:58:00-05:00

The new year is upon us, and many have begun their freshly conceived resolutions. There are the typical ones — exercise, losing weight, read more, start that side project — but sometimes, it can be difficult deciding what to set your mind to. Here are three suggestions with an accompanying essay to dive into.

Previously on Archinect: Balancing Studio With Other Classes. Photo by Alonso Obregon.

For the student — Balance studio with other classes

Most students prioritize studio over other classes, so much so, that those other classes sometimes suffer. Balancing Studio With Other Classes is a short essay that gives students strategies for managing class time and proposes a new way of seeing the hidden benefits of classes outside of studio.

Previously on Archinect: The Importance of Physical Fitness in Mental Performance. Photo: Prototype for off-the-grid house using human-powered energy, by Spanish Architecture firm Elii

For the professional — Physical fitness

This applies to all of u...

Inaugural NOMA Foundation Fellowship cohort selected for employment and mentorship opportunities

2020-07-17T19:33:00-04:00

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) has announced the inaugural 30-student cohort of the NOMA Foundation Fellowship (NFF), an initiative that seeks to increase diversity within professional practice as well as provide firm mentorship and design research experience for young emerging professionals.

With the recent events of COVID-19 and a growing civil rights movement sweeping the nation, the importance of actionable measures that increase representation within firms and foster better opportunities for Black and minority students is paramount. With these initiatives in place, NOMA has announced the placement of 30 students to engage in a two-month virtual summer research fellowship.

According to NOMA, "Amidst COVID-19 and record unemployment, NFF provides professional experience to underrepresented students with the goal of keeping them engaged in the profession and providing a pipeline to eventual employment. In all recessions, including the current one, minorit...

The general public strongly supports licensure standards for architects

2019-11-08T19:08:00-05:00

The general public supports existing licensing requirements for architects.That's what a recent study commissioned by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has concluded, according to an NCARB news release.

The study, conducted for NCARB by Benenson Strategy Group, surveyed 1,000 American voters on a variety of topics, including what value the respondents placed on licensing standards, the distinction between "occupations" and "professions," and other particularities of architectural work. All told, the general public strongly supports licensure for architects, with 89-percent of respondents agreeing that architects should meet rigorous testing standards due to the profession's role in making sure "buildings are safe and structurally sound."

Further, the more respondents learned about the rigor involved in attaining licensure—a process that, as many designers know, includes experience qualifications and continuing education initiatives, as well as the ab...

Dealing with passive-aggression in the workplace

2019-10-29T14:15:00-04:00

Collaborative conceptions

Pride attaches undue importance to the superiority of one's status in the eyes of others; and shame is fear of humiliation at one's inferior status in the estimation of others. When one sets one's heart on being highly esteemed, and achieves such rating, then he or she is automatically involved in fear of losing status.

- Lao Tzu

Architecture is a field filled with intellectuals and we often find ourselves in deep discussions about design, philosophies, and methodologies. More trickily, in the workplace, in the heat of collaboration, we present our ideas and often must defend or support them. This practice is fruitful and heightens the quality of the team, as everyone participates in this collective creativity.

But sometimes you'll encounter that team member who has to have the last word, who must always end up on top. When you present your ideas to the team, they seek to find fault in it, subtly showing how it can't work, even if your suggestions are favo...

Networking tip: Small talk

2019-10-21T14:15:00-04:00

Small talk is a dreaded practice for many professionals. It's often forced, and the parties involved participate out of obligation as opposed to genuine interest. Naturally, there are those of us who don't mind it, we actually enjoy it. Instead of hysterically pressing the close door button in the elevator, we hold the door, and seemlessly start a little small talk.

But, there are those of us who, on our way to get coffee, turn around and go back to our desks if we see someone else in the break room. I can wait, we think, I want to get my coffee in peace. We put on our headphones to signal we are busy and avoid eye contact with our talkative peers.

It's easier to pull this off during the work day, even at lunch, we can continue our avoidance, but in social settings we aren't so fortunate. What about Beer Fridays? Holiday parties? Networking events? Even meetings? Will our anti-social tendencies serve us well in these settings? It's not always the best idea to alienate ourselves f...