Is a licensed architect doing your drafting? AIA chief economist Kermit Baker suggests that architects should do what they do best—design—and hire paraprofessionals to do the rest. Try it.
Is a licensed architect doing your drafting? AIA chief economist Kermit Baker suggests that architects should do what they do best—design—and hire paraprofessionals to do the rest. Try it. Read more in Architect H/T sevensixfive
7 Comments
Thanks for posting this, Nam, I'm interested in what you think of what he's saying here.
As I put up on twitter, it sounds like a recipe for fortifying the upper level and core of a firm, letting the middle die of attrition, and basically bringing in scabs that are even more underpaid than the current bottom end, with no job security, and little potential for advancement. Under those terms, why would anyone sign up to be a 'para-architect'? (actually, that kind of sounds like somebody who designs haunted houses!)
It's kind of chilling to hear someone in charge at the AIA just come right out and say the thing that everyone always thinks is guiding an agenda: there are too many licensed professional architects, we need more barriers to entry in the profession.
That's why the AIA is a redundant organization, catering to the biggest and worst firms out there, with their graying top management. yuck!
Consider this: Would you rather hire an efficient and reliable CAD technician from trade school to produce a CD set, and produce it well OR hire an intern with a graduate degree who would rather be doing something else?
It's not just about the bottom line, but is a cultural thing as well.
765, i am probably not the best person to opine because i am not an architect and don't have a horse in the race, so to speak.
@dot in your scenario i would think i would rather hire the CAD tech. Sounds like a healthier relationship all around.
That being said, it seems this is perhaps the flip-side to the whole discussion of expanding the field. or is it? is the idea therein to create more job opportunities by having the architect develop unsolicited architecture, or apply design thinking to non-standard 'architectural issues'. Or is expanding the field more a critical/theoretical exercise?
If you can't expand the field is Kermit's approach the answer? I don't know. I work in healthcare (well healthcare IT) and although i haven't done the research i think it could be argued that the use of paraprofessionals has allowed the health fields to expand their market share. Mainly through delegation and increasing access to health services. From what i understand that is a big sell/reason for health paraprofessionals, you see it alot in community health programs etc. But what Kermit is suggesting seems the inverse. Rather than have these paraprofessionals in community increasing access to architectural services, and thus hopefully market share and billings, it does seem more about formalizing the higher order thinking, non technical/construction sides of the architectural business as done by "architects" and then have draftsmen etc do all the 'real' unsung work of actual architecture (documents, detailing, etc). Perhaps, this would accomplish the same thing but i am not sure.
In my experience, drafting is falling to the wayside in firms that utilize BIM to its full capacity. In this situation, it is absolutely at the advantage of the firm to have licensed architects performing the 'drafting' services as they understand the tectonics of how buildings go together resulting in cleaner and more successful models. I train firms in BIM technology and run into many issues with CAD drafters without architectural education performing the majority of the modeling work as they are not equipped with the necessary knowledge for accurate modeling.
I think that this is a good plan for undercutting the employment of thousands of architects who are licensed but might not make the cut for star designer... glorified drafters with licenses...
I'll take five highly competent architects with a good handle of Revit over fifty CAD drafters... we don't need them.
personally i cringe more at the idea of revit supplanting human architectural production than i do the idea of an influx of 'para-architects', but that's another topic.
michael bergin, you make some fair points, but let's be cautious not to debate the hypothetical competency of groups of people from different educational backgrounds (i'm guilty as well) because they vary with the individual.
my point is, with the structure of the profession as it is today, most young 'non-star' architects cut their teeth through the architectural production process, and many see this only as a stepping stone to further advancement up to the design ranks and eventually principal.
in my observation, there is little to no difference in the competency of a green drafter out of design school and a cad technician out of community college when taking redlines from a licensed architect. the difference is in the aspirations where one seeks to get the experience and get out, and the other seeks to make a career of it and specialize, thus becoming more efficient and more reliable in the long run.
again, in my own observation, 1 senior cad technician can equal the production of 2 young architects starting their career, with the former making fewer mistakes, and you can count on them to do that job for years and years for good and stable pay.
sorry for the cliche expression, but in a profession full of chefs, we could stand to see a few more cooks.
Good points indeed, and I have seen a good number of CAD technicians who are completely competent and as you point out... are stable, reliable workers. I would not argue that 1 senior CAD tech could equal the production of 2 young architects when they are working in CAD... however, with BIM, I find that senior CAD techs as a general rule have a much harder time grasping the conceptual framework of how to generate the model than their younger and architecturally trained counterparts for whom modeling is second nature.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.