A multitasker, on his/her toes twenty-four seven, sketching new ideas on the corner of a tissue or observing and imbibing the essence of a space, an architect is always on a roll. Always ready to take up a new challenge with undefeated confidence. With great power comes great responsibility. Rightly so, architects have the power to change society and the public’s mind through their unique creativity. To yield this creativity they have to manage every second of their day to deliver their work efficiently.
Morning Routine
The morning mayhem of every architect may differ but a few activities might be similar in their routine. They usually start their day with meditation or any refreshing exercise to clear their mind or some may kick start their day with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. When arriving at the office, the actual prep for the day starts. Usually, it begins with checking their emails and going over the schedule of the day and then they plan accordingly. They spend their first half usually sketching or designing solutions for their clients and this duration of hard work varies for the type of project they are working on. Apart from this, architects also spend a considerable amount of time on the computer revising the plans, sections, and elevations of the project to present it to their clients. This part of their day is crucial as it sets the premise of the whole day, sometimes determining their efficiency as well.
Troublemaker Clients and Designing
Architects spend a significant amount of their time talking to the clients. Discussing ideas and opinions, trying to align the client’s ideas with the architect’s vision. They can happen offline or online depending on what both parties are comfortable with. Architects and their team showcase their concept and drawings prepared for the project; this also helps them to receive feedback from the clients and the changes accordingly.
Once the main idea of the design is set then the team usually develops a 3D model or renders to visualise their concept, for effectively communicating their design to the clients. This design work and project management is mostly collaborative. It involves different people from the team like designers, engineers, or contractors, everyone incorporates their ideas for the project and then they decide what is best suitable for the client. An architect must be confident in their designing abilities and must have a way with their words to impress their clients as well.
Project Management
For the ease of their work architects also need to coordinate within their team so that the work produced is efficient. For the smooth delegation of work, the team has project managers, engineers, and other architects and interns. This helps to keep a check on everyone and keep track of their progress. Architects also use project management software that helps to keep a check on the project’s progress and helps them to create catalogues, and schedule meetings and minutes of the meet as well.
Afternoon Tea and Meetups
Often the architect has to visit the sites to check on the execution of the project. They make sure that the contractors are following the working drawings and the design provided by the architect. These visits are very crucial as they ensure the project is being built according to the main idea of the architect and according to the expectations of the client as well.
After the heavy workout of dealing with the clients and hooked on to the screen to produce the desired drawings, architects break for lunch. This is the time when they share new ideas, communicate with each other and learn about new trends and innovations. They exchange designs and different philosophies over tea or coffee and this fruitful discussion helps them to stay up to date and broadens their horizon.
Ending Shenanigans
As the hectic day comes to an end, the architect focuses on finishing the tasks. Sometimes due to the workload architects end up working late till the evening. Others might have a more relaxed schedule, allowing them to wrap up their work early and enjoy their evenings. In the evenings they usually review the progress and set deadlines for the next day or the upcoming projects, creating a mind map.
One thing that architects find difficult is managing time and separating their professional and personal lives. As challenging as this may sound it is really helpful as it allows them to spend more time with their families and also to work on the projects they are more passionate about. This provides them a healthy work life balance.
