Home Architecture Talk

Architecture design? What is it about and what do you do?

Hi there, I'm in grade 12 now and I need to start thinking about my future. The other day I came across Architecture and Interior design as a career path option...and I was wondering if someone could explain to be in detail what do you exactly do and what kind of qualifications would you need?

Public Comments

1. Architecture is a division of engineering coming specifically with civil engineering. but you dont have to be a civil engineer to be an architect. colleges do offer Bachelors in Architecture. in simple words what you will do is design buildings. mostly structural designs which will be built by the engineers & others. this is a very interesting field if you have enough interest in designing, new ideas, drawing etc. you study the course and then work with a firm to gain enough experience or can go freelance. interior designing is different where you beautify an exisiting structure in terms of landscaping, room & furniture arrangements etc. this is like fashion design where you need to do some designs and make a name first. there are short term diploma courses for these. hope this answers your question.
2. hey, im going into my 4th year of an interior architecture degree at uni, so i might be able to help, for architecture you need to do a 5 year degree at a university, you develop skills on designing the structure and outer shell of a building along with the services that make a building operational, the interior spaces arent a major focus. if you are interested in the structure of buildings, how buildings stand up, and the design and materials that go into a building. for interior architecture or interior design, it is designing interior spaces, but it isn't just dressing rooms with furniture or colours, thats interior decorating. interior design is closer to architecture than to the stuff you see on tv shows like "changing rooms". interior design, when you do a 4 year degree at university is about the internal structure, furniture design and selection, lighting design, materials, and acoustic design of a building. everything but the outer shell, however in a lot of our projects we've designed the whole buildling aswell. i guess for both architecture and interior design, you need to be a person that likes problem solving, and like paying attention to small details, enjoy expressing your ideas in drawings and be prepared to take fairly harsh criticism. its also a lot of work, so i usually dont sleep at all for around 3 days leading up to a final presentation, but don't let this put you off, because although its hard work, its all worth it, its so rewarding to see the ideas in your head put out there. hope this has helped. let me know if you want to know anything else.
3. try www.teach-me-architecture.com..very good information