7 answers
Jason
Student
Long Beach, California
1
Question
Asked
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I love architecture and construction. Is there a hybrid major that combines elements of the two?
#majors #architecture #construction
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7 answers
Eric Packer
Structural engineer
91
Answers
Boise, Idaho
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Hi Jason,
Both architecture and construction can be rewarding in their own unique ways. Architects will spend most of their time in the design and production of their projects. Most clients retain the architect to provide construction review services that include answering questions from the contractor, reviewing shop drawings and product selection that are issued from the contractor, modifying the construction documents based on changes in the field, and providing on-site observation to ensure that the construction reflects the design intent. The architect will also coordinate the design and construction review services of other design trades that often include civil engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and structural engineers.
A career in construction can take a couple of paths. One path is to learn a trade and perform that specific trade on construction products, such as concrete worker, steel erector/welder, framer, roofer, electrician or plumber, to name a few. A career in a construction trade often starts with education from a vocational school for that specific trade but sometimes can start directly out of high school as a laborer where you might learn the trade in the field. The other path is to work in construction management as the general contractor where you coordinate the work of the various trades. Positions often include estimator, project manager, superintendent, and project engineer. Many superintendents come from a career in one of the trades and the other positions usually start with a college degree in construction management. The estimators and project managers are usually office jobs while the superintendents and project engineers are at the construction site along with other quality control staff.
The general contractor will work closely with the architect and other design trades. The general contractor also oversees the construction trades to ensure that the construction drawings are followed. Staging the project and scheduling the various construction phases will be some of the most important tasks that a general contractor will do before construction starts. They will need to study the architectural and engineering drawings in great depth to develop the schedule and determine how to stage the project. Staging involves activities such as locating the drop off of materials from delivery trucks, where to store materials, and where to locate the crane(s), if needed.
There are many high schools that have job shadowing opportunities where you will be connected with a company in your area and spend the day seeing what the work is actually like. If you can, I recommend finding job shadowing opportunities for both an architectural office and a construction firm.
I hope this helps.
-Eric
Both architecture and construction can be rewarding in their own unique ways. Architects will spend most of their time in the design and production of their projects. Most clients retain the architect to provide construction review services that include answering questions from the contractor, reviewing shop drawings and product selection that are issued from the contractor, modifying the construction documents based on changes in the field, and providing on-site observation to ensure that the construction reflects the design intent. The architect will also coordinate the design and construction review services of other design trades that often include civil engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and structural engineers.
A career in construction can take a couple of paths. One path is to learn a trade and perform that specific trade on construction products, such as concrete worker, steel erector/welder, framer, roofer, electrician or plumber, to name a few. A career in a construction trade often starts with education from a vocational school for that specific trade but sometimes can start directly out of high school as a laborer where you might learn the trade in the field. The other path is to work in construction management as the general contractor where you coordinate the work of the various trades. Positions often include estimator, project manager, superintendent, and project engineer. Many superintendents come from a career in one of the trades and the other positions usually start with a college degree in construction management. The estimators and project managers are usually office jobs while the superintendents and project engineers are at the construction site along with other quality control staff.
The general contractor will work closely with the architect and other design trades. The general contractor also oversees the construction trades to ensure that the construction drawings are followed. Staging the project and scheduling the various construction phases will be some of the most important tasks that a general contractor will do before construction starts. They will need to study the architectural and engineering drawings in great depth to develop the schedule and determine how to stage the project. Staging involves activities such as locating the drop off of materials from delivery trucks, where to store materials, and where to locate the crane(s), if needed.
There are many high schools that have job shadowing opportunities where you will be connected with a company in your area and spend the day seeing what the work is actually like. If you can, I recommend finding job shadowing opportunities for both an architectural office and a construction firm.
I hope this helps.
-Eric
Thanks so much, Eric! Really appreciate the thorough advice!
Jason
Mariya Stoyanova
Entrepreneur, Architect, sustainability consultant
3
Answers
Trondheim, Sor-Trondelag, Norway
Updated
Mariya’s Answer
Hello Jason,
From my experience of living and working in different countries, the responsibilities of an architect are quite different depending on where you are. For example, in Norway, architects have way more hands-on experience than in other places. It is very common for small architecture studios to have a wood workshop in their office and make some of the fine detailing or at least the models for it themselves. Some studios even build some small projects on their own - saunas, installations, small cabins, etc. Some bigger studios have contracts with research facilities and production facilities and often experiment with new building construction methods in order to be able to provide state-of-the-art solutions to their clients.
In some European countries like France and Germany, there are double master's degrees in architecture and civil engineering where you end up with a master's diploma in both. In some eastern European ones like Bulgaria and Romania, there are even combined bachelours which allows you to choose one or the other later. I did an MSc in sustainable architecture at NTNU in Norway, which is an interdisciplinary program giving you the opportunity to work and learn from both architects and engineers and find the niche that is perfect for you.
Architecture production is a field where architecture meets construction and is really interesting. Robotic Prefabrication Systems, for example, is a very new, but fast-growing field within architecture. In this field, you have to be able to produce design while having the construction process in mind all along.
Some of the greatest architects like Antoni Gaudi, Renzo Piano, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alexandre G. Eiffel, and Santiago Calatrava were and are both architects and engineers, who worked closely with construction - detailed, managed, supervised, and some of them even participated in the construction processes themselves.
Check out Rural Architects from Arizona (http://ruralstudio.org/our-projects/), they have an architecture school and the students work on real projects, usually with a humanitarian cause, and they also build them themselves. The current director of the school - Andrew Freear is a great inspiration when it comes to architecture and construction.
The building industry is growing in many new directions and things are way more interdisciplinary and connected than before. I personally advise you to do more in-depth research on what kind of hybrid disciplines are out there before you commit to the traditional Architecture practice or traditional construction business. However, starting with a bachelor's in architecture, can give you a good perspective on what your personal strengths within the field are (design, construction, management, etc.) and make the choice later on.
I hope this can shed a different perspective and give you a broader view of what is out there.
Mariya
From my experience of living and working in different countries, the responsibilities of an architect are quite different depending on where you are. For example, in Norway, architects have way more hands-on experience than in other places. It is very common for small architecture studios to have a wood workshop in their office and make some of the fine detailing or at least the models for it themselves. Some studios even build some small projects on their own - saunas, installations, small cabins, etc. Some bigger studios have contracts with research facilities and production facilities and often experiment with new building construction methods in order to be able to provide state-of-the-art solutions to their clients.
In some European countries like France and Germany, there are double master's degrees in architecture and civil engineering where you end up with a master's diploma in both. In some eastern European ones like Bulgaria and Romania, there are even combined bachelours which allows you to choose one or the other later. I did an MSc in sustainable architecture at NTNU in Norway, which is an interdisciplinary program giving you the opportunity to work and learn from both architects and engineers and find the niche that is perfect for you.
Architecture production is a field where architecture meets construction and is really interesting. Robotic Prefabrication Systems, for example, is a very new, but fast-growing field within architecture. In this field, you have to be able to produce design while having the construction process in mind all along.
Some of the greatest architects like Antoni Gaudi, Renzo Piano, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alexandre G. Eiffel, and Santiago Calatrava were and are both architects and engineers, who worked closely with construction - detailed, managed, supervised, and some of them even participated in the construction processes themselves.
Check out Rural Architects from Arizona (http://ruralstudio.org/our-projects/), they have an architecture school and the students work on real projects, usually with a humanitarian cause, and they also build them themselves. The current director of the school - Andrew Freear is a great inspiration when it comes to architecture and construction.
The building industry is growing in many new directions and things are way more interdisciplinary and connected than before. I personally advise you to do more in-depth research on what kind of hybrid disciplines are out there before you commit to the traditional Architecture practice or traditional construction business. However, starting with a bachelor's in architecture, can give you a good perspective on what your personal strengths within the field are (design, construction, management, etc.) and make the choice later on.
I hope this can shed a different perspective and give you a broader view of what is out there.
Mariya
Mariya thank you so much for the incredibly in depth answer. I found it very insightful and informative. This definitely gave me a lot to think about. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Really helpful.
Jason
Always happy to help!
Mariya Stoyanova
William Matthesen
Artist, painter/drywall
33
Answers
Cleveland, Ohio
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Jason,
My name is William and I think this is one of the best questions I have heard! I have a dual degree in IT, System Analysis and Networking. Architecture and Construction can be closely related, so there could be similar classes to take to complete some type of dual degree. I do not believe that there is one single major for you to take that would give you a degree in both. This is what I found might put you on track to find what your looking for. The University of Washington has a dual degree in program in both architecture and construction.
https://cm.be.uw.edu/dual-degree-architecture-and-cm/
Two undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design. The two degrees require a minimum of 225 credits and take five years to complete.
Maybe a Structural Engineering Degree could be a possibility? Awesome question Jason! I believe that big companies are looking for people like you, that can be more diverse in to different fields.
Research the Colleges and Universities for programs geared towards both Architecture and Construction
Research the classes and find the common ones with both.
Go with classes that peak your interests the most.
Don't get discouraged with having to take classes you may not like.
My name is William and I think this is one of the best questions I have heard! I have a dual degree in IT, System Analysis and Networking. Architecture and Construction can be closely related, so there could be similar classes to take to complete some type of dual degree. I do not believe that there is one single major for you to take that would give you a degree in both. This is what I found might put you on track to find what your looking for. The University of Washington has a dual degree in program in both architecture and construction.
https://cm.be.uw.edu/dual-degree-architecture-and-cm/
Two undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design. The two degrees require a minimum of 225 credits and take five years to complete.
Maybe a Structural Engineering Degree could be a possibility? Awesome question Jason! I believe that big companies are looking for people like you, that can be more diverse in to different fields.
William recommends the following next steps:
Andrew Castelli RA NCARB LEED AP M-Arch BS-Arch
12
Answers
Updated
Andrew Castelli’s Answer
Hello Jason,
There may be programs out there that may offer a dual Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Construction Administration degrees at the graduate level. You may want to search online “dual degrees and titles” that you’d like to pursue.
Take care...
There may be programs out there that may offer a dual Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Construction Administration degrees at the graduate level. You may want to search online “dual degrees and titles” that you’d like to pursue.
Take care...
Thanks for the point in the right direction, Andrew!
Jason
Glen Lewis
1
Answer
Updated
Glen’s Answer
Jason,
I have spent more than 4 decades in construction and have worked my way up from labor/carpenter to a Senior Project Manager. I love the business of building and developing property. My wife is an architect. So, I offer this advice this suggestion with personal knowledge of your question. I have offered this article to several people in the past because it address the difference between the to professions better than I can.
Read the article: https://civil.unm.edu/programs-and-degrees/undergraduate/construction-manager-vs.-architects.html
It will give you a feeling for the difference, but I do not know of a hybrid. Most people who want to have both skills get an architectural license and then certification for a construction manager.
Glen
I have spent more than 4 decades in construction and have worked my way up from labor/carpenter to a Senior Project Manager. I love the business of building and developing property. My wife is an architect. So, I offer this advice this suggestion with personal knowledge of your question. I have offered this article to several people in the past because it address the difference between the to professions better than I can.
Read the article: https://civil.unm.edu/programs-and-degrees/undergraduate/construction-manager-vs.-architects.html
It will give you a feeling for the difference, but I do not know of a hybrid. Most people who want to have both skills get an architectural license and then certification for a construction manager.
Glen
Pro Professional
207
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Pro’s Answer
Try looking at Interdisciplinary, General Studies, or Liberal Arts/Liberal Studies Degrees: Or even an Individualized Major that you can name yourself.
Mandi Adams, MBA, LEED GA
Project Manager
5
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Mandi’s Answer
You are in luck, my friend! I went to a small engineering school in the Midwest called Missouri University of Science Technology who offer what is called an architectural engineering degree. It is a balanced mix of civil engineering, building design, and construction management. Most of my friends who graduated with that degree went on to be construction project managers or interior designers but if you decide you want to go for your architects license then you only have two options: either a five-year undergraduate degree in architecture known as a B.Arch. or a post-college master's program known as an M.Arch., which usually takes two or three years to complete, neither of which are offered at Missouri S&T but you could go there for architectural engineering and then your architect masters elsewhere. Good luck!