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Building a career in architecture Darroch White claims to have been the first person to see many of Fredericton’s landmarks – at least on paper. The architect who works with BGHJ Architects in Fredericton, has had a hand in designed and planning many of the buildings we walk by everyday, including the St. Mary’s Commercial Centre, Clark’s Chevrolet, projects at the University of New Brunswick, and the Salvation army Buildings on the north side. But, he said, the job involves more than simply sitting in an office, dreaming up pretty designs. “I think many people have the idea that it’s a very creative profession, and it’s actually surprisingly technical. You need to know quite a bit about technical standards and building codes in addition to having an eye for design,” said White. He said would-be architects get the technical side of the training during the seven years of education required for the job. Studying at Dalhousie University, White said he acquired a broad knowledge of building and design. “It’s a blend of technical and design,” at university, he said. “There’s a lot of emphasis placed on the design end in school. But there are technical courses in terms of building technology and some of the basis of codes.” “You get to cover the engineering side of things, but they’re not teaching you to be an engineer specifically. You have to know something about those jobs.” That variety is what makes the job enticing to white, who said he enjoys working on a project with many collaborators, including engineers who specialize in certain parts of the building process. “It was the sort of job that appealed to me because you needed to know a bit about everything,” said White. “You got to see a lot of different things about how people work, and certainly to be able to do something creative and add to a city or add to a building was always interesting.” He said on any given project that he’s designed, engineers are necessary to bring the work to fruition. In the construction phases, the architect is like the general manager of a hockey team - he or she puts the plan in the place and watches the team of collaborators make the vision reality. “I’ll start with a concept for a building, but it gets modified when the engineering team takes a look at it, because they have specific codes and rules as well. There’s always a back and forth effort,” he said. “I enjoy the teamwork with the engineers. You always learn something from it.” That learning process is crucial in making sure he does one of the most important parts of his job – please the client. “I really like satisfying a client in terms of going the extra mile,” he said. That “extra mile” includes many duties beyond drafting and planning. Architects also oversee the work once it’s started as a “second set of eyes” for the client. He said part of the job is performing administrative duties for the person who is paying for the project, according to how much they want done. If desired, an architect will be involved in contracting professionals for the project. “That work takes between 40-60 hours per week. And right now, there’s plenty of work to be done…and potential employment,” said White. “It’s an interesting time, I think, because the market is pretty tight in terms of staff. A lot of firms are looking for people and part of it has to do with the out-migration of people to other areas. “Also, a lot of people who started firms are getting on the verge of retirement in the next five to 10 years, so the landscape could change quite a bit.” Karen Chantler, the executive director of the Architects’ Association of New Brunswick, agreed with White’s assessment of the job market. However, she said there are several qualifying measures a candidate for architecture must meet. “First of all you have to do two years towards a degree program before you can get accepted into a master’s of architecture program. Dalhousie University is the only university in the Maritimes offering an architecture degree,” she said. “Upon graduation, they obtain their certification of their degree. Then they apply to become intern architects.” The internship procedure is the same nationwide, which helps in making the intern mobile within Canada. It is required that potential architects hold an internship for three years. They must also write nine qualifying examinations before they can apply for architect status through the association. After that, they have the right to put the title by their name. That’s when a person can apply to become a certified practitioner, but they must have their own office and practice in order to do so, said Chantler. However, many decide against that and work under other firms, she said. An architect’s pay increases with qualifications and the profile of projects he or she is hired for. However, across the board, architects make $25 per hour, according to jobfutures.ca a website compiled by the Canadian Government.
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