Architecture offers an inspiring and innovative career for those with the right technical and creative aptitude
As an architect you'll design new buildings or extensions or alterations to existing structures, and advise on the restoration and conservation of old properties. You may work on individual buildings or on large redevelopment schemes, and your responsibility can extend to the design of the surrounding landscape and spaces.
Working closely with clients and users, you'll make sure that projected designs match requirements and are functional, safe and economical. You'll usually control a project from start to finish and work with a number of construction professionals, including surveyors and engineers.
As an architect, you'll need to:
Your salary will vary according to the location, sector and size of your employing organisation, and are usually higher in London. Obtaining chartered status and gaining experience usually results in higher pay.
Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Your contracted working hours will generally be 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but you need to be prepared to work long hours, including evenings and weekends when a project demands it.
Part-time work or career breaks may be possible in some organisations, although they are generally uncommon.
While it's common to complete a recognised degree programme in order to qualify, there are also practice-based routes available such as Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Studio, as well as architecture apprenticeships which are currently being developed.
Many universities hold interviews with students prior to offering a place on an architecture course. Candidates are expected to have a portfolio demonstrating a broad mixture of work, including sketches, freehand drawings, photographs and models.
You must register with the statutory body, the Architects Registration Board (ARB), in order to legally use the title 'architect' in the UK.
Chartered architect status is available through membership of RIBA, although it's not a legal requirement to be registered with RIBA in order to practise.
The standard entry route into the architecture profession entails at least seven years in training and higher education. See the ARB Student Handbook and the RIBA section on becoming an architect.
This usually consists of:
RIBA Studio, delivered in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, is open for people who have a minimum of three years' experience working in an architectural practice. The programme is available at Part 1 and Part 2 level, and is completed through self-study and distance learning while the candidate remains working full time in the practice.
RIBA does not offer conversion courses for graduates with non-accredited or unrelated degrees. Graduates or architects with non-accredited or international qualifications in architecture may be able to undertake an assessment for equivalence with the Architects Registration Board.
You will need to show:
You should regularly practise drawing to enhance your skills. Model-making skills are also an advantage. It's important to take an interest in publications or TV programmes about buildings, and to keep up to date with the current trends in architecture and design.
In addition to the professional experience required, any pre-entry work experience in an architectural, design or construction environment is desirable and highly regarded by recruiters. Many firms offer internship opportunities over the summer break, which can provide invaluable experience.
Try to develop contacts in the industry, through work experience, academic departments, personal contacts and local representatives of professional bodies and associations. Joining one of the professional bodies, which usually offer free student membership, provides access to professional journals and information about vacancies.
Private practices employ salaried architects and may eventually provide the opportunity for you to become a partner or associate. These can range from small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to much larger practices that will incorporate other professional areas, such as planning, urban design, construction or project management.
Central and local government also employ architects in their planning departments. Other employers include construction companies, commercial and industrial organisations and retailers and manufacturers. Teaching and research institutions are another option, as is self-employment as a consultant.
Look for job vacancies at:
Recruitment agencies also handle vacancies, and some specialise in architectural and creative roles, such as:
RIBA manages a web-based Professional Education and Development Resource (PEDR) for students undertaking the practical experience elements of an architect's training. This provides information and guidance and also contains an online diary facility, which you can use to keep a record of your practical experience. Records completed on the PEDR are required to be produced at the Part 3 final qualifying examination.
Most large firms offer structured training and encourage professional status. Attending internal and external training courses, relevant seminars and conferences is an effective way of keeping up to date with current issues and refreshing knowledge.
Chartered architects are required to complete a minimum of 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) every year to maintain their competence.
The mandatory part of the RIBA's CPD curriculum is made up of ten topics. Chartered architects must carry out at least two hours of study in each of these areas every year:
Gaining chartered membership of RIBA and undertaking agreed levels of CPD are key parts of career development and will enable your progression into more senior posts.
Architects with more than five years of chartered membership and who have demonstrated distinguished achievement in architecture may be awarded Fellow of RIBA status and entitled to use the affix FRIBA. Architects in Scotland can find useful career development information from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
Larger private practice firms generally offer more opportunities for advancement, although there is often no set career structure. In the public sector, career progression is influenced by the nature and responsibilities of public institutions. With experience, a considerable number of architects set up their own practices.
If you're interested in working abroad, you can find further information from the International Union of Architects.
See how well you match this job profile and over 400 others.
Uni profile
work experience
work experience
See the rest here:
Architect job profile | Prospects.ac.uk
- This architect wants to build cities out of lava - MIT Technology Review - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Pope Places Antoni Gaud, Gods Architect, on Path to Sainthood - The New York Times - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Architects Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver - Mile High CRE - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- With Thoravej 29, pihlmann architects has created a welcoming workspace for collaborative groups in Copenhagen - The Architects Newspaper - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Artists, architects and others sign petitions demanding return of hostages - The Times of Israel - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Inspiring the next generation of architects | Great Day SA - kens5.com - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- 600 Israel architects sign petition demanding halt to war on Gaza - Middle East Monitor - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- ALIGN Austin Architects BizSpotlight - The Business Journals - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Studio ST and Maggie Rosenblatt retool a childhood apartment - The Architects Newspaper - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Meet Baker Barrios Architects, a 2025 Best Places to Work honoree - The Business Journals - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Free 'Ask an Architect' program helps fire victims navigate the rebuilding process - ABC7 Los Angeles - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Tech and Touch: Navigating the Fluid States in Built Environments - Architect Magazine - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- The Vatican puts 'God's Architect' Gaud on the path to potential sainthood - Archinect - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- The West Village Penthouse Built From City Scraps - Curbed - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Trey Trahan, Manuelle Gautrand and Anna Herringer revealed as Dezeen Awards 2025 judges - Dezeen - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- trahan architects' winged pavilion spotlights USA culture & innovation at expo 2025 osaka - Designboom - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Marks Barfield Architects on Being a Good Ancestor - Architecture Today - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Gods architect - Will Antoni Gaud be beatified? - The Pillar - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- yama architects' house wa perches two elongated volumes on stone plinth in belgium - Designboom - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- How will the Planning and Infrastructure Bill affect architects work? - RIBA Journal - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Gensler architects will lead design of Baltimore Harborplace redevelopment - Baltimore Sun - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Watch How Zaha Hadid Revolutionized The Way Architects Design | The Blueprint Show - Architectural Digest - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Trash or Treasure: Rare painting may be work of noted architect - The Detroit News - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- In London, Leopold Banchini Architects uplifts arts and crafts for wine bar Goodbye Horses - The Architects Newspaper - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Architects Schedule a Show at the Wiltern - The Scenestar - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- A lab supply glut has pushed architects to get creative to find work - The Architects Newspaper - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Jon Batiste to Receive Inaugural Ray Charles "Architect of Sound" Award at Grammy Hall of Fame Gala - Jambands - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Stargaze (STARS) - AMA with The Architects - 03 Apr 2025 - TradingView - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Sequel Architects the Next Era of Entertainment with Transformative Streaming Experiences - Bluefield Daily Telegraph - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Open Call for UIA World Congress of Architects UIA2026BCN - - World-Architects - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Solutions Architects and AI Tools: What You Need to Know - dice.com - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Sequel Architects the Next Era of Entertainment with Transformative Streaming Experiences - ACCESS Newswire - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Horton Harper Architects thoughtfully designed this multigenerational home overlooking the Cuyahoga River and the city's industrial areas - Global... - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- AN launches AN BETS, the worlds first architecture gambling app - The Architects Newspaper - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- ARCHITECTS announce North American tour with ERRA - Revolver Magazine - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- ARCHITECTS to headline summer North American tour with ERRA and HOLYWATR - Lambgoat - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- 2 Syracuse alumni elevated to The American Institute of Architects - The Daily Orange - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Architects to embark on North American headline tour this summer - Kerrang! - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Vibe coding isnt here to take developer jobs. Its here to transform them into AI architects - TechRadar - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- AD100 architects Talati and Partners craft a Mumbai home with stunning views of the sea - Architectural Digest India - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Richard Brown helped Rice blaze new trail as one of original architects of Shepherd School of Music - Rice University - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- 10 loathed architectures, that architects love - Domus Web - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- barcelona's 'three chimneys' reborn as media hub in winning proposal by GdSB and marvel - Designboom - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Women as architects of intergenerational change - ET Edge Insights - ET Edge Insights - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- "This certainly won't be the tech bro biennale" says Venice Architecture Biennale curator Carlo Ratti - Dezeen - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Northern New York Community Foundation partners with BCA Architects - nny360.com - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Lawyer investigating $1.9 million additional architects fee in Crown Event Center review - CityView NC - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- 3D scanned tree trunks become translucent table legs for aki hamada architects' collection - Designboom - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- terraced cityzen tower by zaha hadid architects set to rise in tbilisi, georgia - Designboom - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Zaha Hadid Architect designs skyscraper with cascading terraces in Tbilisi - Dezeen - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Elevating the Voice of Landscape Architects, Creating Vibrant and Resilient Communities - American Society of Landscape Architects - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Only 6% of architects are using AI regularly - Fast Company - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Insights from tomorrows architects: Appreciating women in architecture and driving change - Building Design - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art shares designs by shortlisted firms for expansion - The Architect's Newspaper - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- AN talks to the curators of Cooper Unions Thank you, Herman Jessor - The Architect's Newspaper - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Tbilisi's rolling hills inform new Cityzen Tower designed by Zaha Hadid Architects - World Architecture Community - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- How two architects turned a higgledy-piggledy hillside cottage into a quirky family home - Country Living UK - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Overconsumption a global challenge that can be addressed by architects - Architecture AU - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Marlon Blackwell Architects completes Heartland Whole Health Institute at Crystal Bridges - The Architect's Newspaper - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Subnautica 2: The Case For The Architect Race to Appear In The Sequel - GameRant - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Restore Oregon tour will open doors to these storied architects' bucket list modern homes - OregonLive - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Architects of the month | 'Sustainability isn't a fad' - India Today - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Throwing Architecture a Curve: Rediscovering Flix Candelas Years in Chicago - Newcity Design - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Whither the genius architect? The Brutalist reminds us of lost legacy - The Times of India - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Top Tickets This Week: Volbeat, Architects - Stereoboard - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- This week Patrik Schumacher claimed architecture "has ceased to exist" - Dezeen - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- First global study of the extraordinary role of animals as architects of Earth - Anthropocene Magazine - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Album review: Architects The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Kerrang! - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The American Hardwood Information Center Offers Free Tool for Architects and Designers - PR Newswire - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- mork-ulnes architects rounds up its greatest works with monograph 'the craft of place' - Designboom - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The Unsung Architects of Innovation: Women in the Tech Industry - RiverBender.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects The Sky, the Earth & All Between Review - Myglobalmind - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects Unleash 'The Sky, The Earth & All Between' - antiMusic.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- ALBUM REVIEW: Architects The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Boolin Tunes - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Clash Magazine - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects are bringing nature home by making trees part of the plan - The Salem News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Zaha Hadid Architects Begins Construction of the Center of Mediterranean Culture in Italy - ArchDaily - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Reviews - The Sky, The Earth & All Between - BLABBERMOUTH.NET - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The design of Pittsburghs future will be about trust, say two local architects - NEXTpittsburgh - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Zaha Hadid Architects' Capital International Exhibition & Convention Center in Beijing provides a world-class venue designed to meet the growing... - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]