architecture

hi. my name is doug patt. and this is so youwant to be an architect? a seven part series exploring the architect. this is lesson one,what does an architect do? an architect can perform many roles including design, specificationwriter, construction observation, ombudsman, and even in some cases construction, but forpurposes of this discussion i would like to focus on design. according to one definitionfrom my apple computer dictionary the architect

architecture, is a person who is responsible for inventingor realizing a particular idea or project. another definition states that an architectis a person who designs buildings and in many cases supervises their construction. finally,wikipedias definition works well. an architect is a person who translates a users requirementsinto a built environment. to summarize then,

an architect: one, invents. two, design buildings.and three, translate the users requirements into a built environment. in a way all threedefinitions fall under the category of design. for purposes of this discussion lets talkabout all three separately? first we know an architect invents. an inventor createssomething out of necessity that does not already exist. in a way every building, every house,every skyscraper, every thing architects create, if its original, is an invention. a buildingbecomes something of an invention by virtue of the specific requirements of the client.its utility lies in its unique function for the person or people it is designed for. second,we know an architect designs. to design is to plan with a specific purpose in mind. tome, designing implies a kind of thoughtful

planning relative to a set of parameters.all kinds of things are designed after their invented. vacuums, sneakers, printers, headphones,telephones, chairs, tables, silverware, and of course buildings. the architect designsthe building after its conceived or invented. thirdly, the architect is a translator inthat they translate a users requirement into a built environment. when you first meet withan architect one of the first discussions is about the program. the program is essentiallya description of everything that will be going into the building. if its a home, the programincludes the number of powder rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms, how many car garage, etc㉠if itsan industrial building the program includes machinery, offices, technology, etc㉠if itsa skyscraper it includes, use, number of occupants,

utility spaces, executive suites, number offloors, etc㉠in simple terms the architect takes the program and turns it into a building.so we see that while all three of these items, invention, design and translation fall inunder the category of design each is vital to the role of an architect. so if someoneasks you what does an architect do? you know that to start with, theyre inventors, theyredesigners and theyre translators. and that concludes the first part of our video seriesso you want to be an architect. im doug patt. see you next time.

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