Meta: If you are setting out to make your mark as an architect, there are some skills that can really help you achieve success on the fast track. Take a look.
A successful architect is one who has the requisite skills that allow him or her to design buildings and interiors that match the client’s needs and meet basic safety, aesthetics, convenience criteria. Add to this the fact that architects have to work within some rigid guidelines in the form of government regulations most times, and you can see that you need specific skills that let you express your creativity but channel in the right way. Take a look at some key skills that really help in this field of work:
Creativity
It is your creativity, your innovative ideas that set you apart from your competitors and make you and your work stand out among the crowd. Creative thinking is a very important skill for an architect to hone because it also helps you adapt to situations quickly and come up with ideas out of the box that satisfy the client no matter how complex their requirements may be. A creative architect can quickly rise to challenges that arise during the course of the project, too, thus averting delays in project completion.
Communication and collaboration skills
Be it communicating your design idea to the client or collaborating with various stakeholders in the project, e.g., material suppliers and workers, you need to be able to maintain excellent relationships with all, convey what you need, and understand them, in return. For the smooth progress of the project, these skills are quite vital. Good communication skills also ensure that you and the client are on the same page all through, and there is no scope for misunderstandings to creep in that could later lead to problems for you.
Legal skills
While you do not need to have in-depth knowledge of the law, the ability to quickly grasp legal points and understand how they will affect your design is very critical. Remember that you will be working within a framework of established building codes, regulations, and various rules that may be complex and confusing at times. The ability to comprehend the key takeaways will help immensely.
Critical insurance that you need
When you set up your firm, you should take adequate care to safeguard it against risks. Apart from general insurance to protect your business against fire, flood, theft, etc., you also need to cover your professional liability risks. These arise when clients file a case against you claiming that you have not provided timely service or that your solutions were faulty or that you were negligent, or your service resulted in damage to them in some way.
In such a situation, to protect your business reputation, you must fight the case in court. However, carrying out court proceedings, with your lawyer fees and other costs, may leave quite a hefty financial impact on your firm. If you lose the case, then damages can drain your business finances drastically as well. An architect’s professional liability insurance cover absorbs all of these expenses and allows you to fight the case without anxiety. Check this website to know more about this kind of insurance, also known as Errors and Omissions insurance, and to learn more about why it is so important for service providers like you.
Sources:
1) Alison Doyle, 2019, Important Job Skills for Architects, Last updated: July 23, 2019, Avl at: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/architect-skills-list-2063730
2) Sion Phillpot,13 Essential Skills Needed to Be an Architect, Avl at: https://www.careeraddict.com/architect-skills
