Before committing to pursuing a career as an Architectural Designer, you need to learn about the position’s day-to-day tasks and workflow. Learning what you’ll do in your position as an Architectural Designer can help you decide whether the role is a good fit. Architectural Designers have busy schedules that involve lots of communication with teams and clients. They also need to find time to work on their designs and visit project sites. Read this article to find out about the average day in the life of an Architectural Designer before you decide whether this career is right for you. 

What is an Architectural Designer?

Architectural Designers transform design concepts into reality. When studying architectural design, students learn how to create functional, sustainable, responsive, and aesthetically pleasing structures. This role requires one to develop technical design skills and soft skills. Architectural Designers must also keep up with industry trends. In recent years, sustainable design has become more popular among home and business owners. Many clients expect new builds to incorporate sustainable designs and energy-efficient systems. An Architectural Designer looking forward knows how to keep up with these trends and advancements in architecture and construction. 

Architectural Designers often work with other professionals involved in architecture and construction. Architects usually lead an architectural design team. They plan and oversee the construction process while also managing contracts. Architectural Designers may also work alongside Interior Designers, who make indoor spaces functional, and BIM Specialists. This role may also require collaborating with engineers, contractors, and clients. The level of teamwork associated with Architectural Designer roles means that individuals working in this field need excellent communication skills. 

Architectural Designer Specializations

Architectural design training will prepare you for several roles within the field of architecture. Architectural Designers usually work up from internship roles and may advance to an Architect role if they continue with their education and take the Architect Registration Exam. Architects oversee Architectural Designers, although they both design and plan buildings, from commercial to residential to recreational. Architects who commit themselves to sustainable design can pursue a LEED certification, a global rating system for green buildings developed by the US Green Building Council. 

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Another role you can pursue if you specialize in a skill while training to become an Architectural Designer is BIM Manager. A BIM manager oversees the production of project information models and acts as a collaborator between clients, the design team, the contractor team, and the supply chain. In this role, you’ll work closely with BIM coordinators and complete supply chain assessments. Like Architectural Designers, BIM Managers need to know how to use BIM software and have excellent communication skills, leadership skills, and attention to detail. BIM managers may enroll in a degree program or start an apprenticeship to gain the skills needed to succeed in this role. 

Starting Your Day

An Architectural Designer working in a firm will likely start their day pretty early. Many firms open at 8 or 9 AM and close at 5 or 6 PM. You can expect to start your day early to help ease into the tasks you have ahead of you. Most professionals in the industry drink a lot of coffee and water to stay awake and hydrated when working on designs, meeting with clients, and checking out job sites. Waking up around 6 AM will provide you with plenty of time to get ready for the day. A suggested morning routine is to wake up, stretch or meditate, eat breakfast, and get ready to leave for the office. You’ll also need to factor in your commute time when determining what time you need to start your day. Freelance Architectural Designers have more leeway when they start their day. Freelancers set their hours rather than following an 8 or 9 AM start time. 

Morning Tasks:

Once you’re in the office, you will probably check your email first thing. You should always respond to urgent emails right away, especially if they’re coming from clients. Answering emails when you first get in the office shows that you’re responsive to others’ concerns and gives you more time to communicate throughout the day. 

Another main task that Architectural Designers work on in the morning is sketching designs and reviewing plans. This goes for Architectural Designers who work in an office and ones who work as freelancers. Most of their design work takes place in the morning, although they usually try to dedicate some time to the task in the afternoon too. The tasks you manage to complete in the morning can set the mood for the rest of your day, so make sure to find a consistent rhythm when you begin working as an Architectural Designer. 

Client Interaction and Project Management: 

Architectural Designers spend a lot of time interacting with clients. They may meet with clients in person and discuss projects with clients over the phone or email. Initial meetings with clients usually involve discussing important aspects of a project like objectives, timelines, and the budget. Subsequent meetings will usually involve updating clients on project progress and receiving feedback. Architectural Designers who work remotely need to establish reliable communication channels with clients. The client will not see you in person when you work remotely but will expect you to still communicate with them often, perhaps even more so than clients who see their Architectural Designer in person. 

Depending on the firm they work at, some Architectural Designers lead teams. Architectural Designers who lead design teams at their firms will likely find much of their morning and mid-morning tasks dedicated to project management. Project management tasks include coordinating the day’s work with other managers, designers, engineers, and architects. They will check in with their project team to ensure that the project is on track and following the client’s budget. Architectural Designers responsible for project management benefit from using project management software that helps them track project progress, assign tasks, and communicate with their team. 

Afternoon Tasks:

Architectural Designers often dedicate the afternoon to visiting a site, either by themself or with the architect overseeing the project. Visiting the site is the best way to track project progress. At the site, the designer can make sure the construction crew is following design and construction documents and ensure that the construction is following code. 

The afternoon is also the time for a lunch break. Architects will often meet with vendors during lunch meetings and Architectural Designers may join them. Holding lunch meetings is a great way to fuel up for the rest of the day, while also dedicating some time to learning about new products and industry trends. After lunch, an Architectural Designer can continue working on their designs. 

End of Day:

Before going home for the day, an Architectural Designer will make sure to finalize tasks. They may have some final emails to answer before leaving the office or want to prepare for tomorrow. How busy an Architectural Designer is at the end of the day largely depends on how they’ve managed their schedule throughout the day and what other tasks they need to complete during the week. Architectural Designers can also dedicate this time to reviewing project progress. 

After Work

Outside of work, Architectural Designers need to make sure that they’re balancing their personal life. Professionals who work in architecture may easily suffer from an unhealthy work-life balance and take work home with them. If you become an Architectural Designer, make sure to balance your professional and personal responsibilities, including making time with your family and friends. That’s not to say you must completely ignore work outside of work hours. Many Architectural Designers work on personal projects in their free time or may offer freelance services. You can also spend your time outside of work training further in hopes of specializing in a skill or pursuing a certification.

Learn the Skills to Become an Architectural Designer at Noble Desktop

Interested in developing the skills needed to become an Architectural Designer? Check out these live online classes available to enroll in today. 

Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Bootcamp will teach you the fundamentals of technical drawing. The 30-hour live online bootcamp covers the creation of 2D drawings using AutoCAD. Lessons range from beginner to intermediate-level skills. You can expect to learn basic drawing and modifying techniques for drafting and technical drawing in the bootcamp’s beginner-level lessons. As part of the bootcamp, you’ll receive access to a 1-on-1 training session with an expert who will answer questions you have about challenging course concepts and provide assistance with your project. After completing the course, you have one year to take advantage of a free retake. Before enrolling in this bootcamp, please be aware that Noble designed the course for PC users. Noble hosts in-person PC-only versions of the bootcamp, but Mac users may attend the live online bootcamp. If using a Mac, be aware that the Mac AutoCAD graphic interface is different from the PC version that the instructor will use.

For a more intensive AutoCAD training experience, enroll in Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Certification Program. This live online program will prepare you to become an Autodesk Certified Professional. An expert instructor will guide you and your classmates through beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level AutoCAD. In addition to 48 hours of hands-on lessons, you’ll have access to six hours of private tutoring. During your tutoring sessions, you can ask questions about topics of interest and challenging course content. The program fee includes the cost of the certification exam and a retake. If you want to enroll in the program but don’t want to take the exam, let Noble Desktop know and they will instead provide you with an extra hour of tutoring. 

Sign up for Noble’s AutoCAD Masterclass to learn the foundations of AutoCAD along with advanced-level skills. You’ll learn through hands-on lessons that cover the basics of AutoCAD, like opening and creating drawings, exploring the interface, and using fundamental drawing and editing commands. Later lessons covered in the course teach effective working methods and accurate positioning. The course intends to help students gain real-world experience through project-based lessons where you’ll learn to use productivity tools commonly utilized by Architectural Designers. Along with 48 hours of training, Noble includes one 1-on-1 training session where you can ask an expert about challenging course topics. 

VDCI offers accredited classes to help you develop the skills needed to work as an Architectural Designer. In their Introduction to Revit course, you’ll learn about foundational Revit concepts and how they relate to BIM. This hands-on class will help you gain real-world experience as you work on a class project that includes floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, curtain walls, and roof design.

VDCI’s Revit Architecture Professional Program will introduce you to beginner and intermediate-level Revit. During these lessons, you’ll design 3D building models and learn how to explore BIM project management techniques. Three courses within the program cover construction documents. In BIM Construction I, II, and III, you’ll learn how to produce renderings for presentation and documentation. Lessons also cover building topography for projects and cataloging building information using schedules. 

Enroll in VDCI’s BIM Certificate Program to learn how to use Revit to create 3D models of commercial building projects. The 100% live online class includes 290 clock hours of comprehensive lessons covering Revit, construction documents, and BIM detailing. You will also have your choice of 60-80 clock hours of electives that will count toward completing your certificate program training, and you will gain relevant work experience while working on a capstone project.