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BUILDING DESIGN


Draftsperson (Documenter)

A Draftsperson or ''' Documenter ''' is someone who has completed a certificate or Diploma in drafting, and is generally employed in a drafting office or architectural firm. Initially, they begin as a trainee, doing odd jobs in the office, and drawing up working drawings (floor plans/elevations/sections) from sketch plans of designs generally designed by those higher up in the ranks. As they work their way up and develop more experience, they eventually become a draftsperson (sometimes known as a documenter). The type of work involved at this level can be anything from design to the documentation of projects. A draftsperson is generally someone who is not a registered building designer, and who works under one. Some draftspersons, after gaining a few years experience, will proceed to become a registered building designer, and either become self-employed, or start their own drafting office.


Building Designer

Building Designer is the term used in the United States and Australia for people involved in the design of buildings who are not registered architects.

In Australia anyone may legally call themselves a building designer, however the term building designer is usually used by persons, such as an architectural draftsperson who has been registered as a building designer and persons who have exactly the same or similar qualifications and experience as registered architects; ie, a Bachelor of Architecture degree from an accredited course and many years of experience. The only difference, in many cases, is that they have chosen not to take the examination required for registration.

As in Australia, many of the states within the United States have exemptions in the Business and Professions Code allowing persons to design residential buildings and light commercial buildings without having an architectural license, given certain guide lines. Those who have chosen to specialize in that discipline are legally allowed to call themselves Building Designers. Building designers are also commonly known as residential designers due to the fact that many of the people in this field specialize solely on Residential Design and Residential Remodeling. Formerly there existed a National Certification for Building Designers in the United States, which provided legal standing, but this has since been removed due to the lobbying of the Certified Architectural portion of the Industry, specifically the AIA . However, in the state of Nevada, a specific license for residential design has been re-established.

Because the focus of a building designer's practice may primarily be residential in nature, this particular class of design professional may or may not have the same or similar qualifications and experiences as registered architects. Building and residential designers in the United States seeking credentialing for their skills may qualify to sit for a certification exam administered by the National Council of Building Designer Certification. Those who have successful passed the NCBDC exam are given the title Certified Professional Building Designer (R).

See the external links section for a more in depth explanation.


Architect

In Australia an architect usually has attended university for 5 years and has obtained a Bachelor of Architecture degree (B.Arch.). In addition they must be registered with their state's architecture registration board. In order to be admitted to the Register they (typically) must have a minimum of 2 years experience (apprenticeship) under the guidance of a Registered Architect, after which they must take and pass an exam.

Thus it should be noted that technically there is no such thing as an Australian Architect, any more than there is such a thing as an American architect. In both countries, the regulation of architects is done state by state. You may be registered in Texas or Queensland as an architect, but you in breach of the Business & Professions Code if call yourself an architect in New South Wales or New York. The title 'architect' is strictly regulated.

However in Australia the work of an architect is not regulated. It is up to local Municipal Building Certifiers, engineers and, indirectly, clients to verify that a structure is compliant with all appropriate Codes and Regulations.

For more detailed information see the external links section of this article.


Building engineer

Building Engineers would normally have an accredited Academic Degree with a concentration in building engineering from a recognized university. The completed degree may be designated as a Bachelor Of Engineering , Bachelor Of Science or Bachelor Of Applied Science depending upon the university. Building engineers are trained in all phases of the life cycle of a building and develop an appreciation of the building as an advanced technological system that encompasses many sub-systems and their individual components, and understands the building itself as a large integrated system. Technical problems are identified and appropriate solutions found to improve the performance of the building in areas such as:

  • Energy efficiency, passive solar engineering, lighting and acoustics;

  • Construction management;

  • HVAC and control systems; Indoor Air Quality ;

  • Advanced building materials; building envelope;

  • Earthquake resistance, wind effects on buildings, computer-aided design;

  • Lighting design to achieve adequate illumination without Energy Wastage or Over-illumination ;

  • Noise Mitigation design to achieve acceptable interior sound levels.



Market Share

  • In Australia: Civic buildings make up a very small amount of buildings in Australia, followed by Commercial and Industrial, and then by Residential, which takes first place as occupying most of the building market. Architects generally get around one quarter of the residential market in Australia (the higher priced buildings) and Building Designers get 3 quarters (lower priced buildings)



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