Architecture is like an empty plot of land upon which you can create nearly any kind of career. With so many different types of architectural jobs available, graduates often have difficulty deciding on a career path to follow. To further complicate things, without practical experience, it is difficult for you to know where your passion lies.
At Architecture Design Collaborative (ADC), we are a nationally ranked architecture firm serving Southern California since 2014. We provide opportunities to work on diverse projects so you can find your calling. Learn about the career paths available in our blog.
Different Types of Architecture Jobs
- Building Architects
- Industrial Architects
- Landscape Architects
- Green Design Architects
- Naval Architects
- Interior Architects
- Urban and Regional Planner
- Civil Engineer
Architecture is a field with diverse opportunities that require unique skills. From building to landscape to interior architects, learn about some of the different types of architecture jobs you will encounter to decide which is the right fit for you.
“As an architect, the career you construct can take whatever form you choose to draw on the blueprint. That’s the beauty of this field – there are so many different architecture career paths that everyone can find the perfect niche that suits them, their interests, and their strengths.”
– Craig Chinn, President at ADC
Building Architects
Building architects design structures and are among the most popular of the different types of architecture jobs for graduates to pursue.
As a building architect, you will usually specialize in either residential designs, like houses or apartment complexes, or commercial structures, like office buildings or skyscrapers. Building architects must consider both form and function during planning.
Industrial Architects
Industrial architects are another common type of job graduates encounter. In this field, you design factories and other types of production facilities.
Industrial architects must emphasize efficiency, functionality, and safety for both the company’s success and the livelihood of the employees working inside it. These architects must understand and adhere to safety standards and regulations during their design.
In fact, many industrial jobs can be incredibly niche as different individual industries and even businesses will have unique elements specific to them that architects must understand.
Landscape Architects
Landscape architects specialize in outdoor spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, gardens, and school campuses, including the surrounding area and buildings.
In some cases, these architects will be tasked with restoring natural areas, like wetlands, or designing the grounds of historic areas while taking into account the plants used at the time and modern practices for historical accuracy.
These architects are multi-disciplinary and must draw on a wealth of knowledge and expertise and incorporate several elements into their designs, such as:
- Industrial design
- Botany
- Horticulture
- Fine arts
- Environmental psychology
- Geography
- Ecology
- Soil sciences
As a result, landscape architects must have a thorough understanding of environmental factors like drainage, sun, shade, wind, and how plantings impact structures by cooling them off and retaining water.
Green Design Architects
Green design architects focus on minimizing the impact structures have on the environment by utilizing renewable sources of energy. These architects design systems for clients harnessing energy sources like solar power or entire structures with green features.
Naval Architects
Naval architects are another one of the different types of architectural jobs graduates might encounter, though it is incredibly unique. While building architects design structures, naval architects design all types of ships.
These architects must have a deep understanding of buoyancy and stability to design the hull and its center of gravity to determine the waterline curves that will provide the specific functionality the ship must have.
For example, as a naval architect, you might receive specifications like the size, weight, and desired speed to design the exterior lines and interior spaces.
Interior Architects
Interior architecture blends form with functionality. These architects design interior spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, utilitarian, and safe while understanding the nuances of human behavior. Interior architects must have both creative and analytical skills, like:
- Coordinating patterns
- Selecting color and fabric schemes
- Reading blueprints
- Understanding design software programs
- Understanding building codes, regulations, and universal accessibility standards
Urban and Regional Planner
Urban and regional planners are also potential career paths for recent architecture graduates. These planners develop land use plans and programs to facilitate orderly community developments while accommodating population growth.
These projects entail the planning and development of water usage, rural and agricultural bodies of land and parks, environmental conservation, and revitalizing physical facilities.
Civil Engineer
Civil engineers and construction managers are other potential career paths for architects. Civil engineers work in private and public sectors and need a range of skills, like designing, building, supervising, operating, and maintaining construction projects and systems.
Civil engineers design, upgrade, and improve all kinds of infrastructures, and typically specialize in specific industries with specialty skills and knowledge.
Browse Different Types of Architectural Jobs and Apply Today
Architecture jobs can take countless shapes, all of which require specialized skills, and this is just scratching the surface. Additional jobs can include health care, retail, residential, audiovisual restoration, and even residential architecture. Still, most graduates don’t know what niche they will enjoy working in or what career path they want to embark on, which is why working at a premier architecture and design firm like ADC is great. With us, you will not be pigeonholed to a niche and will have ample opportunities to work on diverse projects to identify where you want to break ground and erect a career.
To join an architecture and design company that offers the culture and opportunities you have always dreamed of, ADC is the firm for you. Explore open positions and apply now!
