About Architectural Design and Construction Technology

Everything from high rises to your home came into being because of architectural design and construction technology. In order to work in the field, you need at least minimum bachelor's degree and to pass the state boards. There are specialists in both architectural design and construction. The biggest field at this time is LEED, or Leadership in Environmentally Efficient Design. In the U.S. this is the building trend for the nation.

Architecture and building design is a team sport. Education is geared to teaching students how to network within the team to build the project. Students study classic architectural design and modern applications. Classic art and international building design, physics, geology and mathematics are a part of the curriculum.

Before computers, students would draw buildings using drafting techniques and tools. The compass, ruler and triangular scale created clean, crisp lines on the blueprints. Today, Autocad not only creates perfect blueprints, but also produces 3-D renderings which are then printed into architectural renderings.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 percent of architects are self employed.  Everything from where we live and work to where we play and worship requires the skills of an architect.  The major growth areas are governement contracting especially in the development of energy and water sustained communities. The U.S infrastructure is quickly moving to energy independence and sustainable, off the grid water supplies. There are many international opportunities in nations like China, India and the Middle East, which are developing quickly. 

The development of new construction materials that has less impact on the environment, and that is more durable than the materials that we are using today, especially materials that are water and mold resistant. Fire resistant buildng materials are also growing in demand, creating a brave new world in construction technology.