Architect job description: the duties, what a design architect is, and the protected title

Ask what an architect does and most answers stop at drawings. The drawings are the visible part of a job that starts with a client who cannot describe what they want and ends on a wet site with a contractor holding a question.

This article covers the duties and responsibilities of an architect: the arc of the work, twelve duties in four groups, what a design architect is, the titles that are protected by law in the UK, how the role is measured and a template.

Design work runs on stages, approvals and information exchanges. See how New Dynamics workflows let you define your own stages, forms and approvals, with a completion view instead of a spreadsheet.

The arc of the work

The job runs in stages, and every practice uses some version of them. RIBA describes its Plan of Work as "the definitive model for the design and construction process of buildings", whose documents "organise the process of briefing, designing, constructing and operating building projects into eight stages and explain the stage outcomes, core tasks and information exchanges required at each stage", with core strategies covering conservation, cost, fire safety, health and safety, inclusive design, planning, procurement and sustainability.

Simplified to four movements:

1. Brief. Find out what the client actually needs, including the things they have not said. O*NET's Architects consult "with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures".
2. Design. Concept, options, planning, and the decisions that cannot easily be reversed later.
3. Information. Turning the design into something that can be priced and built: drawings, specifications and contract documents.
4. Construction. Answering questions, inspecting, and administering the contract while the building goes up.

An architect job description that covers only movements two and three is describing half a job.

Twelve duties

Client and brief

1. Establish requirements, functional and spatial, and test them against budget and site.
2. Meet clients to review drawings, and to explain what a decision will cost in money, time or quality.
3. Prepare information on design, specification, materials, colour, equipment, estimated costs and construction time.

Design

4. Plan or design structures (residences, offices, theatres, factories) "in accordance with environmental, safety, or other regulations".
5. Plan layouts of structural architectural projects.
6. Integrate engineering elements into unified designs, which is where most of the difficulty lives.
7. Develop final construction plans including "aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction".

Information and procurement

8. Prepare scale drawings using computer-aided design or other tools.
9. Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
10. Direct technicians preparing drawings or specification documents, and monitor the work of specialists "such as electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, interior designers, or sound specialists".

Construction

11. Conduct periodic on-site observations of construction work "to monitor compliance with plans".
12. Administer construction contracts, which makes the architect a contract administrator as well as a designer, with duties to both parties under the contract.

What a design architect is

A design architect is a role within a practice, not a separate qualification. Larger practices split the work:

• Design architect. Owns the concept, the spatial idea and the design intent. Leads the early stages, the client conversation about what the building wants to be, and the design reviews after handover to delivery.
• Delivery or technical architect. Owns the information: details, specification, coordination with engineers, compliance, and the answers the contractor needs at eleven o'clock on a Friday.
• Project architect. Runs the project: programme, fee, team, client, and everything that falls between the other two.

Small practices give all three to the same person, which is why they are the best training and the hardest job. Say in the advert which version you mean, and which stages the person will work in.

The protected title

In the UK the word is regulated. The Architects Registration Board explains that "the title 'architect' is protected by law in the UK, under Section 20 of the Architects Act 1997". It "can only be used in business or practice by someone who has had the education, training and experience needed to join the Architects Register", and "businesses can only use 'architect' in their name if there is an architect in control and management of all of the architectural work". ARB puts the test simply: "if someone is not on the Architects Register they are not a UK architect." Registered architects "must abide by the Architects Code and also hold appropriate insurance".

Two consequences for anyone writing a job advert:

• Do not advertise for an "architect" if the role does not require registration; use "architectural designer", "architectural technologist" or "Part 2 architectural assistant" as appropriate.
• Other titles are not protected. ARB notes that "only 'architect' is protected in this way, this means someone calling themselves an 'architectural consultant' or 'architectural assistant' is not covered by ARB's regulatory activities." That is a reason to be precise about what the job actually requires rather than a reason to be vague.

This is general information rather than legal advice.

What the job description must state

• The stages the role covers, and where it hands over.
• Registration: whether ARB registration is required, preferred, or not relevant to the role.
• Sectors and project sizes: housing, education, healthcare, retail, conservation, industrial.
• Contract administration: whether the role does it, and under which forms of contract.
• Software, named, and modelling standards where they apply.
• Site responsibilities: frequency of visits, travel, and whether the role attends site meetings alone.

How the role is measured

• Design quality, assessed by review rather than by opinion in a corridor.
• Information quality: questions from the contractor that should not have been necessary, and how quickly they are answered.
• Programme and fee against the agreed stage plan, with scope changes recorded.
• Statutory and compliance outcomes, including planning and building control progress.
• Client relationship, asked about at stage ends rather than only at the end.

Avoid measuring drawings issued. It rewards volume and punishes the hour spent resolving the junction that removes ten drawings later.

An architect job description template

Job title: Architect [design / project / technical]

Reports to: [associate / director]

Registration: ARB registration [required / preferred / not required for this role]

Sectors: [housing, education, healthcare], typical project value [range]

Stages covered: [stages], handing over to [role] at [stage]

Purpose: Design buildings that meet the client's brief, the regulations and the budget, and carry that design through to a building that matches it.

Responsibilities

• Establish and test the client brief, including functional and spatial requirements.
• Develop design options and present them with their cost and programme implications.
• Design in accordance with planning, building and environmental regulations.
• Coordinate engineering and specialist input into a single coherent design.
• Produce drawings, specifications and contract documentation.
• Support procurement and tender processes.
• Inspect work on site periodically and report on compliance with the design.
• Administer the building contract where appointed to do so.
• Direct technicians and review the work of junior colleagues.
• Maintain professional standards, CPD and insurance requirements.

You will need: [registration or qualification], [software], and the judgement to know which battles to fight at which stage.

Frequently asked questions

What are the duties and responsibilities of an architect?

Establishing the client's brief, designing buildings in line with planning, building and environmental regulations, coordinating engineering and specialist input, producing drawings and specifications, preparing contract documents, supporting procurement, inspecting construction periodically to monitor compliance with the design, and administering the building contract.

What is a design architect?

A role within a practice rather than a separate profession. The design architect owns the concept and design intent, usually leading the early stages, while colleagues own the technical information and the site work. In a small practice one person does all of it.

Is "architect" a protected title in the UK?

Yes. The Architects Registration Board states that the title is protected under section 20 of the Architects Act 1997 and can only be used in business or practice by someone who has joined the Architects Register. Businesses can only use "architect" in their name if an architect controls and manages all the architectural work.

What is the difference between an architect and an architectural technologist?

An architect is registered, works across the whole arc from brief to contract administration and holds design responsibility. An architectural technologist specialises in the technical design and construction information, detailing, performance, specification and compliance. The titles "architectural technologist", "consultant" and "assistant" are not protected in the way "architect" is.

Does an architect work on site?

Periodically, rather than continuously. The role includes on-site observations to monitor compliance with the plans, attendance at site meetings, and answering the contractor's questions. Where the architect is appointed as contract administrator, the site role also carries duties under the building contract.

What does "architect" mean in software jobs?

An entirely different use of the word: a solution, software or enterprise architect designs technical systems rather than buildings, and the title is not regulated. If you are hiring for that, say "software architect" or "solution architect" in the title to avoid attracting the wrong applicants.

Your next step: state the stages and the registration

1. Name the stages the role covers and where it hands over.
2. Say whether ARB registration is required, and use an accurate title if it is not.
3. State whether the role administers the contract, and under which forms.
4. Describe the site commitment honestly, including travel.

For grading design roles consistently against the rest of the practice, read and download our job evaluation guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want stage sign-offs, reviews and objectives in one place rather than in a project folder? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current stage plan. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.