Architect vs. Drafter

[Zephik]

What is the difference? My father asked me and I even googled it and still couldn't get an answer. So does anyone know what the difference between an Architect and a Drafter is?

-SnowFire

[Cevinzol]

Drafting is a more generic term for someone who designs and draws plans to scale. They can draft machine parts, landscapes, geographic maps, etc.

Architects have to be licensed to design buildings. The size of a project is probably a factor. For instance I don't need an architect to draw up plans for a new deck to my house but I would for a room addition.

My father was a surveyor for the USDA. He mapped watersheds and flood plains for errosion control. He mapped most of the state of Wisconsin. In that respect he was a draftsman: acuratley recording data to scale.

[Slug Toy]

architects are also a major cause of design delays during construction.

my dad has an electrical contract at a local university for a whole lab complex. the architect wanted an industrial design, but this meant having an air filtration system that completely goes down when they shut the power off to even one section. there ARE ways to isolate the filtration system, but the architect was so set on an industrial design, that the "proper" way wasnt feasible, and now all the animals they're doing testing on are going to be at risk during a power shut down. they really should be quarantined for their safety and ours, but now the air is going to get out and into the rest of the building...

[tennysol]

I AM an architect...the differences are many.

Drafter - 2 years of school (associates degree)
Architect - 5 years of school (Bachelor or Masters of Architecture degree)

Drafter - Draws what he's told
Architect - Draws what he wants

Drafter - Paid Well
Architect - Paid Better

Basically, an architect is taught how to design, while a drafter is taught how to draft (draw up designs that others come up with). A drafter doesn't need much schooling, while an architect needs at least 5 years of school and a minimum of 3 years as an intern. A drafter can work for any number of professionals (electrical, mechanical, civil, structural, architectural, industrial, etc.), while an architect is generally bound to his profession. An architect, after his internship must become registered if he wants to professionally practice on his own. He must take a series of really difficult tests before he can be licenced. Once licenced an architect can "sign and seal" construction documents which means he is putting his name on each drawing attesting that the work in the drawing is correct and follows code and won't fall over. Contrary to popular belief, architects are not generally rich people, so don't get into it for the money, however we do make more than drafters. As an architect, I direct drafters to do work, telling them what to draw and how to draw it, but they know how to use CAD to represent my designs. As an architect, it's a good idea to know CAD too, and I do, among a host of other cool programs.

Any other questions...just ask.

Lars
Architect/Project Manager.

[Airbozo]

...
Drafter - Draws mostly what he's told
Architect - Draws what they think the customer wants

.

Fixed...

hehe jk

[Zephik]

Ah okay, well it all makes sense now! Thanks guys! :)

-SnowFire

[AJ@PR]

No disrespect to Tynnesol (please don't get offended).

I studied Engineering (P.E.)
There was a saying (because in the school we had both Engineering school and Architectural (?) school)::::

Architects aren't "manly" enough to be an Engineer...
And they aren't "gay" enough to be Interior Designers.

....
Ok, 'joke' over.

I once read an interview with Gordon Murray (the guy that lead the design of nothing less but the McLaren F1), and he's both and architect and an engineer (if I'm not mistaken). He said that in his view, engineering should be more like 'architectural' work... and that architectural work should be more like engineering.

We engineers sometimes think... in squares. 100% logic.

I've got great respect for "good" works done by architects.
What I didn't stand in school was when these quasi-liberal arts/neoHippy/sub-culture sold in Gap/buttwipes that studied for being an architect, would come to me and start spewing out these abstract columns of space divided by that air gap swifting through the layers of horizontal moving freely...
WTF?!!?

STFU dude.

Now, these where, 'most' of them architects.
There are many others, which I still keep in contact, which are down to earth.
Yes, they understand the columns of light and spaces crossing spaces... but they did not envelop it in their own crap.
It was straight, to-the-point discussions of stuff.

I remember a girl that took all the best of 20 minutes, to describe an 'overview' of a special project she did. It took her something like half a year... help with programming I don't know what program to detect some patterns in something... modeling small scale whatevers... etc. etc. etc.

At the end, I asked her plainly (as I, apparently, couldn't comprehend), what was the conclusion of the work?

She just looked at me, and told me "Um, nothing. There's no conclusion."

So, I was like... WTF?
But, then what the hell????

Nothing...
One architect I like a lot is Calatrava (http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=calatrava&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

Ok, end of rant. :)

[DaveW]

This better not turn into anything. Warning you once.

-Dave

[Ironcat]

I used to be a mover and I have a little helpful advice for all you architects and drafters and furniture designers out there.
Before you design the interior of your very first house, you should move a couple truckloads of furniture into and out of a dozen.
I'd be willing to bet even money that once you finished your first bottle of Doan's back pills, you'd be in the office the next day changing your blueprints.

[Airbozo]

Hehe Good one Ironcat... (as I sit here at my BIG wooden desk with all the scratches from getting it in this room)

[Slug Toy]

i hear that. either houses are too small to move furniture around in, or the furniture is getting too big.

i remember me and my brother had to receive a couple couches my parents bought. that was a nightmare. our front door opens double wide, so thats the only way in. then we had to get up some stairs, but the couches were too long, so we had to go over a high railing. so we laid down towels so as not to scratch anything up, and we were carrying these 200+ pound couches over our heads trying to get them over the railing... we did it eventually, after a lot of yelling and swearing and death threats.

eventually im going to design my own house, if i dont end up living in an apartment (houses take up too much space, im a fan of the build up and not out technique). my house will have no stairs, and large rooms and doorways. simple as that.

[tennysol]

A lot of haters out there for architects from the engineers...


Architects aren't "manly" enough to be an Engineer...
And they aren't "gay" enough to be Interior Designers.

A Joke:
Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The first engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit.":D

But I Digress...Engineers are great, their dedication to work and lack of any sense of style makes me look twice as kick-ass as I already did! Letting them figure out how to make my designs work give me more time to go out and play golf or hang out with the ladies...neither of which they know how to enjoy anyways...

Seriously though, engineers make architects look good. We design some pretty outlandish stuff, and we rely on the skill and dedication of engineers to help make our vision work, and for that I am grateful. thanks guys! :up:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[AJ@PR]

A Joke:
Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The first engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit.":D
HAhahahaa...

I'm going to drop that today with my buddies... hehehe...

True what you say.
Too many engineers are... damn, without any 'sense'.

You can spot a building designed by an engineer with no architect input a mile away.
It's the big square with a couple of other squares for windows.

I like architect's work.
I like a lot Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater... he really stretched engineer's with that construction. :) :)

Cheers TennySol!

[Slug Toy]

A lot of haters out there for architects from the engineers...

you should see the way geologists hate engineers. its insane. youd think they were natural enemies right from the beginning of time. i think it has to do with the fact that engineers are always trying to win against the forces of nature, and geologists know that isnt completely possible. theres always a flood, or landslide, or earthquake to mess things up. add on the fact that they love to build on the first level ground they can find in a mountainous area. the only reason theres level ground is because its remnants of old landslides... they're building right in the middle of a landslide highway so to speak. yep, we love engineers... always disregarding our advice.

[Cevinzol]

Its not geologists, engineers nor architects that are the problem.

.... ITS MARKETING.

Slightly off topic joke:
BUSINESS MEN AND I/T PROFESSIONALS

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts:

"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"

The man below says: "Yes you're in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field."

"You must work in Information Technology" says the balloonist.

"I do" replies the man. "How did you know."

"Well" says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but it's no use to anyone."

The man below says "You must work in business."

"I do" replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well", says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met, but now it's my fault."

[AJ@PR]

^^^^^ ROFL

HEHehahahahahhhAHHhh.aa.....
busteeeddd....