What an architect does, and what an engineer does

What an architect does

The architect is usually the lead designer. Their job is to turn what you need into a building that works, looks right and is a good place to be.

• Understands the brief. What the building is for, who uses it, the site, the budget and the programme.
• Designs the building. Layout, form, light, views, circulation, the relationship to the street and the landscape, and the choice of materials. See Choosing materials.
• Looks after the whole. Many decisions pull against each other: space against cost, light against heat, beauty against maintenance. The architect holds them together.
• Coordinates the team. The architect gathers the engineers and other specialists, and makes sure the drawings agree with each other.
• Takes the design through approvals. Planning and building applications, and the conversations with authorities.
• Follows it through on site. Visits, answers to builders' questions, and checks that what is built is what was designed.

In many countries the title "architect" is protected by law, and only a registered person may use it and sign architectural drawings.

What an engineer does

An engineer makes sure the building stands up, is safe and works. There are several kinds, each with their own area.

• Structural engineers design the frame, foundations and floors so that the building carries its loads, resists wind and, where relevant, earthquakes.
• Mechanical engineers design heating, cooling and ventilation, and often the systems that keep people comfortable and the air healthy.
• Electrical engineers design power, lighting, data, controls and emergency systems.
• Public health engineers (plumbing and drainage) design water supply, drainage and fire-fighting water systems.
• Fire engineers study how a building behaves in a fire and how people get out safely.
• Civil and infrastructure engineers design roads, drainage, utilities and the ground around the building.
• Façade engineers make sure the outer skin keeps out rain, wind and heat, and can be built and maintained.

Each engineer is a specialist. Together they make the architect's idea physically and legally possible.

Their job is to turn what you need into a building that works, looks right and is a good place to be.

Where the two overlap

The line between them is not fixed. A staircase is architectural and structural. A glazed wall is architectural, thermal and structural. A courtyard is architectural, climatic and drainage. The best buildings come from architects and engineers who talk early and often, so that the structure, the services and the space are designed as one thing, and not fitted together at the end.

How the work is shared

The sequence is usually the same, even if the names change in each country. See also From brief to building.

1. Brief and feasibility. The architect leads, with early input from engineers on structure, services and cost.
2. Concept design. The architect shapes options. Engineers test whether each option works and what it would cost.
3. Developed design. The architect, structural and services engineers resolve the design together, with the cost consultant keeping an eye on the budget.
4. Approvals. The architect leads applications, with engineers providing the reports and calculations authorities require.
5. Technical design and tender. Each discipline prepares detailed drawings and specifications for their area. The architect coordinates and checks that they agree.
6. Construction. The builder constructs, and each designer checks the work in their area. The architect usually coordinates the site visits.
7. Handover and use. Testing, inspection, training and the first year of use.

Other specialists join where they are needed: landscape architects, interior designers, lighting designers, cost consultants, project managers, sustainability advisers and others.

Who is responsible for what

Each professional is responsible for the work in their own field. The structural engineer is responsible for the structure, the electrical engineer for the electrical design, and so on. The rules differ from country to country, including who must be registered, who signs and stamps drawings, and who must submit applications to the authorities.

For that reason, every one of our projects has a written agreement that says who is responsible for what and who will sign and stamp the drawings where the law requires it. See Working with JOOM: agreements and Jurisdictions and governing law.

How we organise it

We lead the design and coordinate engineering, construction and supply through a community of companies, each responsible for its own work. You deal with one studio and one point of contact, while the right specialists carry out each part of the work. See Network and Expertise.

In short

• The architect leads the design and looks after the whole.
• Engineers make it stand, work and stay safe.
• The two work best when they start together and keep talking.
• Responsibility is divided by discipline, and the rules depend on the country, so agree it in writing at the start.

Start a project