Intern to Architect
Administrative Personnel in Design Firms

What’s the difference between “intern” “architectural intern” and “architect” ?

Only licensed architects can call themselves an architect. It is against state law to call or portray yourself as an architect if you are not licensed.

Let’s work our way backwards:

The goal is to become a licensed architect.

In the United States, each of the 50 states determines their own regulations that a person would have to follow in order to become licensed in that state. Typically, you would try to become licensed in the state you live in. So first, you figure out what your state requires.

No matter what, all states require that you take and pass the Architect’s Registration Exam, or the ARE.

To take the ARE, a person has to demonstrate two main things:

a. that they have earned a degree in architecture

b. that they have gained real life work experience by working for an architect

The career path from high school to registration basically follows this sequence:

1. Choose the right College or University – must be accredited by NAAB

2. Earn a professional degree, such as Bachelor of Architecture. 5 year program

3. Apply to NCARB to establish a record. Cost: $285

4. Complete the Intern Development Program administered by the NCARB. This means that you work at an architect’s office and get experience in all areas of the firm. NCARB has established minimum number of hours you work in 17 different categories, so you have to keep track of how many hours you work in each area. This usually takes at least three years. If NCARB has to keep up with your record more than three years, they charge $60 per year.

NCARB has forms for reporting the hours and it has to be signed by the licensed architect that the intern is working with. When NCARB agrees that you have met all their requirements, they send you confirmation that you have completed the requirements of the Intern Development Program.

5. Apply to take the ARE in your state. Cost: 7 tests at $170 each = $1,190

6. Pass the ARE administered by your state. The format and content of the exam changes from year to year but in all cases, it is very intensive. There are about eight different tests to take, some are multiple choice and some require drawings or sketches of some sort. Currently, the exams are held at testing centers, and you can choose which test you want to take and when you want to take it. It can take 6 weeks before you find out the results. If you don’t pass a test, you can re-take it about 6 months later (after they have had a chance to think up new questions).

The tests drain you mentally and financially. Studying for the test is not easy when you’ve been out of school a while and if you’re working full time. About 30% of the people who take it fail at least one section.

7. After you receive confirmation from your state that you have passed the ARE, you have to send paperwork (and money) to NCARB to verify the results.

8. Once your state receives that information, they issue you a number, which becomes your registration number. The $285 fee includes NCARB sending your record to one state.

9. Success! You have become licensed in your state! At long last, you can call yourself an architect.

10. Look for your annual license renewal form to show up within the next 12 months. You will be paying an annual fee from now on, plus, you will be keeping track of how many seminars you take every year to show that you are keeping up with the practice. This doesn’t require formal tracking like the IDP, but you do have to produce evidence if they audit you.

Links to places mentioned above

NAAB - National Architectural Accrediting Board

Establishes educational standards

http://www.naab.org/

http://www.naab.org/information1725/information.htm

NCARB – National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

Administers the IDP and the ARE

http://www.ncarb.org/

IDP – Intern Development Program

http://www.ncarb.org/IDP/index.html

ARE – Architects Registration Exam

http://www.ncarb.org/are/index.html

Put a Word file on your blog

Putting the contents of a Word file on your blog is relatively easy.

All you do is go to Google docs. http://docs.google.com/

Select UPLOAD
Select BROWSE
Find the final you want to upload
Give it a name you can remember. No one else will be able to see it.
Select UPLOAD FILE

You should now be able to see and edit your text. It's not on your blog yet.
In the upper right corner, select PUBLISH
Now you have a choice of where to publish it. Choose the second option, which is to post it to your blog.

You, and everyone else, can now look at your blog and see the text from the Word file. If you can't see it, press F5 to refresh the screen.

If you still can't see it and you think I might have left out a step, please let me know by leaving me a comment.


You can edit the text two different ways.
1. From your blog.
When you edit it here, you aren't editing the original document but you are able to post the updates immediately. Probably very handy in those emergency situations when you have to change it RIGHT NOW before someone sees it.

2. From the Word file.
This is just like any other time you are updating the Word file. To get the changes to show up on your blog you need to upload it again. It's really easy but it is another step and you have to refresh your blog to confirm the updates are there.

You can also upload Excel and PowerPoint files. I haven't tried to do that yet but I would imagine it's very similar.

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Abbreviations and Acronyms
Administrative Personnel in Design Firms

Architects and Interior Designers have their own language. Administrative personnel without prior experience in a construction or design related office can be mystified by the terms and acronyms that roll off their tongue. Here is a list of commonly used acronyms and what they mean. If I missed some or if you've heard something and not quite sure what they meant, let me know by leaving a comment.

ADA
Americans with Disabilities Act

AE or A/E
Architecture and Engineering (usually in reference to a firm)

AFF
Above Finished Floor

AHJ
Authority Having Jurisdiction

AHU
Air Handling Unit

AIA
American Institute of Architects

AIAS
American Institute of Architecture Students

ANSI
American National Standards Institute

ARE
Architectural Registration Exam

ASHRAE
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers

ASI
Architect’s Supplemental Instructions

ASID
American Society of Interior Designers

ASLA
American Society of Landscape Architects

BIM
Building Information Model

BN or B&N
Bidding and Negotiation

BUR
Built Up Roof

C of O
Certificate of Occupancy

CA
Construction Administration; Contract Administration

CAD
Computer Aided Drafting or Computer Aided Design

CCD
Construction Change Directive

CD
Construction Documents; Contract Documents; Construction Drawings

CIDA
Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly known as FIDER or "Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research"

CO
Change Order

COP
Change Order Proposal

CPM
Construction Risk Management

CP
Change Proposal

CPR
Change Proposal Request

CSI
Construction Specification Institute

DD
Design Development

DR
Door

EIT
Engineer in Training

EPDM
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (a rubber-like material)

FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects

FAR
Floor Area Ratio

FF
Finished Floor

FFE
Two distinct meanings, must know the context
1. Finished Floor Elevation
2. Furnishings, Fixtures and Equipment

FIDER
Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research (name changed to "Council for Interior Design Accreditation" January, 2006)

GC
General Contractor

Gyp. Bd.
Gypsum Board (Sheetrock is USG's brand name for gypsum board)

HC
Handicapped

HDRE
Hardware

HVAC
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

IBC
International Building Code

ICBO
International Conference of Building Officials

IIDA
International Interior Design Association

IDP
Intern Development Program

LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

MEP
Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing

MPE
Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical

MOB
Medical Office Building

NCARB
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

NCIDQ
National Council for Interior Design Qualification

NTS
Not to Scale

RA
Registered Architect

RFI
Request for Information

RFP
Request for Proposals

RFQ
Request for Qualifications

PE
Professional Engineer

SD
Schematic Design

Specs
Specifications

TBAE
Texas Board of Architectural Examiners

TFO
Tenant Finish Out

TSA
Texas Society of Architects

USG
United States Gypsum

USGBC
United States Green Building Council

VE
Value Engineer, Value Engineering

How to Roll Up a Set of Drawings

Administrative Personnel in Design Firms

How hard could this be? Just put the drawings on the table and start rolling, right?

Maybe. There's a trick to it that architects share with each other but not necessarily with the administrative staff.

Most drawings have some kind of title block along the right side. That's where you find the name of the project, the project number, the date, the client, the sheet number, the sheet name, and maybe some other similar information.

Drawings should be rolled up so that the title block can be read while the drawings are still rolled up. It's how we figure out what's in that roll without unrolling the whole thing.

They should be rolled with the drawing side facing out so that when it's time to unroll them, they will lay on the table curly side down. This makes it easier to get the roll to lie flat. Well, flatter than if the sides keep trying to roll back in on each other.

And here's a little known trick for dealing with those pesky drawings that just don't want to lie flat. This may be difficult to understand just reading this text without a diagram, but here goes.


DO NOT try this on fragile drawings or original artwork.

1. Roll the drawings back up inside out from what they had been. So if the drawings had been rolled up with the drawing side out, roll them up with the drawing side facing in.
2. Grab one end of the roll and bang the drawings on a flat surface such as a table. The drawings should land parallel to the table. Do not hit the edge of the table with the roll. It needs to hit the table with a good whack but not one that would cause the drawings to tear or bend. People in the next cubicle over should be able to hear it hit the table.
3. Grab the other end and repeat the same procedure.
4. Unroll the drawings. You should see a difference in how they lie on the table. Stubborn drawings may need a second whopping.

I don't understand how it works but it does.

Meet the Authors

This weekend, I had a chance to go to the Texas Book Festival in Austin. It's a free annual event held at the capitol. The festival is a combination of events ripe for writers, readers and listeners. Within the capitol, there are many sessions to choose from and there is such a variety that it is sometimes difficult to decide what you're willing to miss.

I attended both days, about 6 hours each day. On Saturday, I listened to Kristen Gore, Lynne Cheney, Jenna Bush, Josh Piven and Mark Penn. On Sunday, I listened to Michael Lindsay, Carl Bernstein, Todd Gitlin, Roy Blount Jr., and Douglas Brinkley.

At the end of each session, the speaker/author went to the "signing" tent where you could have them autograph their book (that you bought at the adjacent Barnes & Noble bookstore tent or brought from home).

In most cases, I hadn't planned on buying their book but after listening to them speak and feeling a connection with them, all I could think of was getting their book - and their signature. I did that with Jenna Bush, Mark Penn, Carl Bernstein and Douglas Brinkley. At the bookstore, in the collection of new books, there were already-autographed copies, presumably from a surplus of ones that the author had signed within the last few hours. At any rate, I bought "autographed copies" of books by Lynne Cheney, Josh Piven, and Kay Bailey Hutchison. Kay's speaking session conflicted with another one I went to but I was still very interested in her book (and her autograph).

So, after purchasing all those books, this "free" event cost me over $200. The up side is that I saw and heard the author in person, was greeted by Jenna's Secret Service Agents, told Carl Bernstein that he uses the word "obfuscate" alot, wandered the halls of the capitol, and sat at the desks of two Texas Senators.

Truly, it was two wonderful days in which to experience freedom of speech - in the capital city of the Great State of Texas.


My Saturday Sessions:
Kristen Gore, "Sammy's House"
Lynne Cheney, "Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family"
Jenna Bush, "Ana's Story"
Josh Piven, "Bad vs. Worse: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lose-Lose Decisions"
Mark Penn, "Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes"

My Sunday Sessions:
Michael Lindsay, "Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite"
Carl Bernstein, "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton"
Todd Gitlin, "The Bulldozer and the Big Tent: Blind Republicans, Lame Democrats, and the Recovery of American Ideals"
Roy Blount, Jr., "Long Time Leaving: Dispatches from Up South"
Douglas Brinkley, "The Reagan Diaries"