What Does a Historic Preservation Architect Do?

A historic preservation architect helps preserve old buildings that have historical value. Your duties in this career include making repairs and renovations that do not alter the interior or exterior appearance of the building. You repair the structure, bring the building up to code, and take measures to ensure its longevity. Your responsibilities usually involve making an initial assessment of the building and then working with historians, engineers, or other experts to create actionable conservation plans. In addition to safety and building code regulations, you also plan renovations that meet guidelines set out by organizations like the National Register of Historic Places.

How to Become a Historic Preservation Architect

The qualifications that you need to become a historic preservation architect include a degree, knowledge of architectural history, and planning skills. Degree requirements vary. Most employers prefer architects who have a master’s degree in architecture with a focus on historic preservation. Some employers may accept an architect with a bachelor’s degree who has experience in historic preservation. In addition to an architecture-related degree, you can pursue a specialized graduate degree in a subject like historical preservation. Most employers prefer applicants with previous experience in building restoration. You also need experience using relevant computer programs, such as AutoCAD or another drafting software.

What is architectural engineering?

Architectural engineers apply practical and theoretical knowledge to the engineering design of buildings and building systems. The goal is to engineer high-performance buildings that are sustainable, resilient, economically viable, that ensure the safety, health, comfort, and productivity of occupants.

Uniting scientific principles from structural, mechanical, electrical, lighting, acoustical, and construction engineering, architectural engineers apply their discipline-specific expertise to conceptualize, design, construct, operate and maintain built environments in interdisciplinary team environments.

Graduates of architectural engineering are widely considered to be creative systems engineers, with formal training in creativity and design through architectural design studios married with a solid engineering education.

What Is a Solutions Architect (and How Do I Become One)?

A solutions architect creates the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a business problem.

A solutions architect creates the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a business problem. They design, describe, and manage the solution. In many ways, this person builds the bridge between a business problem and the technology solution and outlines each of the phases and requirements required to make that solution work.

What does a solutions architect do?

A good solutions architect looks at the existing environment and analyzes what technologies are available and what software product must be developed to provide the best solution for the problem that needs to be solved. From there, the solutions architect creates an overall strategic technical vision—not unlike an architect designing a blueprint for a building. They develop a budget for producing a software product based on that vision.

After the stakeholders have agreed on the project, the solutions architect is responsible for monitoring the process and keeping stakeholders updated and informed on the progress. Most of the time, the project involves both technical and non-technical stakeholders, and the solutions architect must make sure that each party's needs are considered and factored into the project's scope.

Tasks and responsibilities

Depending on the company you work for and the project you’re working on, your day-to-day tasks as a solutions architect might include:

• Providing recommendations and roadmaps for proposed solutions

• Performing design, debug, and performance analysis on solutions

• Documenting and sharing best practice knowledge for new solutions

• Advocating for process improvements and helping develop solutions

• Regularly communicating new features and benefits to partners, customers, and other stakeholders

• Providing technical leadership to a team throughout the project lifecycle

• Developing proof-of-concept projects to validate your proposed solutions

• Reviewing and validating solutions designs from other team members