2 ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHITECTS THE ARCHITECT What is the difference between an engineer and an architect? Can you name at least three famous contemporary architects? Day at Work: Architectural Designer posted by ConnectEd The term archistar is a neologism consisting of two words: the first part is an abbreviation of the word architect. Star is used to indicate a person famous in his or her own particular field. awareness: coscienza bylaw: legge locale firm: ditta, azienda to deal with: avere a che fare keen: acuto flow: flusso 220 THE WORKPLACE What is the job about? Architecture is the art, the science and the business of building. Architects create homes, offices, towers, skyscrapers, schools, etc. They are talented people with a natural ability for design, an awareness of social trends, keen business sense, solid engineering skills and an understanding of the law. Today s architect may practise alone or be part of a small, medium or large firm. Some are self-employed while others may be on salary, as employees of government, real estate developers or large corporations. Designing and re-designing The design or re-design of a home is one of the most fascinating and important things an architect can do. Architects use modern techniques and ideas to renew historic buildings that remind us of our links to the past, satisfying public interest and economic pressure to re-use them. Inside buildings architects They design chairs, tables and objects that offer comfort and pleasure to people s homes and work spaces. Big buildings In big cities, the representatives of commerce, finance, business and government ask for big buildings, which can cause big problems, such as increased traffic flow. They also create a need for parking, water, sewer and access. Putting large buildings into a city involves balancing the technical, planning and aesthetic problems connected with their size, so architects with special design skills are required to do that. Designing cities Many architects serve on planning boards and sometimes get involved in restoring parts of a city, developing housing projects or industrial parks or designing shopping centres. The work of architects starts with a commission (or contract) from a client. The commission may involve the design of a single building or a group of buildings and the spaces between them. The client may be a person, a group, a government department or a business. The architect leads a team of specialists including structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, and must also understand and deal with building codes and bylaws set out by the local and central government. to involve: coinvolgere on salary: stipendiato planning board: piano regolatore real estate developer: costruttore to set out: stabilire sewer: sistema fognario Urban redevelopment project