What I do

Before new buildings are constructed there are lots of factors architects need to consider to make sure it will serve its purpose, look good and receive building permission.

As an Architectural Technician I help them work these considerations out by creating models of the building using design software. The models show how the building will look and work in real life.

Technicians working on architectural plans

Hear more about Aurelia's role by watching the video below...

How I became a technician

I studied construction management for one year. I loved the paper and drawings but I didn’t like the reports! I then decided to go to the architectural technology and design computer aided class instead. I did this for two years and I got offered the job I am in now after the course.

A typical day in my
working life

Firstly I load up Revit and look at my weekly tasks list. Revit is the programme we use for drawing 3D buildings – mainly commercial buildings such as prisons, schools and airports, or big buildings such as warehouses. Mainly my day is to model in 3D. When it’s a brand new project, some of my colleagues will give me design sketches and CAD floor plans and from there I prepare Revit.

Once I have all this information – the sketches and the floor plans – I make the building in 3D from scratch.

I start with concept walls, doors and windows. As the project grows and we get more details, we replace the concept walls and build-up specific walls, such as an external cavity wall. For an internal wall, you consider fire safety, so it is a different build. I always go to the Gypsum website where they give you all the details of different walls – such as plasterboard. This happens much later in the project. At first it is quite easy, quick and conceptual.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

I love that the model I make will be used to persuade decision-makers about the benefits of the building. I really enjoy helping with the development of interior images, virtual reality tours and fly-through videos of the building - I’m able to give people a vision of the future!

The best bits about working in a team

We are team based. We change teammates depending on the job. When there’s a new job, there will be a head team assigned who will manage the project and will ask me to join their team. I am more of a support role.

I also work with my colleagues in the Building Information Management (BIM) Team where they use Oculus virtual reality headsets. I make a 3D building and I give it to the BIM Team, and they put that in Oculus so the clients can visit the house before it has been constructed. When we are multi-team working on one project, I will make the skin of the building and the structural guys will make the bones and we put them together in Revit and we can see what works and we can move things such as columns before it is constructed.

It saves so much time later on because you can check that your building is working. We can check the pipes and cables - everything to make sure it is not going through a door or a column. We all work together and it is so good.

The next steps in my career journey

As you build up your modelling skills, you will get involved in developing models for larger and more complex buildings. Someday I could lead a team of people responsible for creating models or extend my modelling skills into different areas of visualisation like virtual reality and videos.

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

Nine apprentices sitting on sofas socialising

Meet other technicians

Read more real life technicians stories, see what they do every day, and how they got started.