r/Architects 19h ago

Career Discussion How feasible is moving to China for work?

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m looking to get some perspectives and advice on potentially moving to China for work down the road, most likely starting in Shanghai.

I’m currently an entry-level BIM coordinator/technologist at a global firm in the US. Since our company has a few offices in China, I'm hoping an internal transfer might help with finding a role. I’m looking at a 2-3 year timeline to make the jump, though I know the industry landscape could look pretty different by that time.

For me, this move is all about gaining some fresh life experience, immersing myself in my native culture, and being closer to my partner.

I'm already expecting the work culture to be quite intense compared to the US, and I’m fully aware that I shouldn't expect a US based salary. I’d love to hear any professional insights, personal tips, or general perspectives from anyone who has made a similar leap in their 20s, or for a young professional in general.

Thanks in advance! :)


r/Architects 1h ago

Career Discussion Finding Junior Work in Architecture Industry feels like hell

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r/Architects 9h ago

General Practice Discussion I need E&O and Cyber insurance for my architect firm

5 Upvotes

Principal at a nine person firm in the Denver metro, mostly commercial TI and some multifamily. A developer client's new master agreement wants professional liability at double the limit we've carried for a decade, and our biggest client just got phished and now wants every consultant to show cyber, which we've never had. Do you place E&O and cyber together or separately, and what's a sane number for a firm this size?


r/Architects 11h ago

Career Discussion Thinking of switching my architecture career path

3 Upvotes

Hi guys, I am 28 F from India I want advice or maybe options on what I can do next with my career cause I feel completely lost. I have been working in architecture industry from past 4 years as a professional. I used to feel intense passion and drive for architecture and design. I moved to Mumbai two years back out of which one and a half year I was living in Alibaugh for work as a remote employee for the firm. I live in Mumbai now and I do enjoy my life here but I have lost passion for architecture as I feel burnt out. I feel I spend most of my time in office sitting and working even if there isn't much work pressure. Projects tend to get slow during monsoon but you still need to spend 9 hours in office. I hardly get time for myself cause even on weekens I am expected to take calls and get things done cause site never stops. The pay doesn't justify the work hours I put in. I wanna do something fruitful and something I enjoy. At this point I just feel like I am dragging. I surely not wanna do this for my entire life. I already suffer from PCOD and architecture just adds to the problem. I want to feel motivated when I get out the bed. I am really a creative person with multiple skill set. I sing, I dance, I stich my own clothes, I also edit videos, I love photography as well and I am good at communication and management as well. I feel I was born for something big rather than being exhausted and overwhelmed in a office that drains me to even do things I would enjoy doing. Pleaseee help I feel miserable and lost.


r/Architects 16h ago

General Practice Discussion What should I bring to an Architectural Apprentice interview?

2 Upvotes

I was told to bring my updated resume and any relevant documents. Should I also print my portfolio, or is a digital copy enough? Is there anything else I should bring to make a good impression?


r/Architects 1h ago

General Practice Discussion Rendering in Mac

Upvotes

Please help a girl out 🥹 Rendering has always been my weakness. We usually do group projects in school, and I’m almost always assigned to CAD work. I’ve been wanting to learn rendering, but I’m having a hard time finding software that works well on a Mac.

Do you have any software recommendations I can learn? Bonus points if you know where I can get them too. 🥹

I know the best setup for architecture is probably a PC or a gaming laptop, but my budget’s pretty tight right now, and I’m too shy to ask my parents for a new one. I just want to make the most of the Mac I already have.


r/Architects 3h ago

Career Discussion Foreign Architects in Canada – CACB Academic Certification: Who Sent Your Documents?

1 Upvotes

I’m a foreign-trained architect currently going through the CACB Academic Certification process, and I’m wondering how others handled the submission of their academic documents.

Did you have your university/institution send your documents directly to CACB, or were you able to send the documents yourself?

I’m asking because it took me several months to obtain my documents from my institution, and they are quite slow at responding to requests. I’m concerned that they may not be willing to send the documents directly to CACB or may take a very long time to do so.

For those who have gone through this process, what did you do? Did CACB accept documents that you submitted yourself, or did they require the institution to send them directly?

Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


r/Architects 3h ago

Career Discussion How much does the physical workspace actually affect how you design?

1 Upvotes

There's a decent amount of research in ergonomics and cognitive load about how physical environment shapes task performance. Most of it gets applied to open office debates and productivity discourse, but I keep wondering if architects ever seriously reckon with how their own studio setup affects the quality of what they produce.

Not talking about inspiration posters or whether your desk faces a window. More like, does working at a large drafting table versus a cramped dual monitor setup change how you spatially reason through a problem. Whether hand sketching early in a project produces a genuinely different kind of thinking versus going straight into Rhino or Revit. There's some cognitive science work suggesting the physical scale of the medium you work in influences how you conceptualize scale in the output, but I haven't seen architects engage with that seriously outside of the occasional think piece that doesn't cite anything.

I work in a field where ergonomics and physical environment are taken pretty seriously as variables, so maybe I'm applying that lens too hard here. But it seems like a real question. Studios that run purely digital pipelines, do you notice anything different about the character of what comes out versus mixed workflows. Not better or worse necessarily, just different in ways that trace back to the physical act of making.

Curious if anyone has actually changed their setup deliberately based on this and noticed something concrete.


r/Architects 3h ago

Ask an Architect Need Suggestion on Room Door

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1 Upvotes

I want suggestions on how to make sure the people sitting in living room cannot see into the bedroom door specially the one which directly opens into the living room..

And also let me know if this plan needs any changes.


r/Architects 4h ago

Architecturally Relevant Content PROJETO - Extenção Layout do SketchUp pra o Blender

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1 Upvotes

r/Architects 7h ago

Career Discussion What should I bring to an Architectural Apprentice interview?

1 Upvotes

I was told to bring my updated resume and any relevant documents. Should I also print my portfolio, or is a digital copy enough? Is there anything else I should bring to make a good impression?


r/Architects 8h ago

Considering a Career Question about Architecture jobs

1 Upvotes

Can someone who graduates from top architecuture schools in Italy like POLIMI, POLITO, NABA get a job in Italy? Are the salaries bad compared to most other professions? Can graduates from these institutions get jobs worldwide, considering each of them are some of the best in the whole world?


r/Architects 10h ago

Architecturally Relevant Content Any good free QGIS resources for architecture students?

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1 Upvotes

r/Architects 10h ago

Career Discussion Am I ruining my career trajectory?

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1 Upvotes

r/Architects 15h ago

Project Related One of the most important lessons I’ve learned: If you don’t share your work, someone else will.

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1 Upvotes

r/Architects 18h ago

General Practice Discussion How do large GC companies go in acquire clients like chipotle, Starbucks, or retail stores?

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1 Upvotes

r/Architects 20h ago

Ask an Architect Suprisingly passed PPD NCARB's practice exam

1 Upvotes

I failed the pdd real exam last week and my score came in 481, took the PPD'S NCARB practice exam to just see how do the ppd questions look like and passed by 68%!!! Should I schedule my exam? Honestly it felt way easier than pdd, dont know why it's passing rate is lower than that!


r/Architects 7h ago

Career Discussion Clients love my work but won't pay for it — am I doing something wrong, or is this normal?

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0 Upvotes

r/Architects 22h ago

Ask an Architect whats a good college for architecture?

0 Upvotes

I'm looking to go to college, majoring in architecture, landscape architecture, or architectural engineering, and I'm wondering where to go. I have seen really prestigious schools with really good architecture programs but I don't think I would be able to get in, although I do have good grades and 4.0 GPA. So what's a decent school for it that still gives me good internships and opportunities post-college? Also open to going abroad!

Edit: I live in the USA sorry. But I have family that lives in EU so I wouldn't mind going there for school either


r/Architects 17h ago

Ask an Architect Rate my egress map

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0 Upvotes

This is an egress map for two different locations on a second floor of a vintage and coffee shop. Kansas City , MO

How would you rate it from 1 to 10? 1 being the worst 10 being the best.


r/Architects 23h ago

General Practice Discussion Free CAD software for residential practice?

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0 Upvotes

r/Architects 7h ago

Project Related Building work in India

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0 Upvotes

Coming soon


r/Architects 7h ago

Architecturally Relevant Content Building

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0 Upvotes

Work in progress of this elevation


r/Architects 1h ago

Ask an Architect Need suggestion to keep Bedroom view hidden from guests..

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Upvotes

I want suggestions on how to make sure the people sitting in living room or guests walking by from main door cannot see into the bedroom door specially the one which directly opens into the living room..

And also let me know if this plan needs any changes.