What Is An Architect?

What is an architect? In short, an architect is a person who creates the design and plan for a building so that it can be turned into a real three-dimensional space. But what does that mean for someone looking to build a house? And, why would that person need to enlist the services of an architect?

The Craft of Architecture

When Ictinus designed the Parthenon in 447 BC, as chief builder or “architekton” in Greek, he sculpted full-size prototypes for the building components that would then be copied by masons to fabricate and assemble of the building. During the Renaissance, architects made great strides in developing accurate scale drawings of plans, elevations, perspectives, and scale wooden models.