How to become a building architect

Official title: Building architect

Also called: Architectural designer, Building project architect, Architect, Senior Architect, Ÿ Architectural designer

Building architect designs commercial, industrial, institutional, residential and recreational buildings and plans and monitors their construction, maintenance and rehabilitation. He/she consults with client to ascertain type and style of building required and advises on cost, design, materials, building time and other relevant considerations.

Main tasks

• Developing new or improved architectural theories and methods
• Inspecting sites and consulting clients, management and other stakeholders to determine type, style and size of proposed buildings and alterations to existing buildings
• Providing information regarding designs, materials and estimated building times
• Preparing project documentation, including sketches and scale drawings, and integrating structural, mechanical and aesthetic elements in final designs
• Writing specifications and contract documents for use by builders and calling tenders on behalf of clients
• Making necessary contacts to ensure feasibility of projects regarding style, cost, timing, and compliance with regulations
• Identifying and finding best solutions for problems regarding function and quality of interior environments of buildings and making necessary designs, drawings and plans
• Monitoring construction or rehabilitation work to ensure compliance with specifications and quality standards

Ways in

• University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 2 universities in Singapore
• Licence or registration: Only a registered architect may use the title architect, and only one with a practising certificate may supply architectural services such as preparing building plans. Registration needs a degree the Board recognises, several years of practical experience and the Board's professional practice exam or interview. Law: Architects Act 1991. Regulator: Board of Architects (BOA) (https://www.boa.gov.sg).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $81,576 a year. The middle half earn $63,000 to $124,392 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Landscape architect
• Landscape designer
• Fashion designer
• Product/Industrial designer
• Urban planner
• Land surveyor

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Questions people ask

How do I become a building architect?

Ways in include: Architecture & Built Environment degrees.

How much does a building architect earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $81,576 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $63,000 to $124,392.

Will AI change the work of a building architect?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026