The prime reason to address this topic comes from the lack of awareness about both domains and their interdependence. People often state that it is very difficult for the architect and engineer of the same project to get along. Some think of engineering as purely sciency and of architecture as purely artsy. Few even go as far as saying that only one of the two professions is a necessity. 

There is in fact no singular response to all these speculations. Both professions encompass a ginormous set of responsibilities and skills that need to be tended to with dedication and competence. They are both part of the spectrum that is ‘Development’ and their definitions keep evolving like the spectrum itself.

If you consider any sample project, for example- the development of a new school in your neighbourhood, the project architect will be the one to study the neighbourhood thoroughly and to propose one or multiple designs that suit the user groups and the surrounding best. These designs are not just random iterations that pop into the architect’s mind but a holistic solution to a number of design requirements which is the architect’s problem set. The designs keep in mind the building material used in the construction of the school and the kind of construction techniques and services that could be deployed. They also must make sure that the school is a sustainable addition to the already existing social and ecological environment whilst being a valuable and aesthetic experience to all future users.

To put this all-round plan into motion, the project needs a structural engineer whose job it is to come up with mathematical solutions to meet the creative requirements of the building. An engineer will conduct tests with the soil to check for its bearing capacity and other specifications to make sure that the site itself can support the upcoming built additions on it. They will check the viability of the material structurally and make calculations that define overall load transfer within the structure. Engineers are also involved along with architects and other professionals to suggest and finalize the materials and systems that will eventually be used.

For most innovative projects, the process isn’t as simple. A design is only finalized after endless back and forth of ideas and blueprints from both parties. It is only then that a design is ready for execution. Even then, it is essential that both the engineer and the architect be present at certain crucial points to oversee construction and executive design decisions.

However confusingly similar or dissimilar these fields may seem, some stark differences can be noted in their respective educational curricula. Engineering students study either in small groups with a professor, often in labs or in bigger numbers in lecture halls where they are usually taught scientifically universal approaches to problem-solving. Their subjects generally include foundation sciences, geotechnical and structural calculations, material study, and the construction industry itself. A Bachelor’s in Engineering is mostly based on grounded testing and unidirectional ventures toward a solution. 

Architecture schools consist of studios where students are divided into small groups with a mentor to each group wherein ideas are repeatedly presented and bounced off of each other, designs are reviewed, reiterated, and then presented again as a final design jury. Some design projects last entire semesters or more depending on the scale and scope of the same. Alongside, they are taught the history of architecture, material usage, building construction and structural theory. The architectural curriculum also focuses largely on soft skills like metacognition, expression, representation, compilation, and presentation.

A good comparison would be of the final year thesis projects of both degrees. An architectural thesis comprises the application of the existing knowledge of infrastructural systems along with new innovative ones that are focused on a specific, detailed topic whereas engineering theses work along the lines of exploration via testing and research.

In countries like the US, architects earn slightly more than engineers, especially after a Master’s degree. However, architects are severely underpaid in India. Most of the Indian population does not comprehend the need for an architect today and it will perhaps continue to be so for the next 40-50 years or more. In India, a fresher structural engineer is more sought out for with appropriate remuneration than a fresher architect. This gap reduces as it is subject to change with time, experience, and the individual’s caliber.

Engineers are profoundly sought after in almost all parts of the world as it is a valuable degree to have. A civil engineer can work as a structural consultant at firms and consultancies, can start their own practice among other options, or even choose to change career courses or apply for a job in another spectrum without much hassle. Architects have made tremendous progress as landscape consultants, urban planners, restorers, builders even, and more. Even though it takes time to establish a career in core Architecture, the positives are that the field is so vast and unendingly allied with various other fields that it is never a bad time to be an Architect. Not only that, but an architectural education also prepares you for a number of other jobs in the world, creative and otherwise. 

The title ‘Architects VS. Engineers’ is pretty irrelevant if you look at it in hindsight. There possibly cannot exist one without the other and they both belong essentially to the same mother profession- Development. The difference between an architect and an engineer is a lot and yet almost nil. It is indeed a complex relationship that has been made peace with due to common factors like blueprints and drafting and modeling software that have made communication between both these professions smoother.

Both these fields are an ode to versatility. Engineering if often misconstrued as a very rigid disciple of the sciences whereas in reality, it offers equal scope for creativity as well. If it were not for creative engineers that strive towards finding solutions for the most complicated design situations, we would not have some of the world’s finest architectural marvels. It is impossible to determine who is more important based simply on the difficulty level of their education. It would depend on the circumstances under consideration and even then, the answer would probably be indeterminable.

It is very difficult to know where someone stops being an architect and starts being an engineer or vice versa as the overlap of skills and responsibilities is huge, unaccounted and ever growing. But at the same time, do we have to know? 

The most efficient architects in the world are just creative engineers and the best engineers in the world are just architects that are also good at math.

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Text provided by Elsa Dominic-

“Architecture is one of the most fundamental yet complex forms of expressed art. Many of us find it hard to perceive the beauty around us which is much more than just bricks and blocks and buildings. Our daily lives can turn out to be much more wholesome and interactive if we start appreciating the art that is architecture and the architecture that is art.”

Elsa is an architecture student and intends to be a medium that tries to explain the thoughts behind years of space-development which has culminated into what we see around us today, their nitty gritty and the impact it has on us every day of our lives. As she has come to believe, words have acted not only as her best pals but also as the simplest vessels that connect people with spaces.