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3 Key Differences in Architectural Drafting Services by an Architect vs an Architectural Drafter in 2023

Mar 6, 2023

Architectural drafting services play a vital role in the building process and this fact is well understood by top service providers. While an architect produces the conceptual design for the structure and then gradually comes up with the final design in discussion with the client, an architectural drafter creates the construction drawings enabling them to bring those designs to life.

Architect vs architectural drafter: A study

It’s quite apparent that architects and architectural drafters work in close association to make a building project successful. One often wonders how they differ in their roles, obligations, qualifications, expertize, and skills. Let’s try to put these things in perspective here.

Job roles:

An architect undertakes the planning, designing, and overseeing of the construction of a building or interior space. They coordinate with different stakeholders and experts like clients, consultants, city planners, licensing authorities, contractors, architectural drafters, etc.

Architectural drafters undertake the job of producing building plans and specifications. They convert the architect’s concepts and instructions into drawings needed for the construction process using specialized computer software like CAD, BIM, etc.

Liability:

Architects hold professional, moral, environmental, and techno-legal responsibility for the buildings they design for the stipulated period. They can be held answerable if the structure is not safe and compliant with all relevant codes and regulations. This is the reason that architects require licensing to work professionally.

Architectural drafters are responsible only for the drawings they produce and hold no responsibility for the structure. As a result, they don’t need any professional license to work at an architect’s office or an engineering firm.

Qualification:

In order to work as a licensed architect to provide architectural drafting services, one must acquire an accredited university degree. Some architects even go for a Master’s degree to add a specialization to their expertise. They then have to apply for a license from a competent authority or state.

Architectural drafters, on the other hand, do not need a university degree or a license. They can do a certificate or Diploma course after High School and receive training under an established drafter.

Fundamental differences in drafting by an architect vs an architectural drafter:

An architect and an architectural drafter are two important pillars of the building process. One creates the design and the other transforms that vision into drawings. These drawings guide the construction team in erecting the structure. The quality of the drawings determines how close the completed structure is to the design conceptualized.

Naturally, an architect can also make drawings, and at the same time, an architectural drafter can also develop concepts. So, what are the key differences in architectural drafting services between an architect and an architectural drafter? This is briefly discussed here.

Creativity vs technicality

Architects have an overview of the entire building project; their focus remains on creativity and aesthetics. What’s important for them is the juxtaposition of spaces, the convenience of the user, and the services being provided.

An Architectural drafter concentrates on the technicality and specifications of the project. They provide the requisite measurements as well as construction and material details and other specifications required to make the drawings comprehensive for the end user.

Accuracy:

Architects are programmed to focus on the aesthetic part. They would like their drawings to look clean and attractive. They might unknowingly leave out some details.

Architectural drafter focuses on accuracy and precision so that the drawings convey the exact idea of the structure to be built. Each dimension and detail would be an exact piece of the jigsaw puzzle to be erected by the contractors.

Easy comprehensibility

Architects of course want the drawings to be easily understood by the construction team and contractors. However, architectural drafters having thorough experience in drafting software like CAD specialize in dishing out drawings that contain all necessary details. These drawings are easily understood by the team of contractors so there are no costly confusions or misinterpretations.

Architectural drafting is the job to provide relevant drawings and documentation to take the building process forward and transform the design intent of an architect into a solid structure of stones and bricks, cement and concrete. The role of an architect vis-à-vis an architectural drafter could sometimes be reversed or interchanged, but in the end, it’s always better to go with the specialization one offers.

3 Benefits Architectural Design And Drafting Companies Can Derive From Interior Design Documentation Produced Using BIM

Aug 26, 2021

Architectural design and drafting professionals handle restoration/ renovation projects more efficiently by using BIM to produce an accurate interior design documentation set by seamlessly integrating the existing spaces with the newly added ones.

BIM should not be mistaken as just another highly publicized software used to create a more complex building model; it provides a more comprehensive overview of a building project besides creating detailed 3-D models and thus, enabling you to extract accurate design and construction documents.

Integrating existing and proposed structures:

Architectural design and drafting companies must work systemically using BIM to simplify the complex process of remodeling or refurbishment of an existing structure.

You need to create two different models for the existing and proposed structures for this, and then seamlessly integrate them using all the features available.

The architectural objects of the existing structure like walls, floors, doors/ windows, etc can be labeled as “existing entities”, while the newly designed architectural objects should be assigned the label of “new build entities”.

BIM allows you to do a dynamic comparison between the two models; you can use special tools to quickly demolish or rebuild architectural objects.

Revit facilitates efficient preparation of interior design documentation.

You would often have found an interior job like a relay race with every contractor waiting for the other to finish and start his own work.

Dropping batons in this relay race is common, important information is thus lost and precious time wasted. BIM makes it more like the integrated effort of a team of rowers who work together in unison to achieve expected results.

A compact schedule is generated allowing everyone to work together for ensuring an efficient building with high-performing units.

Benefits of using BIM for interior design documentation:

Better visualization

BIM tools enable you to easily communicate ideas, analyze and evaluate different spaces, and assess the future performance of the structure.

You can study and accurately compare various design alternatives reflected in related views, drawings, and schedules, saving time and increasing your credibility.

Close collaboration

BIM helps architectural design and drafting firms facilitate better collaboration among all the stakeholders involved with the project.

Individual models are created by different stakeholders which are linked together, allowing an interior designer to see every minute detail to carry out their work efficiently and with the minimum interruptions.

You can always provide a viable design if you know precisely where articles like an electrical junction box or a plumbing line is laid.

A closer collaboration helps you save time and money.

Forming accurate databases

Finalizing the placement and documentation of articles like furniture and equipment etc. is always a tough job for interior designers.

BIM makes this job much easier. Revit helps you accurately sort, count and filter all databases, giving parameters to every object, like model number and cost.

The schedules can thus pull their information and remain updated all the time.

Producing interior design documentation for renovation projects can be a challenging job for architectural design and drafting service providers.

BIM helps you visualize and communicate your design in a better way, facilitates better collaboration among all stakeholders involved, and enables you to sort and filter all databases to produce architectural masterpieces time and again.

4 Ways CAD Service Providers Help Make Your Working More Efficient & Productive

May 7, 2021

Working closely with the reputed CAD service providers like The AEC Associates has become a norm rather than an exception for top architects around the world.

Third-party CAD service providers offer countless benefits contrary to the belief of some people who remain apprehensive about entrusting their important drafting and documentation job to an unknown outsourcing vendor and still prefer to get the work done by their in-house team only.

Following is a brief discussion on the main reasons you should not hesitate in hiring an outsourcing vendor specializing in the kind of work you deal with.

You Get Top Quality, Every Time

CAD service providers are teams of experienced, skilled professionals specializing in different disciplines of architecture and engineering, adept at handling both small, retail buildings as well as large, complex projects of all kinds.

You are assured of top-quality work every time when you associate with them. It takes you years of untiring hard work to build a reputation of your own, you just cannot afford to compromise on the accuracy or the quality of work.

Just take your time and choose your vendor after proper due diligence, and your results will improve.

Faster Turn-around Time

Time is money in today’s business world, you don’t deliver on time and your reputation is tarnished beyond redemption.

You might get apprehensive you won’t be able to control an outsider when it comes to punctuality, but is that true?

You can of course monitor your timelines closely while getting the job done from your in-house teams, but times have changed and globalization has ensured that most outsourcing vendors are usually located in different geographical locations and time zones than your own.

So, your work goes on even after you have closed down your office for the day. You can manage these vendors by having a time schedule and a good follow-up program in place to ensure a faster turn-around time.

Reduces Your Operational Cost Considerably

Some people think that outsourcing one’s work costs more money, but that’s a misconception.

It in fact reduces your operational cost considerably, besides giving you an exact idea of what it is going to cost you once you hire your vendor.

One big plus here is that you are spared the pain of hiring and firing as per the demand of your projects. Since you can work with a minimum number of employees as a result, you can save a lot on office space and equipment, and also on salaries and perks of the employees.

Ensures Data Security

Architects are sometimes wary of working with CAD service providers as they are apprehensive about design data being leaked or stolen.

They think that they are at greater risk when working with outside vendors, but it can simply be prevented by entering into contracts like non-disclosure agreements, etc.

Associating with reputed CAD service providers can give you more freedom to focus on your core competencies and business aspect.

They help make your work more efficient by reducing your operational cost, ensuring faster turn-around time, and offering top quality all the time.

Architectural Drafting Services: 4 Challenges You Must Overcome For Efficient Design Coordination During Design Development Phase

Apr 26, 2021

Top providers of Architectural Drafting Services constantly strive hard to produce functionally superior and aesthetically pleasing buildings on a regular basis. You would of course be interested in knowing how this seemingly impossible objective can be achieved.

Building Information Modeling: A revolutionary process:

Building Information Modeling or BIM promises to take the construction industry to the next level. There has been a marked difference in the performances of the projects where BIM is being used and where traditional methods are being employed, clearly showing the value of this process.

Enriched BIM models used by Architectural Drafting Services professionals facilitate greater inter-disciplinary coordination and collaboration for efficient and timely decision making. Following are some major challenges you face due to inefficient coordination during the design development stage of a project.

Reworks and wastage

It becomes so necessary to avoid those countless reworks and material wastage that often result in budgeted overruns.

Inaccessibility of information

So many projects fail to take off due to different stakeholders not being able to access the required design data at the right time.

Unreliable decision making

When you are not able to access the right information at critical stages, it results in unreliable decision-making. It gives rise to unwanted conflicts and stalls so many promising projects.

Inter-disciplinary conflicts

Lack of coordination among various stakeholders could give rise to inter-disciplinary conflicts, which if not sorted, can push deadlines behind and result in gross wastage of precious time, money and resources

So, how would you tackle these hurdles and make sure everything goes smoothly during the design development process? You can adopt modern techniques to ensure better coordination among various participants. Following are a few tips about how to achieve this objective.

Coordination between architects and engineers

You plan a building as per your client’s requirements keeping in perspective the functional efficiency and aesthetical appearance. It’s the responsibility of the engineers to make sure that the design provided by you is viable.

A detailed BIM model can be used to make sure there are no clashing elements between the layout of architects and engineers, pointing out possible problematic areas at an early stage itself so that viable solutions are found.

Coordination between engineers and MEP contractors

There is often an issue of materials and equipment not being available or right people not being there at the right spots. Detailed BIM models may be used to generate schedules, estimating the requirements and time slots to avoid this problem.

This would also give MEP contractors an exact idea at the time of planning where structural elements are placed to offer an efficient layout.

Architects and MEP contractors

MEP contractors must be aware of an architect’s requirements so that there is no major deviation from the original scheme. For example, they cannot provide an Air-conditioning duct that makes the space look ugly.

It would be a disaster if they provide a cable where the architect is planning to place a classical object. They can be kept on the same page by using a detailed BIM model.

The massive responsibility of converting client’s dreams into functionally efficient, visually pleasing structures lies on the shoulders of the Architects and their Architectural Drafting Services team.

Identifying the main challenges in design coordination faced during the design development stage and finding effective ways to overcome them will enable you to produce timeless buildings time and again.

You cannot ensure flawless execution of a building project without handling various challenges in an efficient manner.

It often becomes a tough task for the Design Team to stick to the original design scheme and complete the project within the allotted timeline and budget due to a general lack of coordination among various stakeholders involved despite their individual brilliance and creativity.

“Design coordination during the design development phase” thus assumes great significance for the successful completion of a building project.

3 Common Mistakes You Must Avoid: Architectural Drafting Services

Architectural Drafting Services

Jul 1, 2019

The job of the providers of Architectural drafting services like The AEC Associates cannot look very rewarding. When you produce a spectacular building, you are expected to do it, anyway and this could feel thankless sometimes. The crucial part being, the designing process goes through so many stages, each just as crucial as the other

.Architectural drafting services need to make sure that everything is in order to make the building process efficient and productive. The project team could often make some common yet critical errors that should be avoided at any cost.

Architectural Drafting Services

Some of these errors are discussed below:

Not taking your client seriously enough

The first principle to abide for Architectural drafting services providers should be – client is the boss. Their needs, requirements and preferences should always be your primary focus. Try to know them inside-out, so the building designed by you reflects their personality.If you don’t take them seriously enough and don’t have heart to heart discussion with them, your project will not make them happy. As an expert it’s your job to detail their requirements and offer your suggestions in these discussions to avoid any conflicts.It is important to consider these aspects to begin the project on a good note.

Not doing a thorough site survey

A building has to be built on the site provided to you. You are inviting serious trouble if you fail to make a thorough site survey before starting the project. If you aspire to produce timeless architecture, it’s imperative to make the full use of the immediate surroundings and the features of the site. Everything here is an asset, a gift for the architect. Right from the slope of the site, sun &water orientation, natural features like water bodies or mounds,and so on.These can play a vital role in designing an outstanding building.

Not ensuring the accuracy of documentation

One important thing to consider is, that your drawings are never prepared on a true scale.Hence, even one millimetre on a drawing actually means a lot more on the actual site. The slightest of inaccuracies or errors in your drawings would naturally change the entire structure beyond redemption. It’s the responsibility of the providers of Architectural drafting services to check the drawings and other documents to ensure everything is in order.

Top providers of Architectural drafting services must avoid some of these most common mistakes to be able to produce functionally efficient and aesthetically pleasing buildings. Taking care of a few important aspects, like the client,site, and accuracy of documentation will help in the long run.

3 Reasons Colors Are So Important For Architectural Drafting Services

Architectural Drafting Services

Mar 5, 2018

The constant endeavor of The AEC Associates Architectural Drafting Services is to transform the dream castles of their clients into solid structures of bricks, stones and mortar, of glass, concrete and steel. Colors have the power of instantly altering the mood and quality of a space or structure, playing a significant role in helping Architectural drafting services produce landmark buildings that are loved by one and all. Color, a visual perception, allows us to identify so many things in our surroundings; following are some reasons colors are so important for the designers.

Signature of the owner

Architectural drafting services can use colors to convey the personality of the owner in an unambiguous manner. Sparkling or flashy shades signify a vibrant personality, while light or neutral hues are mostly preferred by a somber person. A designer can choose his color schemes keeping in view the personality and preferences of the client.

Lifts morale

Colors have the power to swing your moods; they can influence you in a positive or negative way. Some spaces can lift your morale while others may send you into an instant depression; the key is the color used. One can create a positive mindset and a happy mood in the buildings by using appropriate paints. Sunny hues or a touch of vibrant red on white, and you will instantly make the atmosphere gay and cheerful. The color scheme has the capacity to alter the whole mood of a space, and the users, in an instant.

Changes the feel of a space

Colors have the ability to create visual illusions to suit the needs of the clients; a quality Architectural drafting services can use to their advantage. Dark colors may be used to make a big façade (or space) look smaller, and lighter or sober colors to make smaller spaces look much larger.

Colors play a significant role for Architectural drafting services in producing exceptional designs. You can give a positive, vibrant feeling to your structures and spaces using the right color schemes, and make the buildings a true reflection of the personality of your clients.

3 C’s That Can Help Architectural Drafting Services Produce Great Architecture

Architectural Drafting Services

Jan 9, 2018

The AEC Associates Architectural Drafting Services strive hard to turn the dreams of their clients into solid structures of bricks and stone, concrete and steel. Besides satisfying the needs and requirements of the client, Architectural drafting services also aspire to produce unique, spectacular buildings for the posterity. One would love to have a standardized design formula for dishing brilliant buildings one after the other, but architecture is a creative profession and it’s very difficult to provide a strict guideline for working in a way as to fulfill this objective. We can, however, follow a few basic principles to make it simpler and more effective; some of these principles are discussed below.

Creativity is the key

Creativity is the key to producing a good, unique design. This is the virtue that helps Architectural drafting services leave their imprint on their buildings. While lesser beings reproduce prototypes or just copy others, a creative individual breaks free from the ordinary and innovates continuously to find a place among the exclusive club of top architects. Unbridled creativity is the tool that gives you a sense of immense fulfillment besides allowing you to come up with some dazzling buildings.

Common sense is essential

Creativity is of no use without common sense. You cannot produce a practical enough design without mixing these two. There’s no point in imagining a castle in the air you cannot actually build. Also interact with the clients to know about their tastes and preferences, their social standing and budgetary constraints, and also site conditions, climate and orientation etc to come up with a practically functional and aesthetically pleasing structure to satisfy your client and win hearts all over besides knowing the functionality aspects and anthropometrics; otherwise the end result would be a failure.

Comfort of the client

A designer must strive to make the structure as comfortable as possible for the end-users. All the needs and requirements of the client must be satisfied by the design produced by Architectural drafting services in order for it to be considered successful. The building should reflect an individual’s personality and preferences, and look and feel cozy and inviting.

Importance Of Line And Form In Landscape Design: Architectural CAD Drafting (Continued 5)

Jun 3, 2016

Form is an important element of landscape design that helps The AEC Associates Architectural CAD Drafting services produce breathtaking landscapes. We have been discussing in our posts about how Architectural CAD drafting can use different forms and their properties to decide a theme for the design and come up with aesthetically attractive landscapes. This post continues with the discussion.

Shrub forms

Shrub forms often compliment tree forms. They may include upright, vase shaped, spiky, arching, mounding, rounded, cascading or irregular forms. Shrub forms are used depending on whether they are in a mass or as a single specimen. Mounding shrub would look best in a mass while cascading form looks great as a specimen.

Groundcover forms

Groundcover forms are ground hugging, small plants that have little impact as individual plants. It’s best to use them as masses. They may include matting, spreading, sprawling, clumping and short spikes etc.

Properties of form

Form is so powerful, it decides the overall theme of a landscape for Architectural CAD drafting. People can distinguish or perceive a form just by an outline or silhouette. A pattern, the basic organizational structure of a landscape, is created by the repetition of form.
Form determines if a garden is formal or informal. A garden using geometric forms has an established style and formal feel, like contemporary gardens. On the other hand, an informal garden mostly uses naturalistic forms.
Form compatibility is a major component of a landscape. One or two strikingly different forms may create interest but it’s advisable to mostly use forms having something in common in order to give a unified look to the design.

Architectural CAD drafting need to understand the properties of various elements of landscape design to be able to produce gardens that are appealing to all the visitors. Form is a major element that determines the theme of a landscape and gives it a distinctive style. We shall continue discussing other elements of landscape design in our future posts.

Importance of Line And Form In Landscape Design: Architectural CAD Drafting (Continued)

May 23, 2016

The AEC Associates Architectural CAD Drafting services must follow the basic principles of landscape design to come up with interesting compositions and pleasant outdoor spaces. It’s important for Architectural CAD drafting to understand the basic elements of landscaping- line, form, color, texture and visual weight- to produce landscape designs that are able to attract the visitors and satisfy the clients. We continue the intricacies of element of line here before moving on the form.

Line:

As we discussed in our previous post, lines are a powerful tool for Architectural CAD drafting as they can be used to create forms and patterns, produce themes, develop spaces, and control movement of the eye and the body.

How are lines created:

Landscape lines can be created in the following ways-

When two different materials meet on the ground plane- a brick footpath meeting an expanse of green grass
When the edge of an object is visible or contrasts with the background- The silhouette of a tree against the sky or outline of a sculpture against a patch of green
The placement of a material in a line- a fence or a short line of hedges.

Characteristics of lines:

The response of the people to the landscape, both physically and emotionally, is determined by the characteristics of lines. We present a brief summary below:

Straight lines

Structural and forceful, create a formal character, associated usually with symmetrical designs, lead the eye directly to a focal point. Found mostly in hardscape edges and materials.

Diagonal lines

Straight lines with an intentional direction.

Curved lines

Create an informal, natural and relaxed character; associated with nature and asymmetrical designs, move the eye at a slower pace creating mystery to the space by hiding certain views.

Vertical lines

Move the eye up, thus creating the illusion that the space is actually larger; can emphasize a feature and signify activity. Found in tall, narrow plant material like trees and tall structures like bird house on a pole.

Horizontal lines

Move the eye along the ground and make the space look larger, more subdued, create a feeling of rest or relaxation. Found in low garden walls, pathways or short hedges etc.

Lines play an important role in enabling Architectural CAD drafting create pleasing landscapes. In our next post, we shall be discussing the significance of form for the landscape designers.

Architectural CAD Drafting: Providing An Accessible Environment

Architectural Drafting Services

May 4, 2016

The role of The AEC Associates Architectural CAD Drafting services is not limited to just producing buildings and amenities for the community. A large portion of our society find it hard to negotiate the facilities provided at large in our cities and in our buildings. The disabled people, the senior citizens, sick and the young children often face life-threatening hazards while negotiating the roads, buildings and other spaces even in a modern, planned city; it’s the moral and social obligation of Architectural CAD drafting to ensure that they can live and work without any health hazards or risk to their lives. Let us discuss here how can the designers ensure the safety and convenience of this important section of the society.

Design considerations:

When we talk about our immediate environment, we can divide the overall design scenario into essentially three segments. Architectural CAD drafting must have design parameters for these three segments to make sure that every citizen is able to lead a hazard-free, normal life.

The roads:

Negotiating the roads in the cities today with so much traffic is nothing short of a miracle even for perfectly healthy and normal people. Now spare a moment for those who have some sort of a disability or have been affected by their growing age or some sickness. Crossing the road would be nearly impossible for them without an aid from the designers. It’s necessary to provide a devise to stop the traffic when these people cross the road. Such devices are available, we only have to install them at every crossing and make sure that people follow the rules.

Similarly, providing safe pedestrian paths and other such amenities is essential to make roads safe for these people.

Entrance and interior of a building:

When the designers conceptualize a building, especially a large public or private building, they tend to overlook some basic fundamentals that could prove dangerous for the above mentioned people. If they don’t provide steps with handrails and ramps with proper slopes, it gets difficult for these people to even enter the building without risking their wellbeing. Glass doors often cause confusions and even thwart the wheelchair bound people to go through without lot of trouble. The inside staircases or elevators also present many obstacles for the disabled and the aged people. Architectural CAD drafting services must consider every aspect to make these usable for these people.

We shall continue this discussion in our next post to see how the designers can make life a lot easier for a part of the society that needs just a little help from our side to lead a perfectly normal life.

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