What is an Architect?
A person or entity registered, licensed or otherwise authorized to use the title "architect" and to practice architecture in a province or territory. In the state of Queensland you must be registered with the Board of Architects of Queensland to use the title of 'Architect' and to offer 'architectural services'.
The most basic definition of an architect is a professional who is qualified to design and provide advice - both aesthetic and technical - on built objects in our public and private landscapes. But this definition barely scratches the surface of an architect's role. Architects serve as trusted advisors, their role is holistic, blending diverse requirements and disciplines in a creative process, while serving the public interest and addressing health and safety matters. (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada)
A day in the life of an ancient Greek architect
Architectural Services?
The practice of architecture1 consists of the provision of professional services in connection with town planning as well as the design, construction, enlargement, conservation, restoration, or alteration of a building or group of buildings. These professional services include, but are not limited to:
- planning and land-use planning;
- urban design;
- provision of preliminary studies, designs, models, drawings, specifications, and technical documentation;
- coordination of technical documentation prepared by others (consulting engineers, urban planners, landscape architects, and other specialist consultants) as appropriate and without limitation;
- construction economics;
- contract administration;
- monitoring of construction (referred to as supervision on some countries);
- project management
1 - UIA Accord on Recommended International Standards of Professionalism in Architectural Practice
Architecture is?
What is architecture? The word architecture can have many meanings. Architecture can be both an art and a science, a process and a result, and both an idea and a reality. People often use the words "architecture" and "design" interchangeably, which naturally broadens the definition of architecture. If you can "design" your own career goals, aren't you the architect of your own life? It seems there are no easy answers, so we explore and debate the many definitions of architecture, design, and what architects and social scientists call "the built environment." (Jackie Craven. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-architecture-178087)
A quick google search shows that there are as many definitions of architecture as there are architects. Each registered architect has their own definition of what it is they do but is is fair to say architecture is a passion.