Gary Keith Jackson Design

Building Designer is the term used in the United States and Australia for people involved in the design of buildings who are not registered architects. In Australia anyone may legally call themselves a building designer, however the term building designer is usually used by persons, such as an architectural draftsperson who has been registered as a building designer and persons who have exactly the same or similar qualifications and experience as registered architects; i.e., a Bachelor of Architecture degree from an accredited course and many years of experience. The only difference, in many cases, is that they have chosen not to take the examination required for registration. In the United States many states have exemptions in the laws of Business and Professions Code allowing persons to design residential buildings and light commercial buildings without having an architectural license, given certain guide lines. Those who have chosen to specialize in that discipline are legally allowed to call themselves Building Designers. Building designers are also commonly known as residential designers due to the fact that many of the people in this field specialize solely on Residential Design and Residential Remodeling. Formerly there existed a National Certification for Building Designers in the United States, which provided legal standing, but this has since been removed due to the lobbying of the Certified Architectural portion of the Industry, specifically the AIA, mostly and ego thing and not based on the talents, experience and practice of architecture. However, in the state of Nevada, a specific license for residential design has been re-established. Because the focus of a building designer's practice may primarily be residential in nature, this particular class of design professional may or may not have the same or similar qualifications and experiences as registered architects. Building and residential designers in the United States seeking credentialing for their skills may qualify to sit for a certification exam administered by the National Council of Building Designer Certification. Those who have successful passed the NCBDC exam are given the title Certified Professional Building Designer (R), many architects also take this exam to become NCBDC.

Both are involved in the design of buildings; their firm’s appearance, layout, structure, program, etc., are similar. Consider their clientele and work load. Building designers tend to specialize in residential and produce volumes of work for many builders and individuals, whereas many architects firms do only several projects annually, so they may be able to devote more time on your single larger or specialized project where they can concentrate and refine the small details, although they may have less design exposure as firms generating a large volume of works they also are more expensive. What’s the main difference? The simplest difference is a legal one. To be called an “architect” in the USA, you have to be registered with the Board of Architects of that state. And whether you choose an architect or building designer, remember, qualifications are no guarantee of quality. How do I choose? Look at their body of work (portfolio). Ask for references from previous customers both builders and individuals. Review their qualifications and consider how long they’ve been practicing. Are they a member of an accredited body? In the end, it’s like anything else in life; remember there’s no substitute for common sense.

The design process can take anywhere from 2-3 months to 6 months. There are many factors that come into play when one embarks on their new custom home design project.

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Both are involved in the design of buildings; their firm’s appearance, layout, structure, program, etc., are similar. Consider their clientele and work load. Building designers tend to specialize in residential and produce volumes of work for many builders and individuals, whereas many architects firms do only several projects annually, so they may be able to devote more time on your single larger or specialized project where they can concentrate and refine the small details, although they may have less design exposure as firms generating a large volume of works they also are more expensive. What’s the main difference? The simplest difference is a legal one. To be called an “architect” in the USA, you have to be registered with the Board of Architects of that state. And whether you choose an architect or building designer, remember, qualifications are no guarantee of quality. How do I choose? Look at their body of work (portfolio). Ask for references from previous customers both builders and individuals. Review their qualifications and consider how long they’ve been practicing. Are they a member of an accredited body? In the end, it’s like anything else in life; remember there’s no substitute for common sense.