We all know that architecture is a stream of study separate from engineering and architecture is a 5 year course being taught at different colleges some of which also teach other engineering subjects. Civil engineering is a type of engineering and civil engineers are concerned with integrity of buildings that are designed by architects as they build them up. There are, however, many more differences between an architect and a civil engineer that will be discussed in this article.
Architect
Architect is a qualified and experienced person who has been trained to design structures making their plans and layouts in a manner so as to allow engineers to construct the buildings. It would be correct to say that architects are dreamers who dream about a building that is later converted into reality by civil engineers.
Architects are formally made in architecture colleges where they study the nitty-gritty of the profession though the profession is still more art and flight of imagination than pure science. Architects are professionals who decide how a building will look like. They conjure up images that fit into the realms of reality. This is why architecture is a profession where the practitioner has to be both an artist, as well as a pragmatist.
Civil Engineer
As the name implies, a civil engineer is a professional who turns plans into reality. A civil engineer has to see that the design framework provided by an architect is kept intact without compromising with the safety and integrity of the structure. A civil engineer has to deal with more physics than aesthetics as sometimes the plans of an architect may not be feasible or practical on grounds of laws of physics. Civil engineer needs to be creative but within the broad framework of functionality. He has to see that the design made by an architect is workable and practical.
Architect vs Civil Engineer
• There is quite overlapping in the roles and responsibilities of an architect and a civil engineer though both are integral parts of any construction project
• Architect is who dreams and creates designs of a building while a civil engineer puts these plans into reality, completing the structures envisioned by an architect
• Architect is more of an artist, while the responsibility of a civil engineer is to see that the building is pragmatic and to built it stronger in least cost
• Creativity is the forte of an architect while a civil engineer has to be pragmatic
• While civil engineers require the designs of an architect to proceed, an architect can only draw designs on paper and has to wait to see the civil engineer put his flight of imagination into reality