Reading Note - Emerging, Little-Known or Atypical Architectural Practices and Training Needs

This week, Waitack's reading note looks at the publication of a report resulting from the CMA-ARCHI study ("Skills and Future Careers in the Architecture Sector"), led by Véronique Biau and Élise Macaire for the RAMAU network. This study was carried out as part of the France 2030 plan, whose objective is to identify training needs and the new skills required by architecture graduates pursuing "atypical" careers, that is, careers outside the traditional framework of architectural design practice in conventional firms.

The report presented here focuses specifically on the different types of "atypical" career paths followed by architecture professionals. Its findings are based on the analysis of 454 responses to an online questionnaire and 116 interviews conducted with professionals who have pursued atypical careers.

Quantitative data outlining the profile of these professionals

• They are younger and significantly more female than architects working in more "traditional" settings,...
  Professionals pursuing atypical careers in architecture are younger and more likely to be women than architects registered with the national architectural board. Their average age is 40.4 years (compared with 51.3 years), and 61% are women (compared with 38%), with 59% of them being under the age of 39.

• but they often come from similar social backgrounds.
  46% of respondents have parents belonging to higher intellectual and managerial socio-professional categories, while 20% have parents working in intermediate professions.

• During their architectural education, more than half of these atypical professionals completed additional training.
  Most respondents graduated during the 2000s (113 individuals) or the 2010s (199 individuals). They therefore obtained one of the following three qualifications: DPLG (32%), HMONP (39%), or DEA (33%).
  Nearly two-thirds (58%) reported having completed additional training during their studies, mainly in "Engineering, Science and Technology" (20%), "Urban Planning and Development" (18%), and "Humanities and Social Sciences" (8%).

• They now work in occupations with income levels comparable to architects registered with the national architectural board...
  The early careers of these "atypical" professionals were marked by the 2008 financial crisis, which slowed their entry into conventional architectural design firms.
  However, their median income remains comparable to that of architects registered with the national architectural board within the same age groups. Among professionals aged 35 to 44, the average monthly income is €3,058, compared with €3,008 for architects registered with the Board.
  Nearly 10% of the sample earns more than €5,000 net per month, mainly professionals working in private project ownership, experienced multi-active professionals, or architects carrying out temporary assignments abroad.

• and they work across a wide variety of organizational structures.
  The majority of these atypical professionals are not registered with the national architectural board (72%). However, 28% pursue their atypical careers within architectural firms, while 16% work as independent practitioners.
  The remainder are distributed across associations (12%), engineering consultancies (11%), and the public or semi-public sectors (which together account for 24% of respondents).
  Most benefit from stable employment (44% hold permanent contracts, 9% are civil servants, 23% are company directors, and 3% are self-employed entrepreneurs).

• These atypical career paths are also characterized by income and career inequalities between women and men.
  Women remain overrepresented in the lower salary brackets (25% earn between €1,800 and €2,399 per month), while men dominate the higher salary brackets (30% earn more than €3,600 per month).
  Similarly, part-time work affects women more frequently, with 23% working part-time compared with only 15% of men. Women are also less likely to hold management or partner positions, accounting for only 17% compared with 28% of men.

The Seven Families of Atypical Profiles

The analysis of the qualitative data identifies seven major families of atypical professional practices among architecture professionals.

1. Public Policy Implementation and Urban Studies This type of practice focuses on the oversight, planning, and practical implementation of public policies related to spatial planning and territorial development.
   Examples of profiles: A State Architect and Urban Planner (AUE) working in a central government administration and responsible for drafting and coordinating the implementation of planning legislation, or a municipal building permit officer.

2. Public and Private Project Ownership (Project Management) These professionals are responsible for managing operations, maintenance, and the energy optimization of public assets (e.g., school or regional property portfolios) or private assets (e.g., commercial or industrial real estate). This is an atypical field in which women are overrepresented in the public sector.
   It is also the professional family that identifies the least with the title of architect. None of the respondents working in public project ownership describe themselves as architects, and none of those working in private project ownership are registered with the national architectural board.
   Examples of profiles: Head of the Energy Maintenance Department within a departmental council, Director of a real estate development agency, or Project and Research Officer in public real estate management.

3. Project Management Assistance (AMO), Consulting, and Programming These activities involve supporting projects during the upstream phases of architectural, urban, or landscape developments. Professionals carry out programming studies, participatory processes, and territorial diagnostics.
   Unlike the following family, they do not work within architectural firms but primarily within engineering and consulting firms.
   Examples of profiles: Advisor at a CAUE (Council for Architecture, Urban Planning and the Environment), corporate real estate consultant, or project manager within a regional natural park.

4. Architectural Design / Project Management Assistance (Hybrid) Professionals in this family aim to create continuity between the upstream and downstream phases of the construction process (programming–design–delivery). It includes a large number of professionals with multiple activities, designers working in collectives, as well as digital specialists.
   Examples of profiles: Collective practice architect, BIM Manager, or residential interior architect.

5. Specialized Architectural Design and Construction Delivery Divided into several subgroups, this family of practices focuses on advanced technical studies, construction management, condominium rehabilitation projects, or craftsmanship centered on materials (bio-based materials, material reuse, eco-construction).
   Examples of profiles: An architect-cabinetmaker who runs their own craft workshop alongside their architectural design practice.

6. Teaching, Research, and Training This family includes professionals who teach at French National Schools of Architecture (ENSA), vocational high schools, or universities, as well as trainers operating outside traditional institutional settings and providing education to professionals or private individuals (e.g., eco-construction or renovation techniques).
   Some also combine this work with research activities within a laboratory or the R&D department of a private company.
   Examples of profiles: A researcher or industrial PhD candidate working in corporate R&D, or a Director of Training within a cooperative company dedicated specifically to material reuse.

7. Communication and Mediation This family includes architecture professionals working in editorial publishing, journalism, graphic illustration, event scenography, as well as the facilitation of citizen engagement initiatives and public consultation processes with local communities.
   This highly diverse family is characterized by a particularly high proportion of professionals holding only a DEA degree and operating as self-employed entrepreneurs.
   Examples of profiles: An "architect-mediator" working in schools or an editor-in-chief of an architecture magazine.

The Mobilization of Architectural Knowledge and Expertise in Atypical Career Paths

Interviews with architecture professionals pursuing atypical careers reveal that many regret their architectural education being primarily focused on learning the traditional practice of architectural design within conventional firms and on "competition design proposals."
Although architecture schools tend to overlook or place limited value on atypical career paths, respondents acknowledge that their education enabled them to acquire the technical and conceptual foundations of architectural projects, as well as the professional language associated with them. They describe it as a "solid generalist education, providing a 'project culture', broad architectural knowledge, conceptual abilities, autonomy, and a specific perspective on the professions of architecture and urban planning" (p.45).
However, they also consider it insufficient whenever atypical careers require in-depth expertise in a specific technical subject (construction, project management, or administrative matters), a specialized field or sector (scenography, research, heritage, emergency response, third places, etc.), or the skills needed to start and run a business.

Conclusion

This report highlights the wide variety of atypical professional roles occupied by architecture graduates. It reveals the persistent gap between an initial education that remains largely centered on the traditional model of architectural design practice and the reality of atypical careers, which increasingly require hybrid, technical, and advanced management skills.
Architectural education provides a strong generalist foundation, but the need to adapt its curriculum has become increasingly evident in order to better prepare future graduates for the realities of professional practice and the emerging opportunities available to them.

Reference

Véronique Biau, Élise Macaire, Charlotte Aristide, Samuel Balti, Stéphanie Bouysse-Mesnage, et al. Emerging, Overlooked or Atypical Architectural Practices and Training Needs. École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris La Villette; Réseau Activités et Métiers de l’Architecture et de l’Urbanisme (France). 2024.