What is an Architect?

Simply stated from a pragmatic viewpoint, an Architect is a person who designs buildings and supervises construction to verify that it matches the design intent.  In the United States, Architects are licensed professionals who are responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the public with regards to the built environment.  From a more holistic viewpoint, Architects shape the world we live in and design the built environment which we all interact with on a daily basis. 

“Architect” is a protected title in the United States; therefore anyone calling themselves an Architect with respect to building design is breaking the law unless they are a licensed professional Architect.  In contrast, “Engineer” is not a protected title.  This is why the term is often over used out of context; building engineer, maintenance engineer, facilities engineer and so forth.