GUEST BLOG. Be a professional architectural technologist or be a professional building engineering technologist? That is the question!
To become a technologist in the building field, two paths are possible: architectural technology or building engineering, also called building mechanics. But one way or another, the future technologist must complete three-year college-level training. Once the diploma is completed, the technologist can become a member of the Order of Professional Technologists of Quebec (OTPQ) and hold the title of professional technologist. He is then authorized to use the initials TP
“We must not confuse the technologist and the technician,” warns Ms. Angélique Gagné, professional architectural technologist, lawyer and vice-president of communications at the OTPQ. “The technician generally has secondary level training leading to a professional studies diploma. This specialized training emphasizes practical knowledge,” she explains.
Very specific tasks
The architectural technologist can independently produce plans and specifications for architectural work, whether for the construction, expansion, reconstruction, renovation or modification of a building, provided that the building is not does not exceed two floors and 300 m2 of total gross floor area, and that it has only one basement level. Beyond this height or surface area, the architectural technologist can only provide technical assistance to architects.
Thus, the professional architectural technologist can, for example, carry out the obligatory verification of the facades of buildings with a height of five floors or more and make recommendations aimed at correcting defects, in order to prevent them from collapsing or crack. As for the professional building engineering technologist, he can, for example, develop the maintenance program for a water cooling tower, in order to prevent legionella from entering and proliferating.
The essential qualities of a technologist
Without a doubt, a technologist in the building field must love mathematics, physics, geometry, science and technical drawing. Having attention to detail and good analytical skills to solve design or construction problems is essential. A sense of responsibility and organizational skills are also essential, since the technologist in the building sector is often called upon to be responsible for work on construction sites. What's more, the architectural technologist must have a sense of aesthetics, while the building engineering technologist must demonstrate a lot of ingenuity.
By: Paméla Egan / Le Journal de Québec
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