What Is An Architect?

Simply put, an architect is a licensed professional with specialized skills who designs buildings and cityscapes and helps make real the unique vision of their clients and communities.

Architecture is imaginative problem-solving that blends art and science in the design of environments. Architects transform people’s needs into design concepts and create detailed documents that can be constructed by others. These projects can be as small as an entrance way and as large as an entire college campus.

An architect serves in a leadership role to bring together the client’s functional and budgetary requirements, needs of the building's users, site constraints, and the properties of materials into a unique and balanced design solution. Decision-making, team leadership and creativity are key aspects of making architecture.

2025 MERIT AWARD ─ Interior Architecture

PROJECT  A 15 Year Library for 10,000 Books
LOCATION  Potomac, Maryland
ARCHITECT  McInturff Architects
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Mark McInturff FAIA, David Mogensen AIA, Peter Noonan AIA
OWNER/CLIENT  Confidential
CONTRACTOR  Added Dimensions Inc / Alan Kanner
PHOTOGRAPHER  Anice Hoachlander; Julia Heine