Odd title perhaps but fitting as it was used to describe the type of technical employee that I want, who seem to be missing from the industry these days.
Revit Tech, Revit Modeller … When did those terms come become the industry norm?
I want a draftee, a good old fashioned draftee who can also use Revit.
To pull from my own CV these are the qualities that I require:
– Client/Architect/Team Communication
– Consultant coordination via direct communication/meetings
– Quality control of drawings produced and adherence to client/company protocol
– Current knowledge and understanding of the BCA, Australian Standards and the R-codes
– Ability to adapt to different working methods and protocols
– Ability to produce contract documentation (DA, BL, QS, BOQ, Tender and Con Docs)
– Construction detail resolution
– Meeting target issue dates (typically exceeding client expectations)
*
When did all of this go out the window for “killer Revit driver” & “knows Revit inside and out”?
Software platforms come and go, the core skills that, in this instance, an architecturally trained draftee has/had are what I am looking for.
I don’t want someone who can model the heck out of a building, I want someone who is thinking and resolving the construction every step of the way, who is ‘arguing’ with the Architect because what they want does not work etc
We are building a virtual building, not just modelling because it looks good and is fun.
It seems to me that the focus has been in up skilling on the software but the most important part has been left behind in the BIM race.
I can teach you any software package in a matter of months, whilst on the project in fact. I can’t teach you how a building goes together in the same time nor can I teach you to use your brain and your voice to convey concerns about the design!
The passion for the software is great but the underlying principle of construction knowledge, what works well and what doesn’t work at all, is the key.
I could actually go on and on but I won’t……
I have to say that I am shocked to find the gap in knowledge that I have come across recently.
*My awesome draftee skills are all related to the experience and mentoring that I had at my first job. Their focus has progressed to BIM but the fundamental knowledge will always be the same… So I will give them a plug 🙂
Parametric
If you don’t know how it goes together, how can you model it?
BIMbo 
What you are looking for is an Architectural Technician/Technologist, the evolution of the draftee to a technical designer.Building is more complex and the “draftee” has had to evolve and broaden the skill set while retaining the core construction knowledge. The DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) Architectural Technologist posseses a technical design skillset centred on an ability to create, apply and integrate building construction thru digital information technologies in the building design and construction process.
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Agree and there are suitable courses here in Australia also – I did one many years ago after all. I was a draftsperson, I am just a draftee that followed the future and became a BIM Manager.
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Excellent article, and good to know we’re not alone.
These fundamental skills are no longer taught, either because the educators don’t think they’re relevant any more or because they can’t get the bums on seats without the whizz-bang applications.
The importance of setting out a sheet logically cannot be understated, or the little effort required to line elements up and work from the general to the particular.
It’s an ongoing battle and it leaves me wondering if there’s a need for a course to teach this, in much the same way that we have traing courses for software. Perhaps the industry should be pushing for this.
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Thanks Brooke.
It is good to know that I am not alone in my frustration!
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Thank-you Belinda!
I know that most of us who not only manage the technology, but mentor our staff share the same frustration. The drafting tools change through the years, but the real skill (and art) is producing an exceptionable deliverable, be it a model or paper construction documents, it must be complete, accurate and follow standards!
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I’ve read quite a few comments lately and have also come across other professionals who think if a ‘draftee’ isn’t a graduated Architect all they can do is ‘put lines on paper’ and be limited to filling a ‘CAD Monkey’ role. The truth couldn’t be further from it! I consider myself an Architectural Technician highly trained in Revit and have detailed the sh*t out of many buildings, big and small, complex and simple. I’ve been very lucky to have tremendous mentors along the way, which I have always thanked for their efforts. Receiving quality mentoring and ‘listening’ has played a large role in my development. The other factor is project budgets, quality detailing takes time! The devil is in the detail as I’ve heard many times. I think some companies force their drafters to be mindless CAD monkeys due to budget reasons or maybe their over-inflated egos telling them that they should earn ‘x’ amount per anum and everyone else gets what’s left. If the budget is not their for detailing, it’s not the drafters fault. As the other post has mentioned, there are courses to become an Architectural Technician. However, I’m not an Architect and didn’t graduate from a ‘CAD Monkey’ school. I graduated from the Southbank Institue of Technology with a Diploma of Building Design & Technology. This was a very full on course with graduates receiving a very strong & broad knowledge base to further develop their skills. Hearing comments like (not necessarily from this discussion) only Architect’s can detail drawings and oh you’re a drafty, you must only be able to put lines on paper, instantly tells me they have no clue what I’m capable of and they don’t realise just how much time and effort was involved receiving my qualification and experience. In the end, it’s the technician that helps the Architect bring everthing to life, it’s a team effort.
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I agree with everything you have written, especially the expectation that Architectural Grads are the ones out there doing the drafting and they really just do not have the construction training to know what they are doing. Everyone needs to learn but to train and use an architectural grad as a draftee/tech is a time consuming process and you know that they have other career aspirations – they will move on, which once again leaves a gap in the team.
There is only a difference in words between architectural (or other field for that matter) Draftsperson and Technician. I believe the ‘technician’ term stems from the UK. Personally I can be an exceptional Draftsperson, I prefer the term – simples as the meerkats would say.
I have to say that since my ‘rant’ above, we have hired a brilliant architectural Draftsperson (recommended through a friend) and although he isn’t a Revit Guru, the fact he can think and solve construction design issues means that we hired the correct candidate! Software training is easy.
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Good to hear you have found your new employee and they have shown the draftee is still alive and kicking! 🙂
I have also seen companies train and employ architectural graduates to fulfill a draftees role.
(And I can honestly say that I have then seen these same architectural graduates seeking out other employment opportunities where they won’t have to be a draftee)
While I do admit, some of the Architects I enjoyed working with the most have strong drafting backgrounds. I agree it’s important to also look past the ‘Revit Wizz Hype’ and ‘Treasured Architectural Graduate’ and find a ‘Draftee’ with the old fashioned traits you’ve mentioned.
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