What Is an In-House Architect

In-house architects are permanently employed by firms and work alongside other team members of that firm to complete projects. This doesn’t need to be an architecture firm – for example, design and build firms would often hire at least one in-house architect so that they don’t have to outsource the work to external parties, especially when sensitive projects involving confidentiality clauses are being handled.

What tasks is an in-house architect responsible for?

The main difference between an in-house architect and a freelance architect is that the in-house architect occupies a permanent position in a specific firm, while a freelance architect work on a standalone basis.

An in-house architect is thus bound by the workload of their current firm and doesn’t have a lot of freedom in choosing their tasks or style of work. They may often be constrained by specific stylistic requirements according to the firm’s profile, and must be supervised by higher-ranking architects to ensure full compliance in this regard.

What’s the career path to becoming an in-house architect?

Many firms prefer to work with experienced architects with an established reputation for in-house positions. This means that becoming an in-house architect primarily involves obtaining enough experience in the position of a general architect and then applying for work in different firms.

Sometimes, in-house architects may be approached directly by firms with an interest in their skills. This frequently happens when an architect has built an impressive reputation on the market and becomes the target of recruiters looking for qualified professionals with a specific set of skills.

In-house vs Freelance Architect

In-House	Freelance
Permanently employed by a firm	May work on a standalone basis
Bound by firm’s workload	Bound by own time and resource constraints
Little to no freedom in choosing tasks	Free to pick own clients and projects