Architect interview questions and answers

I start with the brief: user needs, area programme, budget and timeline, and I restate it in writing so the client confirms it. Then site analysis and concept options, usually two or three, with massing and a basic plan. After the client picks a direction, schematic design fixes the layout and structure grid. Design development brings in structural and MEP consultants and finalises materials. Next come the authority submission drawings, then working drawings and the tender package. During construction I answer site queries, check work against drawings, and certify bills. Handover includes as-built drawings and a snag list.

I look at physical, climatic and regulatory factors. Physically: plot shape and dimensions from the survey, contours, soil type, existing trees, drainage, and access roads. Climatically: sun path, prevailing wind direction, rainfall and any noise or view corridors. Regulatory: zoning, permissible FSI, setbacks, height limits and parking norms from the local development control rules. I also note surroundings, like neighbouring building heights and services lines. For my thesis project on a sloping site, the contour study led me to step the building in three levels, which cut down on excavation and retaining walls.

FSI, or floor space index, also called FAR, is the ratio of total permissible built-up area to the plot area. If a plot is 500 square metres and the permissible FSI is 1.5, the total built-up area allowed is 750 square metres across all floors. Setbacks then limit the ground coverage, and height limits cap the number of floors, so FSI, setbacks and height together decide the building envelope. Each city’s rules define what counts toward FSI; some areas like certain balconies or staircases may be excluded. So I always read the current local regulations rather than assume.

In hot and humid regions, the priority is shading and cross ventilation, because humidity makes thermal mass less useful. I orient the long sides north and south to reduce east and west exposure, and keep plans narrow so air can move through. Windows go on opposite walls, with openings sized for prevailing winds. Deep overhangs, verandahs and sloping roofs handle both sun and heavy rain. I prefer lighter, light-coloured materials and raised plinths. On a coastal house project in Kerala, we added high-level vents under the roof to exhaust hot air, and the owners rarely use the AC.

I share a base model or drawing set with a fixed grid and levels, and agree a naming and revision system at the start. We hold coordination meetings every week or two during design development. On BIM projects I federate the structural and MEP models in Revit or Navisworks and run clash detection, focusing first on beams against ducts and ceiling heights. On CAD projects I overlay reflected ceiling plans with the structural and services layouts. On a hospital project, this caught a main duct running through a deep beam in the corridor, which we resolved by rerouting before tender.

A good set includes a site plan with levels, dimensioned floor plans, sections through key areas like staircases, elevations, and a roof plan with slopes and drainage. Then details: staircase, toilet, kitchen, waterproofing, and wall sections. Schedules for doors and windows with sizes, types and hardware, plus finishes schedules for floors, walls and ceilings. Every sheet has a title block, scale, north point, revision table and cross-references to details. During my internship I prepared a door and window schedule for a 40-unit housing project, and I learnt that consistent numbering between plans and schedules prevents most site queries.

I use Revit daily for production, from modelling to sheet setup, schedules and view templates. I can set up families for doors, windows and furniture, and I have worked on shared models with worksets. I use AutoCAD for detail drawings and for projects where consultants still work in CAD. For design studies I use SketchUp, and for presentation renders Enscape or Lumion. On my last project I set up a room data schedule in Revit that fed directly into the area statement, which saved the team manual recalculations every time the plan changed.

AAC blocks are lighter, which reduces dead load on the structure and can save on steel in frame buildings. They are larger, so construction is faster with fewer joints, and they insulate better. But they need thin-bed adhesive or proper mortar, careful fixing for heavy fittings, and good plastering details to avoid cracks. Burnt clay bricks are strong, familiar to every mason, good for load-bearing walls and fixings, but heavier and their quality varies. For a multi-storey frame building I usually prefer AAC; for a small load-bearing house in a town with skilled masons and good local bricks, bricks can make more sense.

I plan accessibility from concept, not as an add-on. That means a step-free route from the parking and drop-off to the entrance, ramps at a gentle gradient, commonly 1:12 or flatter, with handrails on both sides and landings. Doors wide enough for a wheelchair, lever handles, and a lift where there is more than one floor. At least one accessible toilet with turning space and grab bars. Tactile paving at level changes and good contrast for people with low vision. I check the current national accessibility guidelines and local rules each time, because requirements get updated.

First I check whether the deviation affects structure, safety, function or only appearance. If it is structural, I stop that part of the work and bring in the structural engineer. Otherwise I talk to the site engineer to understand why: sometimes there is a genuine site condition or a missing drawing. I record it in the site instruction book with photos and agree a fix. On a school project, the contractor had shifted a window to avoid a column that was not in our drawings. The fix was acceptable, so we issued a revised drawing and noted the cost implications.

I first check the plot documents, zoning and development rules, and any special clearances like fire, airport height or heritage. Then I prepare submission drawings with the area statement and FSI calculations in the format the local authority requires, often through its online building permission system. During construction there may be stage inspections such as plinth checking. At completion we submit the completion documents and structural stability certificate for the occupancy certificate. I keep a tracker of every NOC, its status and its validity, because a lapsed NOC is the most common cause of delay I have seen.

On a residence project, after working drawings were done, the client asked to add a home office on the terrace. I did not refuse or agree immediately. I checked FSI and height rules first, which allowed a small room. Then I gave the client a note: design revision time, extra structural cost, a likely three-week delay, and our additional fee. They agreed in writing. We revised the drawings in parallel with ongoing ground floor work, so the actual delay was under two weeks. The written note avoided any argument later about fees.

In my fourth-year studio, the jury rejected my concept for a community library because the central atrium used too much floor area and ignored the tight budget in the brief. I was disappointed, but I asked the jury which parts were worth keeping. They liked the reading courtyard. I redesigned around a smaller courtyard, put the stacks along the west wall as a thermal buffer, and cut the built-up area by about 20 percent. The final review went much better, and I learnt to check the brief’s constraints before falling in love with a form.

On a small office fit-out, tenders came back about 15 percent over the client’s budget. I went through the BOQ with the quantity surveyor and sorted items by cost. The big ones were imported stone flooring and a custom glass partition system. We kept the stone only in the reception, used vitrified tiles elsewhere, and replaced the glass system with a local fabricator’s design that looked nearly the same. We also simplified the false ceiling. The revised cost came within budget, and the client felt the design character was intact.

The structural consultant on a housing project wanted to increase column sizes, which would have blocked a car parking bay in the basement. Instead of arguing over email, I set up a meeting with the drawings on the table. I explained the parking count we needed to meet the norms. He explained the load issue. We agreed to shift two columns slightly and use a transfer beam at one location. It added some cost but kept the parking count. Talking face to face with the drawings solved in one hour what emails had not solved in a week.

During my internship, I drew a toilet detail where the floor level drop was shown on the plan but missing in the section. The site team cast the slab without the sunken portion. It was found before tiling, and the fix was a raised floor elsewhere with a step, which the client did not like. I owned the mistake with my senior and helped prepare the revised detail the same day. Since then I cross-check every wet area between plan, section and detail sheet before issue, and I keep a simple checklist for it.

Right now I handle three projects: a villa in construction, an office in working drawings, and a clinic at concept stage. I keep one sheet with every deliverable and its date, and plan each week on Monday. Site visits are fixed on Tuesday and Friday mornings so contractors know when to expect me. I give the junior architect clear drawing tasks with a marked-up sketch and review her work daily for fifteen minutes. Concept work gets my quiet afternoon hours. When two deadlines clash, I tell the principal early rather than on the due date.

I have followed your institutional projects, especially the school campus that uses local stone and courtyards for cooling. My own work has been in residential projects with a similar climate-responsive focus, and I want to apply it to larger public buildings. I also noticed you run projects from concept to site supervision, and I want that full-cycle experience rather than only production drawings. I can contribute right away in Revit and working drawings, while learning how you handle larger consultant teams.

Yes, my Council of Architecture registration came through after graduation, and I can share the certificate. For a junior architect role in Bengaluru, I am expecting ₹4 to 4.5 lakh a year, based on what peers from my batch have been offered at practices of a similar size. I am more focused on the quality of projects and mentorship in the first two years, so I am open to discussing the figure, especially if there is a clear review after the first year.

Yes. I think site visits are where I learn the most, because I see how my details actually get built. In my current job I visit sites twice a week, including early morning slab casts. I am comfortable travelling for outstation projects, for example a few days each month for a resort site, as long as it is planned. I have a two-wheeler for local sites and I am fine with rough site conditions. I only ask for enough notice to plan my other deadlines.